Good Reading Material

I've been trying to catch up on the stack of magazines in the studio corner. I don't subscribe to that many - Art Calendar, the Artists' Magazine, and American Art Collector - but when time is at a minimum, reading is the first thing that goes. And I've got a small mountain of issues stretching back to the summer months.

I'm newly enamored of Jeremy Lipking and Casey Baugh - Google their names - you will see extraordinary paintings. While I don't necessarily connect with their subject matter, there is no denying their mastertise (is that a word?). Their understanding of light, their manipulation of it as though it is a vase or ghourd or something solid, is extraordinary. And their use of edges - soft, hard, and lost - blows me away.

Ultimately, the one lesson that I walk away with when studying the work of these two is sweat equity. Both artists committed to their vision and worked towards it, despite the odds. That could have meant working two dead-end jobs and painting after hours, or relying on a spouse to hold the family together, or moving 1/2 way across the country to study/paint alongside a mentor. Whatever it meant, they did it, while staying true to that inner voice.

I have a wealth of respect for that.

Thanks for following along,
Kim
ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

PS The other thing they both had in common: Richard Schmid. Both (and others) have said that his book "Alla Prima" contains everything they ever needed to learn about painting. It's worth a peek or two - my copy is dogeared. Not that this makes me a better painter, just a disciple. Go to www.righardschmid.com to get your own copy. I recommend his dvds too - they are brilliant!

It's been many moons in the making, but the presses are rolling. I'm thrilled to announce that Painting a Dog a Day - The First Year is available in book form!!

The book includes 100 generously sized 8" x 10" pages of full-color images, including my favorite pieces and stories, along with an essay highlighting the first 15 months of paintings (October 2006-December 2007). I've interjected bits of hindsight and random thoughts about art-making alongside the images.

It's a beautiful publication, one that Dog-a-Day collectors and animal lovers alike will enjoy perusing.

The book is available in both softcover and hardbound editions, and will ship out December 1st via priority mail, in plenty of time for the holidays. It will make a great gift - so check your list twice, and then place an order.

The softcover edition is $39.95; Hardcover (with dust jacket) is $54.95. Shipping and handling will be an additional 4.95 - and I'll gladly combine shipping on multiple volumes. Just ask for a quote.

To order, send an email to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com with the subject line "BOOK". You may also simply send a paypal payment (ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com) for the total amount due, or mail a check directly to the studio (346 N Anderson, Lake Orion, MI 48362). Please include Michigan sales tax if shipping to a Michigan address.

If you pre-order your copy before November 1st, I'll have plenty of time to personalize an inscription and can guarantee holiday delivery.

Thanks, as always, for your time in looking at, and sharing, my paintings (and now my book!) with your friends and family.
Kim
ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com
www.paintingadogaday.com

Read This!!

From January 2007, "Watch Eye," 6" x 8", acrylic on canvasboard, portrait of a gray horse, $279 exquisitely framed. I do not understand why this painting has not yet sold - it is one of my favorites, and has been widely exhibited this past year and a half. Guess he's waiting for the right home. Is it yours? Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com.

Sit down, because I've got some great news.

The Painting a Dog a Day book is ready!! It's finally ready!!

It's been many moons in the making, but the presses are rolling. I am so excited to get these into your hands!

The book includes 100 generously sized 8" x 10" pages of full-color images, including my favorite pieces and stories (like "Watch Eye," above), along with an essay highlighting the first 15 months of paintings. I've also interjected bits of hindsight and random thoughts about art-making. It's a beautiful publication, one that Dog-a-Day collectors and animal lovers alike will enjoy perusing.

The book is available in both softcover and hardbound editions, and will ship out December 1st via priority mail, in plenty of time for the holidays. It will make a great gift - so check your list twice, and then place an order.

The softcover edition is $39.95; Hardcover (with dust jacket) is $54.95. Shipping and handling will be an additional 4.95 - and I'll gladly combine shipping on multiple volumes. Just ask for a quote.

To order, send an email to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com with the subject line "BOOK". You may also simply send a paypal payment (ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com) for the total amount due, or mail a check directly to the studio (346 N Anderson, Lake Orion, MI 48362). Please include Michigan sales tax if shipping to a Michigan address.

