Paintings With Soul

  Sprout, acrylic on cradled wood panel, 36"x24", 1" profile, no need to frame, $2000 plus s&h to   the first asking nicely . Questions can always come  to me. this painting began in February after a heavy ice storm   and was signed last week, while the earth has been busy coming back to life. Along the way I incorporated elements of the changing season (and moon) in her design. She's a compilation of the shifts that have happened in my little neck of the woods. I am intrigued by this combination, a painting made up of multiple moments in time - you can bet it's been added to my "what if's" for future exploration! Meanwhile, you can  make Sprout your own  or oogle at a larger image of her. Also, if you are so inclined, there will be a new Watching Paint Dry episode tomorrow (May 26th) at noon eastern. I'll be talking about commissioned projects and my stint as the official artist of the 2015 Kentucky Derby. You can tune in via zoom  here . T...

  have you read The Snowy Day?  That little red bit near her eye? it's a nod to Ezra Keat's book  The Snowy Day , as is the title of the painting. I have a soft spot for children's picture books, particularly those that were my own kiddos favorites. There's something so wonderful about curling up with a book - and a child, if you are so lucky. Opening up imagination and possibility inside the embrace of the pages. And the artwork. As always, I welcome questions or thoughts about my work. Thanks so much for following along with - and supporting - my art journey, warmly, Kim

"First Snow," 14" x 18", acrylics on panel, originally $699, special 12 Days of Christmas pricing $609 plus s&h with holiday delivery inside the US. Inquiries may come   to me . The first snow is always beautiful. Magical. Then it gets all slushy and dirty and I want winter to be done with.   Share Tweet Forward Over the next 7 days I'll be sharing some paintings that would make most excellent gifts. These pieces will carry special holiday pricing thru December 15th, 2017. They are one-of-a-kind originals, and once they are gone, they are gone - so please, if you are interested in something, let me know in the timeliest manner possible. Additionally, if you are in southeastern lower Michigan, I'm hosting   a studio Open House in my new space . I've cleaned out my home studio (mostly) of inventory, and there will be lots to see, going back 10 years and more! I'd love to share some holiday...

First Snow, 14" x 18", acrylics on museum quality panel, $699 to the first asking nicely. Inquiries may come to   ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   . Want something similar starring your dog? I work from your photos to create an image that is uniquely your pet. Museum quality panels start at $399 -   inquire now   for holiday delivery.  Share Tweet Forward It's been a crazy couple of weeks, between unexpectedly having to purchase a new car, moving into my out-side-the-house-studio, planning an open studio event, shipping work to a new gallery, diving headfirst into an exciting new series of paintings and feeling a bit under the weather. But I'm persisting and learning every day. Today I learned how to check a head gasket in an engine, took in an exhibition that didn't thrill me much at all (but it's still important to look!), read up on the election results (which were exciting to say the least), playe...

It's magical, isn't it? Like the first snow every year. "Nita's Bliss," 18" x 24" on a cradeled panel, done in acrylics on an ampersand gessoboard, heading to her new home next week. A detail of this painting is below - it's luscious in every possible way. You may order reproductions of Nita's Bliss here:   Please let me know if you would like something similar starring your own dog. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

Currently untitled, this in process piece features Nita, one of my favorite muses. It's a commissioned portrait of her playing in the snow, one of her favorite pasttimes (as you well know from this painting Snow Much Fun ). This piece is 18" x 24" on a cradeled panel and already has a home (thank you very much!). Please let me know if you would like something similar starring your own dog. I'm taking an online flower painting class, and the techniques we are using, with lots of drips and dribbles and direct blending, are absolutely perfect for the underpainting of Nita's newest portrait. The approach gives a lovely otherworldly glow and there's some fabulous texture here that will be beautiful when sanded down a little. I love my job, getting to create this sort of thing for my family of collectors! Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim

"Powder Express," 16" x 20", acrylics on museum quality panel. Yes, this is another painting starring Nita, who we've already established as one of my favorite muses. I took a lot of in process photos, and they are here , for those interested. Lots of thanks to Team Husar Wildlife Photography for permission to paint from their photos. And I do believe that when this piece sells (hint hint!), Ms Nita has earned herself a shipment of dog toys - I'll put Finnigan right on that! This painting, including s&h inside the US, is $1499. Please send inquiries  to me . (Psst - now is the perfect time to start planning for holiday portraits - don't wait, because my calendar fills up FAST!) Letting Go There was a point in this painting where I could have chosen to paint every single clump and flake of snow, and every single ripple of feathers. And I did spend some time considering how to get a perfectly smooth, perfectly blue sky....

"Steam," 9" x 12", acrylics on panel depicting a lovely and powerful Warmblood (horse) galloping in the snow. This painting needs a home - it's only $539, which includes special delivery to your doorstep (inside the contiguous US). Inquiries may come directly to me . In process photos  here (thank you for peeking!).   Is Spring FINALLY Here? Today's temperature was in the 80s (nearly 40 degrees warmer than a week ago!), so it seemed safe enough to paint some snow. If Michigan gets some freakishly cole weather tonite and tomorrow, I will totally take the blame.   This concept appealed to me because of the steam blowing across the dark body. And then, once I started it really really big, I struggled with the extreme value shifts - darkest darks and lightest lights - and couldn't get things to work. I fought with the painting for the better half of Friday and then threw in the towel.   I looked at the hot mess of a painting...

