Symphony in White - err, Calico

"Symphony in White (Calico)," 8" x 16", acrylic on canvasboard, portrait of a calico cat. Proceeds from the sale of this painting will support my local shelter, the Oakland Pet Adoption Center. Inquiries may come to me at ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .

The painting didn't photograph terribly well, which seems to always be the case with pieces that fall at either end of the value chart. It's reading more pink on my monitor than it truly is in real life, and there is a lovely soft glow to the cat's eye that is washed out on the computer.

This piece was inspired by James McNeil Whistler's "Symphony in White," which you can see here. I wanted to paint in the same sort of key as the original "Symphony of White" without sacrificing color.

That must seem contradictory to some of you, and I'll try to explain better. What I wanted was the cat's markings to "float," while carefully controlled color temperature changes and not necessarily value changes modelled her form in the lighter areas of the composition. I'm seeing a few minor tweaks I'd like to make, but overall am very happy with the way this challenge turned out - I learned quite a bit.

I'd like to try this exercise again with a white cat or dog, but don't have the necessary reference photos. Are there any Dog-a-Day readers who would like to help out? Images can be sent to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . And thank you in advance!!

I'll be back tomorrow with a new commissioned pet portrait. Stay tuned and stay warm!

Thanks for your time!

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

PS Have you ordered your copy of Painting a Dog a Day - the First Year? I'm prepping for the book's third press run, but have a few softcover copies remaining. Orders can come to me.

PSS Have you checked out the new Dog-a-Day paintings available at Etsy? Free shipping on purchases of 2 more.

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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 (

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