If you pre-order your copy before November 1st, I'll have plenty of time to personalize an inscription. VERY IMPORTANT: A pre-order guarantees holiday delivery.

Questions may always come to me at ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Thanks, as always, for your time in looking at, and sharing, my paintings (and now my book!) with your friends and family.
Kim

Welcome to the Mac World!!

After years of wishing for a Mac, I finally bit the bullet and bought one yesterday. Let me tell you, life is good right now.

Yes, there is always stress and confusion when one gets a new computer, transferring data over, re-building favorite links and various other settings, and that becomes even more complicated when shifting operating systems. But I simply don't care - I am so happy with this new machine, that I will jump through hoops backwards and upside down.

It's a Sunday morning, I've got a heap of paperwork on my desk to get through, but I have the rolls royce of computers to help me out.

Like I said, life is good. Very good.

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

www.turtledovedesigns.com 

Holy smokes, but am I behind here. I'll give you a glimpse of what today has been like, and it's just a sampling of the prior 6 weeks I've gone without posting here.

First thing this morning I dueled with the CD drive on my laptop, which suddenly decided it didn't want to burn the images I needed for my 10am meeting. Debated tossing the laptop through my front window, but decided that would create too much additional work. Brought the damned beast with me to the meeting, and transferred the images to a flash drive.

Discovered the basement had flooded during the prior evening's/early morning rains. Emptied the entire contents of the towel closet onto the basement floor, and left a voice mail message for my husband.

Spent the latter half of the morning with a great crew at the Sterling Heights (Michigan) City Hall, accepting their honor of Artist of the Month. (I should add that my early morning also included an atypical combing of the hair and painting of the face, in preparation for the camera.) Filmed a little chat about the story behind my art, and spent a nice chunk of time with two charming and enthusiastic reporters (thank you Cortney and Deanna).

Visited a brand new Salvation Army that was on my commute home. Scored several items that will star in still life paintings of their own, along with the bargain of the day, a vintage wool peacoat for $16!

Checked in with a local electronics store to research the feasibility of tossing the (Windows) laptop through my front window and purchasing a Mac. Highly feasible.

Raced home to prep for a painting demo and presentation this evening. Drafted an outline, chose my reference materials, packed up a mini-retrospective of works, and whipped through a quick demo in the studio.

Participated in a teleconference on marketing and promotions. Discovered I really had no clue about how to "sell" my work to the rest of the world, but walked away with some concrete ideas on how to bridge that gap.

Welcomed children coming home from school. Reviewed backpack materials, shoved snacks down their throats, rushed them through a wardrobe change, and shuttled them off to soccer practices.

Threw dinner together, set the oven timer, loaded the car, and headed off to the demo, trying not to pull over and vomit along the way (due to nerves, not the flu!).

(Quite unexpectedly) sailed through my presentation, created a lovely demo painting while sounding articulate, and literally basked in the positive after-comments. Made it home safely, despite walking on clouds (in the dark), to find everyone in bed (and -BONUS - smelling clean!).

Tossed the final load of wet towels into the washer (bless you, Rick, for mopping up the basement and starting the laundry and packing lunches), warmed up some dinner, poured a glass of wine in this silent house, pulled in emails, and checked my to-do list. It included a long overdue entry on updating my studio blog.

Which leads me to here. The dregs of a glass of wine, and a good book calling my name.

Goodnight!

The Barbie Series

FROM TOP: "Bad Hair Day (Barbie)," 12" square, acrylic on gallery stretched linen; "I've Lost My Head (Barbie)," 8" x 10", acrylic on gallery stretched linen. Both available for purchase; inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .

Friends convinced me to enter some of my toy paintings in an exhibition at a local university. Originally I was going to paint finger puppets, but an afternoon spent sorting through my daughter's closet pushed me into an entirely new direction - Barbies.

These two new paintings are very much part of the "Tags, Toys and Treasures" group. But they have a presence that is oddly unlike the objects I've painted for "Tags, Toys and Treasures," and therefore will become their own entity/series.

Barbie is such a cultural icon that every viewer brings their own bag of memories and feelings to the paintings.