From January 2012, "Snow Much Fun," 36" x 14", acrylics on panel, depicting the singular muse Nita, the golden retriever extraordinaire who lives life large. This piece was done in acrylics on a museum quality panel and resides in a private collection. However, reproductions on a variety of surfaces and items remain available. Inquires may come directly to me .  #InstantReplay In light of the storm on the east coast, I thought I would re-run one of my all time favorite paintings, "Snow Much Fun." It's a compilation piece done from multiple photos supplied by (and used with permission) Team Husar Photography . If my memory serves me right, this was one of the first times I'd painted Nita - I've lost count by now how many paintings she and her brother Bear have starred in! I don't mean to make light of the seriousness of blizzards. Just hoping all in the path of the accumulation and winds are staying warm and sa...

In process, working title, "Mousers," 18" x 24" x 1-1/2", acrylic on museum quality panel, depicting a golden retriever and a black labrador retriever digging in a snow drift, presumably for a mouse, but one never knows what treasure will be unearthed! The painting carries around the sides of the cradle (aka "gallery wrap" style) and does not mandate a frame (although one is indeed possible if desired). Available for $2399 which includes s&h inside the US. Inquiries may come  to me . Please and thank you! I Can't Stop! But I will have to soon - I have three portrait projects in the wings here that need to be done next week. Hoping to get a little easel time over the weekend with these two Mousers while the kids are off doing their thing, and then I can buckle down and work work work on those other paintings next week. Cross your fingers and toes for me. And thanks, too, for indulging my kindergarten humor this wee...

You can 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 not an expert on operating systems, so if you don't know how to change your desktop wallpaper, please don't email me - I will indubitably steer you wrong. Your computer's help files will be more concise, more knowledgeable and more responsive than I could ever hope to be.  I've sized this to fit a standard screen height of 768 - I realize there are lots of variables that could impact how the file displays on your screen. Let me know if, once you get the file installed, there are display quality issues (keep in mind, too, that options such as "stretching to fit," "tiling" and "cropping" will impact your display, so check those first!). Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Kim

ABOVE, detail of "Ice (Luna III)," BELOW, full version, 12" x 7-3/4", acrylics on a cradeled museum quality panel, the newest installation in The Luna Series, a study of black and white, $499. In process photos here . I don't think this painting is going to last long -  inquiries may come to me . I want to do a few more paintings of Luna, but am far from done with my exploration of black and white. Which means I am casting for additional black and white muses. The ideal muse will have interesting markings and texture along with an expressive face. Nominations may come to me via email  with the subject line "Black and White" - include 2-3 non-flash photos that you have taken where your black and white nominee makes up at least 1/3 of the photo.  PLEASE NOTE: Nominating individuals are under no obligation to purchase resulting artwork. By submitting photos, nominating individual is guaranteeing they are both the photog...

IN PROCESS "Ice (Luna III)," 12" x 7-3/4", acrylics on a cradeled museum quality panel, the newest installation in The Luna Series, a study of black and white, $499. In process photos here  (and yes, I will adjust the highlights in his face and repaint the muzzle so that it's a proper size - but dont you just LOVE that blue shadow cast along the edge of his inner cheek? and it's SUCH a no-no, falling in the middle of the composition like that - but I love breaking the rules and making them work!).  Inquiries may come to me . Taking the study of light and dark to the opposite end of the spectrum today. Same model ( Luna I and Luna II ), new interpretation. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

    "Helper," 30" x 13", portrait of a Golden Retriever, done in acrylics on 1/2" birch hardwood, $899. I see some drawing corrections and a couple other tweaks to this one before I'm 110% happy with it. But he still needs a home for when I'm finished -  email me for purchase details .    This is quite the diversion, painting directly on wood, but it's something I've been thinking about doing for a long time. I still have some kinks to work out - like being patient enough to sand the clear gesso down prior to painting - but I'll get there.   I'm very fond of the combination of wood grain and painterly brushwork. And the  depth inside the snowy ground  is wonderful fun to lose oneself in.   Loads of in process pics on  Facebook .   Now who wants to add Helper to their collection?   I'm off to fire up the grill!! Thanks so much, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

  "Snow Much Fun", 14" x 32", acrylic on panel, starring Nita-the-Fierce-Snowball-Hunter, hopefully headed to this year's Art Show at the Dog Show. Inquiries may come  to me .   Here is another painting I've prepared specifically for this year's  Art Show at the Dog Show . This one I did during the holiday break - it's a big portrait, and took me several days to complete.   You may recall the far left pose as  one I painted before  - at the time I was unhappy with certain elements and wanted to give it another shot (the background is certainly lovely, but poor Nita has no neck and shoulders as painted, and it's painful to look at!).   Originally I sketched Snow Much Fun with a different airborn pose on the far left. It didn't take me long to figure out that I needed the more inviting "come on and play" Nita to make the piece even more irresistable.   Any who, the tunes were cranked (I'm digging on the new  Florence ...

"You WILL Be Mine (Pearl and Arty)," 6" x 8", a special Valentine's Day portrait depicting a yellow lab and a black standard poodle. This piece was done in Golden Open Acrylics on a Raymar Panel, and is the first ever Dog a Day Valentine GiveAway portrait! Reproductions and notecards of "You WILL Be Mine" can be ordered via my FineArtAmerica storefront. Doesn't this remind you of the whole elementary school playground bit? Today's painting belongs to Lisa Stahlberg, who last week submitted the hysterical photo (scroll down, please) of Pearl and Arty playing in the snow. Little did I know, but Arty is a PAWS With a Cause service pup in training, and Pearl is a face I painted many years ago . Congratulations to Lisa and her two sidekicks for inspiring this year's Valentine! And thank you to all who so graciously sent in photos of your loved companions - I'll be responding personally to everyone. It was beyond rewarding to see the re...