Raven, Painted Sketch ~~ Painting a Dog a Day by Kimberly Kelly Santini

"Raven," image approximately 5" tall on an 8" x 10" piece of multimedia artboard. Commissioned painted sketch, done in Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord, starring a black Cocker Spaniel. This one is sold, but I'll be happy to paint others - inquiries may come to me. Every couple of weeks I set up a stack of multimedia artboards, lay out my paints, and make a pile of sketches. Usually they are for my own enjoyment, but this week the sketches were for clients. Tomorrow nearly 30 of my paintings will be delivered to a venue on the east side of the state. I'm filling the Shelby Community Center with a retrospect of sorts - paintings created during the past few years, including some larger than life sized canvases that haven't been exhibited in several years. It promises to be a fun installation! Ok, back to the paint! Thanks, as always, for looking at and sharing my artwork with your friends and family - Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com Art Show at the Dog Show The results are up, along with all of the artwork. If you are a fan of canine art, you will not want to miss taking a peek at this year's 25th Annual Art Show at the Dog Show. Congratulations to all the artists who entered - it is always an honor to see my work among some of my favorite peers and mentors. And a special shout out to Susan Grinels who received Best of Show with her FABULOUS pastel "Ms Macy." Enjoy the show!

"Tyra" by Jane Oriel A Long-haired Dachshund for Valentine's Day

I really enjoyed painting this 11"x 9" pastel portrait of sweet little Tyra with her retro background. A great collaboration with Tyra's mom who's house is filled with amazing Retro everything! Tyra looks almost as dreamy and beautiful as she does on the runway.

Please visit my Website and Facebook Page:

http://www.janeoriel.com

http://www.facebook.com/jane.oriel.art

"Springer Beggers" Oil Painting by Charlotte Yealey

8x10
Oil
My most recent oil painting of two English Springer Spaniels. This painting was done from a reference photo by Jaded Night Stock on Devionart. You can see this image on numerous items in my Cafe Press store.
www.cafepress.com/charlottesart

High Tail a new painting by Molly A Poole

"High Tail" 9"x12" casein on Ampersand clayboard.
I love the senior dogs and I love painting their frosty faces.
A typical lab waving his tail around letting everyone know just what a happy guy he is.

You learn more about me and view more of my original work and commission work at granitedog.com. Also, you can follow me on Facebook/Molly A Poole Artist.

Beagle Acrylic Painting by Janet Burt, Rainbowdog Pet Portraits

Rainbowdog fans cast their votes in my portrait giveaway contest, and the overwhelming favorite was this picture of a beagle named Barney. With that soulful expression, is it any wonder he was chosen ?

To make a portrait of this little guy, I cropped the picture to present more of a closeup, then added a bright and simple background.  I didn't get too crazy with my colors on this portrait, because Barney's mom is more of a traditionalist, and asked that I keep impressionist colors to a minimum.

This particular portrait was painted in acrylic on recycled board, and will go off the the lucky winner in a repurposed frame that I repainted in gold to pick up the golden highlights in Barney's fur.

If you would like to commission your own Rainbowdog, please email me at janetburt@verizon.net.  You can learn more at the Rainbowdog website, and keep updated on future contests at the Rainbowdog Pet Portraits facebook page. 

Rainbowdog. Painting 50 portraits in 2011

SMOOTH COLLIE - Keeping an Eye

I've been wanting to paint a Smooth Collie for some time now, and this was finally the moment. The Smooth has all the wonderful traits of the Rough Collie, just without the massive, glorious coat. But the simpler, cleaner line of the Smooth Coat is lovely in it's own way.

In this painting, I tried to echo that cleaner look by keeping the background simple and bright. I wanted a feeling of space and freshnness.

The Smooth was used more as a Drover than a Herder, and like the Rough Collie, this guy is ready to take charge of any situation his family might be in. (I love the Herding Dogs - I think of them as "Free-thinkers").

"Keeping an Eye" is an 11 by 14 watercolor, and was done on Arches 140lb, Hot Press paper. It will make a great Smooth Collie print, and lovely cards, and the original is available.

Heather Anderson Sheltie Hollow http://www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com/

Posted by Heather Anderson at 8:02 AM 0 comments

the Scottish Deerhound

16 x 20 Pastel of Scottish Deerhound by M Theresa Brown

I was creating this pastel before the beautiful Scottish Deerhound won BIS at Westminster!

Big, affectionate but a little aloof in their regal bearing, they are very cool dogs :-)

For more portraits in oils, pastels and watercolors of your pet or show dog, visit me at  Canine Art Studio.

For portraits of people and horses visit my galleries at M Theresa Brown !

