Paintings With Soul

"Fiddlesticks," 8" x 10", portrait of a sassy Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, done in acrylics on a museum quality panel. $469 to the first  asking nicely . Do you remember " Pile ," the commissioned portrait that was ultimately donated to a breed specific fundraiser - this painting was inspired by a photo that was included in all the reference materials for the Pile project. I asked Facebook fans to name the piece - suggestions came via Facebook , and got a hefty number of suggestions. It was tough choosing just one - I could have added several sub-titles!! And while you are there, you can see the  in-process pics  of this painting, too! Thanks so much for supporting my artwork! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

      "Romeo," 24" square, acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a very personable Yorkshire Terrier. This is a commissioned portrait, and as such, has a home already, thank you very much.   In process pics of Romeo are  here .   If you want to talk about commissioning something extra special and extra large -  email me . I love to talk about this sort of stuff!     Romeo's painting is so large (the periwinkle underpainting was done with a house painting brush) that I made a special trip this morning to purchase bigger paint brushes.   Go big or go home, right? Fondly, Kim    

    "Buddy," 8" x 10", commissioned dog portrait, done in acrylics on a museum quality panel. Buddy's painting has a home (THANK YOU!), and in process pics are on the  studio's Facebook page .   So, like, this is one of my all time favorite pieces to come off my easel.    I'm feeling rather pleased with myself right now.    Fondly, Kim, who's head might have grown a couple sizes this afternoon ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com    

      "Sleeping Beauty," a Cherished painting and the latest piece inspired by Mona Lisa, 10" x 20", acrylic on museum quality panel. This piece will be entered in a portrait exhibition and available next month for $799 exquisitely framed - if you are interested in purchasing, please  email me .   I've worked on "Sleeping Beauty" over the last couple days, and there are lots of photos over on  the studio's Facebook page .   The reference photos for this painting were taken a couple years, back, within days of Mona's adoption. This was her first visit to the studio, where, after a cursory inspection of the room, she promptly found the warmest spot - my recently vacated desk chair - and oriented herself toward the sun. In reality Mona was about 2 lbs at the time - in this particular portrait, her head alone measures 5" - there's quite a difference in scale!   Fondly, Kim, who's already a c...

    Every month, I travel back in time one year, choose a fav painting, and make a calendar page. Just like last month, October's choice was more difficult than usual, as I had several favorites (you can peek at all of October 2011 - and each of the over 1400 Painting a Dog a Day faces - here ).   So I chose this glamor girl because she represented my newfound confidence with mixing blues. Plus I love the composition and complimentary color palette. And her glorious profile, too.   Anyway, to implement this month's desktop calendar, simply download the file  directly from my website . I've set up a couple different ways to do this, either via the photo album or a direct link.   I am by no means an expert on the variety of operating systems, so I highly recommend that if you don't know how to change your desktop wallpaper, don't email me for advice. Instead consult your computer's help files - they will be more concise,...