Sigh, A Gratitude Painting

"Sigh," from "The Gratitude Series,"** 10" x 6-1/2", portrait of a silvery Great Dane Pup, done in Golden Open Acrylics on a Raymar panel, $449. And since the muse for this painting hailed from Ohio Great Dane Rescue, proceeds from the sale of this painting will benefit them. Inquiries may come to moi.

I had an entirely different concept when I set up to paint today. I wanted the pup smaller on the canvas, with her entire body draped sveltly across the painting. But each time I blocked her in, she wanted to be bigger. I'd rub her out and start over, and every time she returned, she was flowing over the edges.

So I stopped fighting, and just let her be.

This will be another of my entries for this year's Canine Art Guild's "Helping Paws: All Creatures Great and Small" exhibition. This is an online show that supports animal welfare through the artists' philanthropy (each piece's sale benefits a specific animal welfare group) and awards (cash prizes go not to the artist, but to the animal welfare groups).

The online show will go live in December, but meanwhile I am getting my entries ready. I'm looking for one more muse; they have to be a rescued pet hailing from a 501c rescue group that is still functioning. You may email non-flash photos to me for consideration - and THANK YOU!!

Meanwhile, don't forget - grownUPs Journalling class tonite at Little Monsters in downtown Lake Orion, 6-8pm.

Thanks, as always, for looking at and sharing my artwork,

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

PS In-process shots of "Sigh" are on the studio's Facebook page.

**"The Gratitude Series" of paintings stars rescued animals who have found new homes. Proceeds from the sale of these paintings (including reproductions) are earmarked to support the groups that gave the animals a second - sometimes a third - chance at life.

In Memory of K9 Cade

Last summer, Burton (Michigan) police dogCade was killed in an accident. In his memory, multiple groups in this community have rallied together, hosting a fundraiser tomorrow evening.

Their goal? To raise $10,000 through the sale of sloppy joes and raffle tickets - just enough money to bring a new police dog to town.

I am proud to support this effort (my sister-in-law works for one of the organizations involved) by donating a Painting a Dog a Day gift certificate valued at $250.

If you are in the Flint area, you are invited tostop by and help a community help itself.

Thanks so much!

Tabby Kit

"Tabby Kit," 5" x 7", acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting a tiny little orange striped guy from Morgue File . This painting can be yours for $289, which includes s&h inside the US. And in case you didn't see it, a little doodle of him is also available for sale here . Inquires may come directly to me . Although it certainly doesn't FEEL like spring here (snow and ice and wind chills, brr!), I can tell that spring is coming. The mercury is rising a wee bit each day and the days are getting longer and brighter. Over the weekend we drove with the moonroof open just to feel the sun's meager and oh-so-very-welcome warmth (although the heat in the car was cranked, too, in the interest of full disclosure!). I wanted to work with spring-like colors today, and this little guy was still on my mind , so I grabbed a small panel and got to work. Of course, I also have Poppy to finish and some changes to make to another po

“Rapt (Shadow),” from the Larger than Life series, 16”x22”, acrylic black lab mixed breed pet portrait on gallery wrapped canvas, $699. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. This is Shadow, who went missing on Sunday night. He belongs to a friend of mine, and has been a fixture in our community for many years. Errant fireworks scared the silly old guy into running off, and his family is busy searching for him. (If you happen to be in the Lake Orion/Oakland County area and have seen Shadow, please call 248-391-0867 or 248-391-6817) I’m confidant that he is safe (somewhere!) and awaiting discovery, but meanwhile, couldn’t help myself from posting his portrait as today’s dog a day painting . He’s constantly on my mind, and probably will remain so, until he finds his way back home. Hug your four legged guys while you can! Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with friends and family, Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/ dis

NEW! Etsy Store

One of my favorite unsold paintings from 2008, "Lashes & Corkscrews," 5" x 8", acrylic on canvasboard, depicting a tobiano buckskin curly horse, $289. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com (but read further on how you can get a special deal on this painting!). Now it's ridiculously easy to browse my painting archives. All you have to do is visit my Etsy store . Etsy has a Shopping Cart (so you can pile it high with purchases from a variety of artists), is integrated with Paypal (although you may still pay by check if you prefer to), and is terribly simple to navigate. When the week has ended, I will have listed almost 100 of my favorite (UNSOLD!) paintings here, grouped loosely by subject matter. During 2009 I'll update the shop regularly, and add non-Dog-a-Day pieces as a bonus, thus making it easy to search for that perfect gift. Watch my daily postings for announcements, promotions and discount codes. If you do not receive the Dog-a-Day emails (

Paintings With Soul

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