Neighborhood Watch ~~ Painting a Dog a Day by Kimberly Kelly Santini

"Neighborhood Watch (Shadow & Charlotte)," 8" x 10", portrait of a Cocker Spaniel and a Beagle, done in Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord. This painting is headed to a new home - but if you are interested in something similar, contact me. My end of year studio purge unearthed the original of this composition, an unfinished 16" x 22" gallery stretched canvas. A few days later, Shadow and Charlotte's Mom emailed me. "Do you remember that painting you started of my two years ago? you were doing it for an exhibition.... did you ever finish it?" she asked. "No," I answered, rather sheepishly. "But I'd love to revisit it!" She was enthusiastic. So was I. So today they got another turn on my easel. I decided a fresh start would give the painting a brighter outlook. Besides, I really love painting on Ampersand Gessobord. The idea of working on canvas again gave me the heebie-jeebies. I know. Crazy. (I've been called worse). So here is the painting, done and signed, 4 years later. That's a long time for these two to wait patiently at the window. Maybe I should re-name the painting "Patience"! Are you interested in commissioning a special portrait? If so, please let me know! Thanks, as always, for looking at and sharing my artwork with your friends and family - Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com Mona Lisa, pretending she's been sunbathing all afternoon and NOT been playing in the toilet. Such a Stinker! Aren't cats supposed to steer clear of water? Mona, apparently, did not get that memo. So far today she's: Been busted on the counter multiple times, "swimming" in the fish bowl (which is now surrounded by 2 circles of packing tape, face side up). Kept the toilet seat dame with a tell-tale trail of wet paw prints (Finnigan's smart, but he's not smart enough to frame her). Dumped my paint water all over the taboret, then splashed around with the mucky brushes (this is my fault for not paying better attention to her hunting pattern when I was painting!). But then the darned little bug comes and sits daintily at my feet, waiting for eye contact before quietly mewing. I scoop her up, she tucks her head in under my chin, and turns on her engine. And all is forgiven. I'm off to get dry socks.

English Setter by Dawn Secord

Trooper is an English Setter - specifically a Llewellin which is used for hunting. He is eight years old and in absolutely magnificent condition for a dog of his age.

The photos used for this painting had been taken in the field when Trooper was actually working. For additional reference material, Trooper was brought to my studio so I could meet him and take more photos.

He was a joy and full of personality. It was fun to see him working back and forth in our front yard looking for birds. We live very close to a training facility and I think he recognized the scent in the air and thought our yard another field to work (not that our front yard is that big but it wraps around a corner with a lot of hedges).

The photos I took helped me to see his markings. His hunting collars somewhat blocked my view of the markings at the top of his neck. The background was adjusted a bit to strengthen the composition. The actual photo didn't have any height variation in the foliage and we wanted some more pizazz to the background. Hope you enjoy viewing the painting as much as I did painting it!!

Dawn Secord
website: http://www.dawnsecord.com/
blog: http://www.artofthedog.blogspot.com/
commission information: http://www.dawnsecord.com/commissioninformation.html
prints for sale: http://www.dawnsecord.com/printsforsale.html

LABRADOR RETRIEVER ART by SHEILA WEDEGIS ACRYLIC

 

So after years of using oils, I started using Golden Open Acrylics. They work so much like my oils and I love them, plus I get the great strong color that sometimes you miss in oils.

This painting is done on a cradled acid free board.  To read more about this piece go to : http://www.sheilawedegis.blogspot.com

Thanks for following my artwork.

Warmly, Sheila

SHEILA WEDEGIS PALM BAY, FLORIDA

email: sophie@palm-spirit.com

Elin's "Calicobermans" in Process

It's a lot like doing a jig-saw puzzle. Cutting the pieces to fit, picking the right value and interesting patterns to make the shapes come alive in this 24x24 acrylic and fabric collage.  I had such fun picking what will eventually be the distant background fabric, too. This is in process on my blog.

Do you see where I'm resolving the placement of the dog paws down front and center? That's the way I work, without confining decisions if I'm not sure. I like working with future puzzles to solve as the art evolves.  Of course, sometimes the puzzles win, and there's a problem to be solved later down the road. If the puzzle wins on those paws, it'll be too late, as the piece has already been accepted to the Art Show at the Dog Show and needs to be shipped this week.  So I'm boxing and filling out forms--part of the duties of an exhibiting artist.

On other news, I thought you'd enjoy seeing the picture I took last Saturday morning from the TOP of the mountain behind my studio (marked with the yellow circle). Making a new trail to the top of the mountain is part of the joy of hiking--and this one will be a good one for horses and people, connecting up to an established trail accessible from the other side of Box Springs Mountain. I love making trails, and the weather was gorgeous. Today a rain front has moved in, taking the temps down to 60 and there's a misty rain falling as I look out my studio window. However, hiking in the rain is good, too!