I'm laughing as I play with the dolls in my studio. It's a second childhood, working on these toy paintings, that's for certain! (Having 4 brothers, I didn't play much with Barbies. My oldest brother ripped their heads off to jam firecrackers down their necks. That sort of behavior wouldn't be tolerated these days, but it was pretty common place when I was a kid. We lived dangerously then, riding bikes without helmets and all. Ah, but I digress).

So anyways, here are the two pieces I'll be sending to the show. We'll see how they are received, and what sorts of other compositions I can build from Annie's stash of dolls.

Thanks for your time,

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/

Frustrations

I set out yesterday with high aspirations. I was going to paint outdoors, all day, and complete at least one little jewel in oil paints.

The stars just weren't aligned, though.

I did paint outdoors for most of the day. The light was beautiful and the birds were serenading me. I set up near a building that had intricate cast shadows of foliage.

But it just didn't happen. I don't know if the light changed too quickly, or if I just wasn't in the groove. I couldn't see what it was I was supposed to be painting. My palette had all the right colors, but I couldn't get the shapes down, and the edges eluded me.

I wiped out three panels before packing up and heading home. It was far more enjoyable to join up with Rick and the kids lakeside for the remainder of the day.

I'll have another go at plein air work later this week. Hopefully I'll have better luck this time around!

Kim
ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com
www.turtledovedesigns.com

Cranbrook House, Plein Air & Oils Part II

"Cranbrook House," 11" x 14", oil on panel. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .

I had every intention of returning to Cranbrook Gardens after my class ended, but so far it hasn't happened. I haven't given up on this idea, but rather, am starting to realize how difficult it is in the midst of summer vacation, when I WANT to have 6+ hours to work on site with an idea.

I wanted to try this composition again multiple times, in the morning, mid-afternoon, and evening. Study how the light's angle changes the color and substance. It'll happen, just not this week.

Anyway, this is my second oil painting from my June plein air class. Unlike the last post, which was done from thumbnail sketches and memory, this one was done in the flesh.

I was drawn to the mullioned panes, and the way they reflected the sky and trees. The tiled roof did the same thing - flashes of pink in the highlights, and dashes of softer violets in the shadows.

I ran out of time to get that level of detail into this painting. But I had a great time finessing my drawing, working those edges, and laying the paint down. I think oils and I will be getting along fine in no time at all.

Thanks, as always, foor looking.

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Plein Air and Oil Paints

"Twins," 8" x 10", oil painting on panel, inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .

It's been a while since I last posted to this blog. Guess I have been REALLY immersed in the daily paintings. But I did want to share some of the piecess from the plein air course I took last month.

It was a week long adventure into painting out of doors, working directly from the landscape, and using oil paints for the first time.

And of course, being Michigan, the weather did not coorperate.

Day one we wandered the grounds and did thumbnail sketches, planning compositions and breaking them down into planes, using about 5 values.

Day two was cold, windy, and threatening rain. We convened in the classroom to paint from memory, using our thumbnail sketches as guides.

That's where this piece, "Twin Shrubs" came from. The night prior I was drawn to the negative spaces between the low slung, woven branches, and the way the evening light glowed from behind.

This was a nice exercise for me, and allowed a lot of playing with the oil paint, working across the surface of the panel, lifting areas of paint, rubbing others in. I could have kept on working for hours, exploring the properties of the paint.

When we returned to the gardens the following night, I realized how "off" my painting really was. Just gives me another reason to try the same concept at another time.

Thanks, as always, for looking,

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

This painting has been a long time in the making. Our home is always had at least one goldfish bowl, and I've been captivated by the beauty of fantails as they circle through their fantastical world of reflections.

I moved my two black moors from the kitchen into the studio a couple weeks back. I spent a few days playing with different background fabrics, various sized shells, and other oddments. I bounced light off different walls, the ceiling, colored boards. Finally I found a setup that captured my fascination with the goldfish, yet retained a fresh and whimsical quality matching my vintage toy still life paintings.

The image at the top of this blog is the work in process right now. Working title "Fish out of Water," the painting is 26" x 18" on gallery stretched canvas.

I am concentrating on capturing a limited number of values at this point, establishing the weight of the forms and placing them firmly within their space on the canvas.

I also want the light to feel tangible, and that has been a tricky, as this setup is a high contrast one by nature, and therefore the light itself becomes more transient, and those value shifts aren't really value shifts at all, but color temperature changes.

I'll continue working on this painting in preparation for a March exhibition. I'm also finessing a handful of smaller paintings that will be going to the art show held in conjunction with the Grand National Rodeo Championships near San Francisco California in April. And I continue to paint the dog-a-days, which are now booked into March 2009.

I already have my next still life setup - a couple of hand carved wooden vintage horses that were once children's toys, but have seen better days. They definately have that "Velveteen Rabbit" feel to them. I'm excited to start that piece, once I get these fish out of my system!!

A Very Serious Still Life

I received a number of inquiries in the last few days about where I find my inspirations and how I keep going. Besides in all the faces and personalities I get to profile as part of the Painting a Dog a Day project and my daily (strong) dose of coffee, I find them everywhere around me.

• The golden maple leaves dancing right outside my kitchen window.


• My kids' first smile each day (which comes hopefully before their first tear).


• The sound of a dear friend's voice on the phone.


• The way Finnigan's nubbin of a tail glides underneath his skin.


• The purr of my black cat, not just the sound, but the feel of it against my chest.


• The smell of a wet painting.

I'm sure we all have triggers that keep us going - those are just a few. I make sure I am surrounded by handfuls of them, all the time. And for those days when it's tough to get into the studio, I've found a couple of no fail motivators:

• The Nutcracker soundtrack, no matter the season.


• And The Barber of Seville (kill the rabbit..... kill the rabbit....) The right music can almost always get the job done!


• Browsing through Julian Merrow-Smith's website (http://www.shiftinglight.com/) and dreaming of being able to one day paint like him.


• A visit to our local yarn shop, where I can simply sit amongst the rows of colored wools.
  The smell of freshly baked brownies or cookies.


• A brisk walk around the neighborhood, following Finn's nubbin and prance, breathing in the air, listening to the birds/crickets/frogs/silence (when snow is freshly falling)

Here's a bonus painting - one I couldn't help but do. My latest inspiration, you might say.

Yesterday I looked up from the easel and spied a row of puppets carefully lined up by one of my kids, perfectly centered in an unexpected shaft of sunlight. They were brilliantly colored and terribly humorous when visualized as still life objects. It was way more fun than painting pitchers and creamers and ghourds (sorry, Vianna, if you are reading this!!). This guy is the first of a number of lighthearted studies I'll do in the weeks to come - painting something saturated in humor and color was a great diversion!

So I give you "ARGH!! (Puppet #1)," 8" square (larger than life), acrylic on canvasboard, $180. Imagine this guy framed up and hung in a cubicle/office. Or in a child's room. Or even hung overtop a mirror. He will definately brighten up a special corner somewhere. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .


Thanks, as always, for looking.
And for sharing these paintings with your friends and family,
Be back tomorrow!
Kim

Kimberly Kelly Santini
http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

http://www.paintingadogaday.com/
come. sit. stay.
enjoy the art.

Another Human Portrait

Here is last night's class efforts, "Liesel," a 10" x 20" canvasboard of a young woman.

While the painting itself is not a strict likeness of our model, I am very happy with the results for the following reasons:

I captured a beautiful idea of the light and shadow. I paid careful attention to the light, and it's temperature as it travelled across the shape of the face. The color actually cools as it hits boney planes of the face - I never noticed this before.

I also concentrated on my edge work, working hard to eliminate strong lines and gestural brushwork. If you compare this piece to Jerry's portrait from last week, you'll see that it's far softer and less linear in style.

And I really had fun with her hair. Not strictly black, it had areas of orange and blue to it. And that piece underneath her cheek that reflected her skin tone.

You can purchase this painting (which is only visible here on my studio blog, as it isn't animal or pet portrait related) for $349 plus any applicable Michigan sales tax and shipping costs (estimated to be about $15 for within the US).

All inquiries can come to me at ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com.

I'm getting the hang of this thing, though. And surprised at how much fun it has been, too! Think I might try to rope one of my kids into sitting for me over the upcoming long weekend......