My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

You WILL Be Mine ~~ Painting a Dog a Day by Kimberly Kelly Santini

"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 response to the contest, and I am thoroughly enjoying lingering (now that the decision has been made!) with the stories and faces. I wish I could have painted them all !! I hope, though, to bring some of them to my easel, and therefore to you, during the coming months. Please visit the studio's Facebook page for a peek at the finalists' photos, too. Better yet, become a fan of the page, and the next time I announce a contest, you'll be one of the first to hear! It'll also be one of the first places I post a link to the short film I made of "You WILL Be Mine's" painting process...... Thanks so very much for following along with my artwork! May your day be full of joy and your heart bursting with love, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com Decisions, Decisions (or rather, How I Chose) With 95 little (and big) muses entered in my 1st ever Valentine Dog a Day GiveAway, I had a difficult time selecting the subject of today's painting. How to choose? First I hid the sender's identity to further preserve anonymity. Then I scrolled through each email, looking just at photos (I didn't ask for stories, and not everyone submitted them, so I needed to keep the playing field even). The photos that looked the most fun to paint, I saved to a separate folder, using numeric names. I thought it would be easy - that there would be one image that clearly stood out. But there were many that stood out, all for different reasons. Even after reviewing multiple times during the day, my choice was not clear. I called in reinforcements. The whole family reviewed the same folder and ranked their top 4. The two clowns pictured above were on everyone's list!

Between Shows by Linda Snider Ward

I saw this sweet guy, a white standard poodle, resting between shows. Watercolor, 5" x 10.5" on heavy watercolor paper. You can see more of Linda's artwork at her website and in her Etsy shop

Sing Along Oil Painting by Charlotte Yealey

11x14
Oil Painting
I have been including more people in my dog paintings to show the bond between man and his pet. For the month of February, I am the "artist of the month" at our local gallery in Hanover. My display in the window of the gallery consists of all my recent paintings of the affection we have for our animals. Check out the gallery site at
www.hanoverareaarts.com

Billie's Sweater ~~ Painting a Dog a Day by Kimberly Kelly Santini

"Billie's Sweater," 5" x 7", portrait of a French Bulldog, yet another installment in the "Black and Whites" series. This piece was done in Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord, and is looking for a new home. The painting is $289 plus applicable shipping and handling. Inquiries may always come to me. Guess I've been on a roll lately with all the black and white paintings. Sometimes I get obsessed with a particular idea and just can't let go; I've been having a jolly good time painting these, so why should I?! I'm also learning a lot. Working in series' is a great way to explore a concept in greater depth. And based on all the muses you've been emailing me about, I'll have plenty of material to keep this series going strong. Thanks so very much for following along with my artwork! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com PS Here's another "Black and Whites" painting! My goal with these pieces is to demonstrate the wealth of color apparent in objects that are seemingly straightforward. If you have a four legged friend (or even a 3 legged - I don't want to discriminate here) that might qualify as a "Black and Whites" muse, please let me know! Will U B My Valentine? Yesterday I announced on my Facebook pagethat I would be painting one special Valentine this coming Monday. Interested? Then send 2-3 clear, non-flash photos of your pet to me, using the subject line of "Valentine" (this will help my email to filter all the entries straight into the appropriate folder). All entries must be received by midnight EST on Saturday, February 12th. You can submit more than one pet, but please do them in separate emails. I'll peruse the photos Sunday afternoon and choose the one who sings to me the loudest. Said crooner will then star as Monday's Dog a Day painting. And you'll be singing "Hallelujah's", too, because once it's dry, I'll ship the painting off your way! So, will you be mine?!!

"Water Boys" a new Molly A Poole painting

"Water Boys" 9"x12"casein on Ampersand clay board.
Black Lab puppies, a washtub and a hose?
Messy fun...which makes me think of summer, which we could all use a little of right about now.
Just wipe your feet at the door boys!

You can see more of my work at granitedog.com

Or follow me on Facebook at Molly A Poole Artist

Gruff - by Sue Linton

Gruff
40 x 50cms framed Oil


Here's what Kimberly & Duane said


"We LOVE it .You've done an awesome job!! Thank you.


Thanks again - you've done an amazing job capturing him!"

This is a postumous portrait of Gruff a lovely Staffy who was lost as a result of the QLd floods. He went to a property while his owners flew home and he was bitten by a snake & died. He was only 3 1/2 years old and sounded like a one in a million little dog so his owners are devastated.

Gruff's face wasn't very clear in the photo we used so I used other photos of his face and of another Staffy's face to help do the portrait.

sue.linton@bigpond.com

http://www.suelinton.com.au/


To see progressive photos of some of my work as it is painted go to my

Facebook Sue Linton artist page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sue-Linton-artist/326640555492?ref=mf

or my blog

http://suelintonartist.blogspot.com/


ph - 02 4998 6169

Original artworks for sale

Commissioned portraits & artworks all subjects - satisfaction guaranteed

Member of the CAG -Canine Artguild

Member of International Equine Artists



http://www.suelinton.com.au/

St. Bernard Puppy by Dawn Secord

This is baby Remington. He was about 12 weeks old in this portrait.