Kim

I've been working hard, behind the scenes here, taking another course with Vianna Szabo (http://www.viannaszabo.com/), refining my painters eye. This latest course, about 1/2 way completed, has involved some intensive still life paintings, graduating into portraiture from a live model.


Here are the paintings I've completed to date. I will not be offering them for sale through my website, simply because they are not animal related. But if you are interested in purchasing one of the class paintings, please drop me a line - ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .



"White Still Life," 8" square, acrylic on canvasboard, $180. This was the first assignment, a still life setup that was entirely white. The lesson was to paint all the shades of white. I had a difficult time - first off, because I couldn't buy into the inanimate objects, and then secondly, with the lack of contrast. I ended up sitting crosslegged on the floor, looking up at the table, sketching the still life with conte pencil, when I came upon this composition. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .



"White Pitcher," 16" x 20", acrylic on canvasboard, "$399. Our second assignment included a variety of white items set against darker grounds. I was still trying to find a means of connecting with the inanimate items, when my eye fell in love with the pattern when the setup was viewed from the far corner. I used artistic license, and really played with the colors, working on balancing my values so that the objects read properly, but using color saturations straight from my head.



"November Still Life," 11" x 14", acrylic on canvasboard, $279. This third assignment was a still life setup saturated with intense hues. The trick was to paint not just the light, but the color reflections from each object. I concentrated on the use of edges and modelling the objects with my brushwork.



"Jerry," 11" x 14", acrylic portrait on canvasboard, $279. I am especially pleased with Jerry's sitting. This painting is a sincere likeness, but it also carries other elements of maturity - the color temperatures model the form in many places (instead of value changes), the brushwork caresses the shapes, and I employed a number of different types of edgework and color saturation to help accent my focal point.


Next week we get to paint a woman, supposedly dramatically costumed in complimentary, bold colors. I am confidant I will come home even richer in knowledge, with a few more miles under my brushes.


Stay tuned!

Kim

Yes, I've been remiss in posting here. But if you hop over to my Painting a Dog a Day blog, you'll see how very busy I have been.

The Dog-a-Day project was profiled in July's issue of Best Friends Magazine, to a phenomenal response. That exposure has been a big part of the projects successful effort in raising almost $1100 for animal welfare in the last 5 months.

I've also been continuing my own studies, most noteably taking an intensive course on painting color and light. With each class, I am able to "see" more, and I'm taking those lessons and using them the following day in my work.

I've gotten pieces into a variety of juried exhibitions, and won a number of exciting awards.

And most recently, opened up a group show with some amazing artists at Margot's Gallery.

Now I'm heading into the holiday season, which historically has been my busiest. Typically I make 1/2 my annual sales during the last quarter of the year. I'm a little scared, knowing how busy I have been - I can't imagine getting busier still. But I'm as ready as I can be!!

I am booked solid with holiday dog-a-day commissions, have a waiting list started for larger commissioned portrait work, and am currently accepting reservations for August 2008 dog-a-day portraits.

So, in a nutshell, guess that's why I haven't been posting so regularly!! Will try to work on that, but hopefully you will understand if you don't hear from me terribly often, at least on this blog!!

Thanks!
Kim

An Interesting Week

What a week it's been!

Started out with preparations for a short film about my artwork. Margot van Horne from Margot's Gallery (www.margotsgalleryframe.com) arranged for a cameraman to work with us in creating a short documentary about my painting. I've been drafting various versions of the script and having one sided conversations with myself for the last couple weeks. It will be interesting to see how coherant (or not) I sound in the final edited version.

About mid-week I started receiving feedback from the media with respect to several projects I've been working on. One, the Canine Art Guild's inaugeral online exhibition (opening April 1st - not fools! - at www.canineartguild.com), the other being my Painting a Dog a Day (www.paintingadogaday.com).

And I ended up the week with continued work on several nicely scaled commissioned paintings. The larger than lifesize mastiff portrait is almost completed, and I am still in the early stages of my first chicken painting (4 rhode island reds).

I need to carve out more hours in my day. There's still a good sized pile of paperwork requiring action or a response, and I've got another et unfinished painting headed for an exhibition next week. Like laundry, it never ends.

But that's a good thing.

Thanks for reading!

Kim
www.turtledovedesigns.com
www.paintingadogaday.com

What a whirlwind the holidays were!!