There is a fun story on how I met Remy's human parents. Back in 2003 I was in a "Dog Reality Show" called "Top Dog" with my dog Jewel. The show air in February 2004 and was a FOX TV production. One of the other dogs on the show was a St. Bernard named Winston. His human parents were incredible people and we became friends during the course of taping the show. Once the show was completed, and they found out about my art, they commissioned me to paint Winston.

Sadly, Winston passed as age would dictate and it took the owners a while to be ready for a new pup. When the time was right, they brought a new pup into their home. This pup is Remington.
Remington is a big pup as any St. Bernard pup would be. He is beautiful and has a gentle quiet temperament just as Winston had. Knowing Remington would only be "small" for a tiny window of time they had me come down and take photos of him at that age. During the photo session they decided to put Remy in a basket on one of their bicycles. This was a fun idea - how long would a St. Bernard fit in a bicycle basket!!! Ultimately, that was the photo that would be used for his puppy painting.

It will be fun to watch Remington grow and I look forward to painting him as a Big Dog!!

Dawn Secord

website: http://www.dawnsecord.com/

blog: http://www.artofthedog.blogspot.com/

prints for sale: http://www.dawnsecord.com/printsforsale.html

commission information: http://www.dawnsecord.com/commissioninformation.html

cafepress store: http://www.cafepress.com/dawnsecord

Stretched (Amelia) ~~ Painting a Dog a Day by Kimberly Kelly Santini

"Stretched (Amelia)," 6" square, commissioned portrait of a rescued black lab, done in Golden Open Acrylics on Ampersand Gessobord, private collection (THANK YOU!). Amelia's portrait was done using photos her family shared - would you like to commission a custom painting of your dog (or cat or horse or guinea pig or bunny or.......)? I've made it as simple as possible. Sketches start at $29, paintings at $200 - and inquiries may always come to me.** Some families I never tire working with, and Amelia's is no exception. I think Amelia's painting is number 6 for them...... and painting her soulful face was even more rewarding, knowing the other portraits (also all rescues) she would eventually be joining. Painting a Dog a Day has brought some rather amazing people into my life, one of the many blessings I am grateful for daily. Please consider yourself hugged and appreciated today! Thanks so very much for following along with my artwork! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com **I am especially interested in all black, all white, or black and white animals for my series titled "Black and Whites". If you know of a potential black and white muse, pleasesend me a note - I'd love to "meet" them! Thank You Two recent paintings are headed to new homes. Warm thanks to both my returning collector and to my newest client for choosing to add a Dog a Day piece into their homes.

"Eyes For You" a new Molly A Poole painting

"Eyes For You" 9"x12" casein on canvas board. My brother's black lab puppy is the subject of this painting. She is a little devilish girl who loves to get into everything...shoes, socks, tp, cords, paper...she thieves with a glint in her eye and a wag of her tail.
How can you get mad at a face as precious as this?

This painting will be auctioned off to raise money for Labrador Life Line, an organization that helps Labrador Retrievers in need all over the United States, a worthy organization that I have supported for many years. You can learn more about this organization and the auction that starts February 11th and runs through February 26th here.
You learn more about me and view more of my original work and commission work at granitedog.com.

Dog Tired ~~ Painting a Dog a Day by Kimberly Kelly Santini

ABOVE: "Dog Tired," 12" square, portrait of an English Bull Terrier puppy, done in Golden Open Acrylics on canvasboard, available for purchase for $599. Inquiries may come to me. This is another girl that has been languishing in the studio for well over a year (pictured below), waiting for me to ante up and finish her. The mullion shadows on the green and purple carpet went out the door, as did the dark wall. I corrected the hyperextended leg and added reflections and bounced color into her body (a trick I didn't know how to do in 2009!). I tend to focus primarily on what I don't yet know, so this exercise was a great confidence builder and a super reminder of how far I've come the last few years. Thanks so very much for following along with my artwork! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com Snow Day! It would seem that the majority of the United States is dealing with inclement weather due to the storm system currently making it's way east. We got about 10" of snow overnight, with another 2 more predicted by nightfall. This is considerably less that what was forecasted, and we are grateful. Especially when we see and hear what other communities are dealing with. Yikes. Too bad we can't clone Finnigan, the amazing wonder dog. He takes his snow removal responsibilities very seriously. He herded falling snow all night (ie he was SUPPOSED to be going outside to potty, but got distracted by the snow, so not much potty-ing happened despite the multiple trips out). This morning Finni was terribly eager to help shovel. He then capped off the afternoon by aiding in constructing the gi-mungous snow fort pictured above. And he's still got plenty of energy left. We, on the other hand, are whipped. So who wants him next?