Not only did I have a handful of paintings to finish, then ship out in time for gift giving, but my whole dog a day project began to take on a life of it's own as well. And then of course, there is all the year end paperwork that needs to be done in preparation for Uncle Sam.

But I sit here in the studio tonite, getting all tingley just thinking about what tomorrow will bring.

Namely the schoolbus.

Mind you, it's not that I don't enjoy my kids. I love them to pieces.

But when they are around, I cannot totally shut out the world and get lost in my palette.

So that is what I plan to do tomorrow, all day long.

After walking the dog, of course.

Sweet dreams!

Kim

www.turtledovedesigns.com
www.paintingadogaday.com

Been busy

I've been busy staying on top of everything. This is the time of year when I really focus on studio time, and try to maximize the heck out of every minute spent in here. Having a deadline helps me to complete more commission work.

That said, I'll keep this short!

But consider yourself invited on over to my website to read my Fall 2006 Newsletter.

As always, thanks for your time,


Kim


Kimberly Kelly Santini
www.turtledovedesigns.com
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

Keeping Things Moving Along

Motivation can come in some odd forms.

I started a new practice last week, and formalized it into an actual challenge this week. That of completing a warm-up painting every day before starting on a larger work. (See www.paintingadogaday.blogspot.com )

One would think that the added work involved in completing a painting each day would be detrimental to one's overall production. But it's worked in just the opposite fashion.

The little completed studies actually get my juices going so well that I'm able to jump into a larger canvas and be more productive with a smaller amount of time.

Go figure.

Kim


Kimberly Kelly Santini
www.turtledovedesigns.com
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

The Canine Art Guild - Today's Endeavor

For almost a year now I've been working on establishing a new artists' group just for us dog painters.

It all started as a discussion on the Equine Art Guild forum between a number of artists who regularly painted dogs. We were moaning and groaning about there not really being a place to share ideas or network about all things related to painting canines.

Enough of us stepped forward and started making notes. Those notes became To-Do lists. Those To-Do lists are getting completed. And now we have the CAG, or Canine Art Guild.

Check us out: Canine Art Guild

Our membership is growing. We have a great cross-section of artists and styles.

And if things continue as they have been, our community will continue to grow and amaze.

Today I worked on compiling a canine resources guide that will be published on the Canine Art Guild website (for members' only viewing). This listing will be all encompassing, from art supplies to framing to website development to the history of pet portraiture.

It was one of the last things on my list.

The next one will be recruiting new members (wanna join?) and identifying and establishing strong links to add to the site.

But tomorrow I get to paint.

Kim



Kimberly Kelly Santini
http://www.turtledovedesigns.com
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

Artist Books

I have just returned from another meeting, this one that of the Romeo Guild of Art. Although still a relatively new member, I love these meetings. The business part is typically dealt with in a 1/2 hour, followed by a break for food and mingling (so far there has always been chocolate, which combined with art-speak is a huge win-win). But the real kicker is the tail end of the meeting, which is some sort of presentation about a technique or process.

Tonite's was on art book publishing.

Not those coffee table books with the zillion glossy photos of art.

No, these were original artist made books, one of a kind or small editions (small meaning around 100 copies), handmade, incredibly detailed and gorgeously intricate.

The presenters told their tale, wittingly, of travelling the traditional publishing house road. And then they segued into the remarkable world of handmade books.

Specialty papers, intricate typeface, drawings, various prints, collage, digital media, ephemera. All these things and more linked with some sort of common thread - an idea, an image, a letter.

It got my juices going right there.

What a great way to summarize all the legwork that goes into a portrait - thumbnail sketches, jotted notes, photographic details, color swatches. A perfect thank you gift for an extraordinary client.

What a great way to explore the thoughts behind a pursuit. Like taking the travel sketchbook or diary one step further. A wonderful add-on for clients already owning a piece belonging to a particular series.

What a great way to package the traditional artists' portfolio. It would really set my imagery apart from everyone else's, if not simply at the level of desire. And I am currently reworking my portfolio in preparation for a class I'm teaching on professional and portfolio development next month.

Hmmm...... think I need to get to work!!



Kimberly Kelly Santini
www.turtledovedesigns.com
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings