Paintings With Soul

Pet Portraits back for a Limited Time

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:54:18 +0000

It’s been 20 years since I began Painting a Dog a Day, the daily pet portrait project that went viral before virality was even an internet thing. It positioned my signature loose and personality packed style at the forefront of pet portraiture at a time when consumers were first purchasing online products. My unique-at-the-time model of partnering with animal centric non profits, helping tell their story while also raising much needed funds for operating expenses, was adapted by many other small business owners. And the practice of painting daily continues to serve me well 25 years into my journey as a professional artist.

Last month my online pet portrait workshop opened to great acclaim - we had a countdown to the first day and the students got immediately to work - I can’t stop beaming over what they are creating, it is amazing!

Shifting from independent work alongside gallery and teaching commitments to portraiture requires a serious mental shift (which is one of the reasons I moved on from portraiture, to focus on more complex pieces), but it was important to me to return to the portraiture this anniversary year. So I opened my 2026 calendar for a limited number of portraits like Guster’s (above). These are custom pieces done in acrylic with museum quality materials, worked from your photo references, distinctively and recognizably my own style.

Let me know if you are interested in adding an original painting featuring your loved family member to your home. It would be my honor to do so, and there are just a few spots left.

Extra special thanks to my returning collector for the privilege of painting Guster for his family.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Wish

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:16:16 +0000

check her out, make her yours

Wish, 20x20, acrylic on cradled panel (no need to frame, painting will arrive wired and ready to hang), $1900, available exclusively through my website.S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost.

I voted Tuesday in the primaries here in Michigan (along with My Better Half - this was the second time he, as a new US citizen, was able to vote, and it is wonderful to share this together). I may be a glutton for punishment, but I felt a sense of hope after doing so - not just because his voice is now counted, but because we do have a say in what we want for our communities.

In a world that seems hell bent on all sorts of horrors, Hope is a powerful thing. That’s what this painting is all about - the fervor behind a wish, and the agency to manifest it.

Wish is available for purchase on my website where you can an also view her in a room setting or get your nose right up into the marks. Also, I have to mention, if she doesn’t find a home quickly, I may just pull her from the market for some exhibition opportunities.

As always, I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Wish Love, Kim.

PS Payment plans on request for purchases greater than $500 - 30% non refundable deposit reserves the painting, with 6 months to pay off balance plus any s&h (my current pieces include s&h - paintings done prior to 2026 are at my old prices and s&h is a separate line item). Returning collectors - don’t forget to use “COLLECTOR10” discount at checkout for 10% off acquisitions. Questions can always come my way.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Flutter

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 14:46:52 +0000

check her out, make her yours

Flutter, 12x12, acrylic on cradled panel (no need to frame, painting will arrive wired and ready to hang), $950, available exclusively through my website.S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost. NOTE: I have a 20” similar (unfinished) painting, along with a 6” square piece. Neither of these are currently available.

I first painted Butterfly Masks on Bear this last spring. The results were intriguing to me, but I was particularly challenged by my treatment of Bear and Butterfly as two separate living beings. That prevented me from allowing the collision to become something new and evocative. I switched out Butterfly with florals and sky, knowing I could take artistic license with those forms and not have a mutilated life on my hands, and had multiple goes at various iterations.

I also was inspired by the varied life forms in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series of books (which I just finished last month and highly, highly recommend). Matt Dinneman gets 10/10 points for the utterly creative and vast collection of species he invented. One of the characters, Big Tina, a young bear who mutates into a dinosaur infected with vampirism, wears a tutu fused to her midriff, her ballerina tiara grown into her skin. She sparked a change in how I began to visualize mask - and clothing in general - they do not have to literally be something we wear or a separate layer/object. Thanks, Matt!

Now I’m onto the next problem - diaphonous form, veiled shapes, and heightened mystery. And also going larger with this one!

Flutter is available for purchase on my website where you can an also view her in a room setting or get your nose right up into the marks.

As always, I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Bear Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Thistle

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:05:07 +0000

check her out, make her yours

Thistle, 16x16, acrylic on cradled panel (no need to frame, painting will arrive wired and ready to hang), $1450, available exclusively through my website.S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost.

This painting is an empath watching a loved one ache, knowing the best they can do is listen, sit with and love them through it. I think we’ve all been there at some point or other….

In lighter news, my online pet portrait workshop opened yesterday - students from all over the world are eagerly introducing themselves and setting intentions for the course. This evening is our zoom launch party (the 23rd) at 7pm eastern. I’ve opened this session up to students and the public - I’ll show over 100 of my portraits, talk about concepts and compositions, share some tips culled from the last 25 years of commission work, and get us situated to push some paint. You don’t have to be enrolled in the class - you can join the live event here. And if you decide to join in after attending the event, there’s a $49 coupon waiting for you.

As always, I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Bear Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Phosphorescent

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 15:41:13 +0000

check her out, make her yours

Phosphorescent, 20x20, acrylic on cradled panel (no need to frame, painting will arrive wired and ready to hang), $1900, available exclusively through my website. S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost.

Originally Phosphorescent had a dahlia over each eye. It was interesting and oh so beautiful, but distracting. The flowers overpowered her face and she became secondary in the painting. It was not what she wanted at all - she pushed herself back to the surface of the painting, and in the process that second bloom dissolved.

I think this approach is still intriguing, but would be better suited to a full body Bear, with a stronger ratio of Bear to Flower.

Like I said, I learn new ways to approach this concept with each painting. I have another one in process now where Bear’s mask is veil like, drifting across her face with the lightness of cottonwood. There’s something interesting that happens when a moving screen is inserted between the viewer and the subject.

Other ones include opaque masks with eyes obscured altogether. And then there’s the commission I have with a cockapoo and peonies. They are all feeding each other, that’s for sure.

Ohh, also, my online pet portrait workshop opens next week! If you paint animals of any kind, you’ll find this course so valuable, as it covers reference photo usage, copyright considerations, designing with intention (ie editing those photos to make the painting stronger), client communication and the whole painting aspect. I have included projects leveled for beginner to advanced painters alongside modules on color usage and troubleshooting a likeness. This course is a comprehensive linear approach to portraiture and painting a likeness in my distinctive style, summarizing my 25 years of experience. Early Bird registration runs until the 21st (happy birthday to me!) and the course opens on the 22nd. Our launch party via zoom is on the 23rd - I’ll show over 100 of my portraits, talk about concepts and compositions, and get us all situated to push some paint. It’s all here. Hope to see you in class!

And as always, I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Phosphorescent Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Profusion

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 19:34:05 +0000

Profusion

check her out, make her yours

Profusion, 20x20, acrylic on cradled panel (no need to frame, painting will arrive wired and ready to hang), $1900, available exclusively through my website. S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost.

This was a challenging painting week - as the complexity of these masked bears grows, so too does the difficulty level. I am literally learning on my feet as the pieces progress. Which frankly is one of my favorite ways to learn - by doing!

Profusion hit a point where I thought she had further to go, but my critique group (yesterday) declared her finished. I weighed the possibility of stopping,** but ultimately it felt like I was copping out. So this morning I deepened her value relationships, added a passage of smaller marks, pulled one of the flowers forward and allowed the barely suggested eye to disappear. I am so pleased to have taken these risks - the painting is all the stronger for them.

Profusion is on my website via a secure direct purchasing channel. You can also view her in a room setting or get your nose right up close to her.

**I have worked with this critique group for almost 10 years. I know and respect these women’s opinions, and likewise, they are well versed in my art and what I am trying to say. I take their feedback seriously, but that doesn’t mean I follow their suggestions. Ultimately it is my painting and I have to choose what best serves my work. Having conversations with other artists like this group who know one’s capabilities and history is invaluable, and one of the things I attribute my success to. Their insight gets me to see various perspectives, and ultimately that allows me to paint with greater clarity.

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Abundant Love, Kim.

Room to Grow

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 13:42:02 +0000

check her out, bring her home

Room to Grow (Sun Bear), 18x24, acrylic on cradeled panel (no need to frame, painting will arrive wired and ready to hang), $1900, available exclusively through my website. S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost.

Originally Sun Bear was stacked with Butterfly and Moth. I loved the idea, but the execution felt predictable. I value unexpected elements in art, and wasn’t seeing any of them in her early beginnings but for one little exciting butterfly passage, which frankly wasn’t enough to support the entirety of the surface.

So she sat in the studio and watched me paint a number of Bears, complete with Masks of Butterflies and Florals, while waiting for ~~the concept to evolve~~ inspiration to hit.

And a couple days ago she asked for her own mask, one threaded with roses. “Yellow, please,” she said, “to match my collar.”

Meanwhile, Sun Bear introduced me to Moon Bear. I have a Spirit Bear in process right now. Also a Milkweed Bear (a species of my own making - just you wait and see how magical SHE is!). And a crate of new panels arriving today. With the inspiration of these masked faces all around me, I predict no shortage of ideas in the near future.

Room to Grow is on my website for your direct purchasing, along with viewing in a room or right up close.

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Sun Bear Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Summer Solstice

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 15:41:41 +0000

check her out, bring her home

Summer Solstice, 20x20, acrylic on cradeled panel (no need to frame, painting will arrive wired and ready to hang), $1900, available exclusively through my website. S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost.

This painting got her start last week at my friend’s house. She (my friend, not Solstice) invited a group of us to gather and paint in her garden (her roses killed me). It was a glorious day.

Then she (Solstice, not my friend) came home to the studio for more work, informed by photos I took that first day along with bits and pieces from my own garden.

I toyed with the concept of symmetry - in a square painting, a balanced design becomes critically important. Initially I was reaching for a mirrored take on that, but it was too easy to look at and move past - it didn’t grab the viewer and ask them to stick around. So I found a middle ground - some symmetry, some differences. Here’s a video short on how I used Procreate, a digital drawing program, to visualize some of the possibilities.

And while Solstice is Brown Bear born from the dregs of winter, last night in my dreams she introduced me to Spirit Bear. So guess who’s coming to my easel next?

Solstice is over on my website for your direct purchasing, along with viewing in a room or right up close.

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Bear Love, Kim.

Rose

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 16:46:05 +0000

check her out, bring her home

Rose, 24x30, acrylic on cradeled panel (no need to frame, painting will arrive wired and ready to hang), $2800, available exclusively through my website. S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost.

If you’ve been following these Masked Bears, you’ll have noticed how the floral aspects are unique to each. It is great fun to dream up the next iteration, choose the appropriate Bear expression, and start to paint the magic. And it’s so rewarding, as the end results manifest with so much more strength than I could have imagined.

These are all pulled from my visual memory banks, laced together by proprietary means and techniques that do not involve Ai. They are 100% human conceived and executed - something I’m starting to value more and more lately.

Rose is now on my website for your direct purchasing, along with viewing in a room or right up close, until I offer her to the general public later tomorrow or Thursday.

Earlier today I demo-ed my ideation process and shared the digital tools I use to build a launching point for the paintings, and Rose is the example. If this is of any interest, the recording sits inside the Independent Study tier of my membership (on Patreon) The session will be streamable for the next 60 days (part of a library of other videos, including last month’s demo on how I intentionally recreate happy accidents as a mechanism to study and learn more about my tools/processes).

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Red Rose Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Vortex

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 13:20:19 +0000

check her out, bring her home

Vortex, 20x24, acrylic on cradeled panel (no need to frame), $2400, available exclusively through my website. S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost.

What does it mean to wear a mask? how does peering through one change the subject? how does viewing a subject wearing one impact the viewer? what is Bear saying when she adorns herself with a maelstrom of leaves and blooms?

With each of these masked paintings, more questions surface. I don’t have any answers, but I sure am enjoying unearthing them. I welcome your thoughts.

There are layers of florals masking Bear - lilac, wisteria, roses, heather, geranium and tulips. Together they are a mixed bouquet sworling with a fantastic mysterious energy.

Vortex is on my website for direct purchasing, along with viewing in a room or right up close.

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Red Tulip Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Stargazer

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:00:48 +0000

check her out, bring her home

Stargazer, 16x20, acrylic on cradeled panel (no need to frame), $1600, available exclusively through my website. S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost.

This lovely originally wore a mask dripping with rose petals, much like the cheek shields on a Roman gladiator’s helmet. While I loved the idea, it didn’t suit the square-ish 16x20 format - I’ve tabled it for a longer, taller composition. But that start did provide a great base for the petals to then take flight, which seemed perfectly suited to Bear’s awe-struck gaze.

Initially I thought those lightest smaller flowers would instead be planets - literal stars orbiting Bear - but then this morning while in the midst of my yoga practice I saw little orchid blooms in my head, phalaenopsis, bobbing about. They seemed far more exciting than planets. And far more magical.

I love that one of my followers on Facebook commented on an in process version of Stargazer that they believed she was so rapt in watching the stars she couldn’t possibly go in to bed. I absolutely love that interpretation!

Stargazer is on my website for direct purchasing, along with viewing in a room or right up close.

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Starry Sky Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

New Online Course - Painting a Dog a Day (and a Cat!)

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:38:58 +0000

Painting a Dog a Day (and a Cat)

learn more and register

It’s here! The course that has been 20 years in the making has arrived!

(I know I usually send you painting announcements, but thought some of you might be interested in this as well)

I committed to daily pet portraiture in 2006, thinking I would do it for 30 days or so. Painting a Dog a Day (which is still online and updated with every painting that comes off my easel) stretched into well over a decade. During that time I learned so much about working with clients while also developing a recognizable style and building a thriving studio business.

And now I’m bringing it all to you.

How to choose your resources, communicate with clients, create and finish the work, and send it out into the world. It’s all here. Along with some basic business practices and a wealth of challenges leveled for the beginning to advanced students.

This is my 4th course through Kara Bullock Art - I can’t say enough about how wonderful her team and platform is to work with. I have been both a student there and an instructor, and every experience has been enlightening, inspiring, educational and professional.

Learn more and register here.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Let’s paint together!! warmly, Kim

Divine

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:20:57 +0000

check her out, bring her home

Divine, 16x20, acrylic on cradeled panel (no need to frame), $1600, available exclusively through my website. S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost.

First there was Masquerade, then Witness, followed by Sweetheart and most recently Divine. With each one, I learn something more about melting two separate objects together, and the idea of peering through a mask becomes all the more fascinating.

I have been reading legends about Bear as Creator. She still lumbers through my dreams, watching or guarding or protecting a perimeter around me. And with Divine, she visited my garden and the yellow peonies which opened up a few days ago.

What might we say, were we to meet our Maker? and what might She, in turn, have to say to us?

Divine is on my website for direct purchasing, along with viewing in a room or right up close.

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Mother Bear Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Golden (Retriever Pup)

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Wed, 27 May 2026 14:41:37 +0000

check her out, bring her home

Golden, 12x12, acrylic on flat museum quality panel, available on my website. S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost.

20 years ago I began painting daily, starting the pet portrait project Painting a Dog a Day. Over the years I developed a uniquely distinctive style and fresh approach that was eagerly collected by thousands. Yup, that’s not a typo. Shortly into the project things went viral and I had an 18 month long wait list for my daily paintings - it took me a loooonnnng time to get caught up to the demand.

It was a lot of fun until it wasn’t - I got burned out around 2017 - and I have done very few pet portraits ever since. Until recently.

I visited Kara Bullock at the beginning of May and we filmed my next online workshop focused on the characteristics of my Painting a Dog a Day pieces - loose, impressionistic color in personality packed portraits that can be completed in a short painting session. I packed so much content into this one, from working with reference photos to designing the portrait, mixing lively color, staying loose, and troubleshooting likenesses.

A lovely side effect of the filming is that I have paintings to send out into the world, like this golden retriever pup. She was the perfect model for textured fur and studying the value range of a light colored subject (HINT - we didn’t use black to mix those darker values). Are you an artist yourself and interested in the workshop? Early bird registration starts in a couple weeks - Shoot me an email - use the subject line “early bird” - and I’ll make sure you get every detail!

Also, if you are still reading, I am opening my books up for a select number of pet portraits. I’ll be adding that informational page to my website this week and can also email interested parties directly when it’s up - let me know and we’ll be in touch.

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Fluffy Puppy Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Masquerade

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Fri, 22 May 2026 14:46:43 +0000

make her yours

20”x20”, acrylic on a cradled wood panel with 3/4” profile (no pressing need to frame). $1900 to the first asking nicely, shipping inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost. Masquerade can ship mid June 2026.

Anyone remember the drawings I created years ago featuring totems made of Butterfly, Fox, Bear and Deer? I exhibited a dozen of the pieces in a group show, then tucked them away into my flat files. A pile of unresolved drawings still sits here, rather hopefully, on my drafting table.

I also painted a number of Fox pieces featuring Butterfly in unexpected ways - most recently, Kitsune, featuring Fox spliced with a Butterfly totem.

At the time I had tried a number of approaches with Bear and Butterfly, but wasn’t satisfied with what showed up. I figured it simply wasn’t meant to be and moved onto other concepts.

Last weekend, after spotting the first swallowtail of the season, I saw a Bear Butterfly composition in my head so clearly I thought it was in that stack of drawings. That I had seen how to resolve something already begun. I rifled through them along with another tub of research and concepts from that same time - there was nothing there matching what I had envisioned. So I decided to bring it to life - I had nothing to lose, right?

I pulled out the drawings and resources that resonated and got to work directly.

I blocked the painting in with some new-to-me techniques that simply showed up - like a tap on the shoulder and a why don’t you try this. No second guessing or rationalizing, just picking up the tools and indulging. I saw promise in what was shaping up, but also thought I might be a bit in over my head or returning to that earlier matchup that was incompatible.

And of course, in true synchronious style, I got a sign: the book I started reading the following day (Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E.Schwab) included an entirely unexpected plot twist from 1500’s Venice during Carnivale, with characters wearing elaborate masks. I took it as a wink, a nudge from the universe, telling me that I was moving in the right direction with this painting. And then the title, Masquerade, came to mind - it matched the mysterious identity of Bear-Butterfly and alluded to so many other symbolic interpretations between the two.

Masquerade feels quite different from what I’ve been doing, and yet also familiar. I sat with her today for a long time and wrote, free association style, about what might come next. I have an exciting list of takeaways and new problems to solve. Each painting births the next one, you see.

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Masquerade Love, Kim.

PUPPIES! and other news

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Tue, 19 May 2026 14:25:48 +0000

check them out, take one home

At left “Berna Pup,” 8”x8”, $525 and at right “Sunshine,” 6”x8,” $470. Both of these paintings are acrylic on flat museum quality panels, available at my website through the above link. S&H inside the contiguous US is on me. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost.

20 years ago I began my commitment to daily painting, starting the pet portrait project Painting a Dog a Day. Shortly in, the project went viral (viral wasn’t even a thing 20 years back!), and within days I had an 18 month long wait list for daily paintings. Over the years I developed a unique style and fresh approach that was eagerly anticipated by thousands of collectors.

It was a lot of fun until it wasn’t - I burned out around 2017 and have done very few pet portraits since. Until recently.

I snuck out to visit my friends at Kara Bullock Art School earlier this month and we filmed my next online workshop. Of which the above two paintings are part of. Yes, there’s FINALLY going to be a Painting a Dog a Day workshop, 20 years after she was whelped!

While the content is being edited, I am doing a couple of things:

1 - readying paintings created during the filming, like these two, for new homes. The button above takes you to my website for direct purchasing, along with viewing in a room or right up close.

and 2 - I am opening my books up for a select number of pet portraits. Message me to be kept in the loop).

and 3 - Want in on the Painting a Dog a Day workshop early bird registration? Shoot me an email - use the subject line “early bird” - and I’ll make sure you get every detail when it’s released!

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Fluffy Puppy Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Hellebore

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Sun, 17 May 2026 12:50:39 +0000

check her out, she can be all yours

18”x24”, acrylic on a cradled wood panel, $1900 to the first asking nicely, includes s&h inside the contiguous US. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost. Hellebore can ship at the end of May 2026.

This little fox started over a month ago with a very simple drawing derived from two other paintings of mine. I had no idea where she was going, just that I wanted a focus on basic value shapes and a young silhouette. Finished yesterday, she was inspired by violets and her namesake, both growing voraciously in my garden despite the mixed weather here in the midwest.

I looked it up after signing her - I did not know that hellebore is in the buttercup family and highly toxic (don’t worry - it’s planted in a section of the yard our dogs have no access to). I had no idea it represented calamity - but also, because it blooms in snow, it also represents hope. Here I was thinking I wanted to fill Fox with hellebore because of those delicate spring greens.....

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Hope Filled Heart Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Your Majesty

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Sat, 02 May 2026 17:33:00 +0000

check him out, he can be all yours

12”x12”, acrylic on a flat panel. $725 to the first asking nicely, includes s&h inside the contiguous US. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost. Charming can ship at the end of May 2026.

I am continuing to push paint every day, working small, keeping things light hearted. There’s enough serious stuff going on elsewhere.

While with my students the other day, we talked about energetic footprints. Much like a carbon footprint which measures use of natural resources, an energetic footprint would measure the energy infused in a piece, energy that off-gases or triggers other responses, as it travels about.

I like thinking about the energetic footprint of my artwork. It lights me up to think that they might be a bright moment in someone’s day.

The button above will take you to my website for direct purchasing, along with viewing in a room or right up close. Payment plans are also available - see below for terms.

If you missed it, I am teaching an in person workshop this October at Slow River Studio outside Boston. It’s three days on how I build paintings through examining line, shape and color. How can you go wrong - we get to paint together at Slow River Studio’s gorgeous space plus enjoy all the amenities of the area in the fall!

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Garden Friend Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Charming

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 18:13:00 +0000

check him out, he can be all yours

12”x12”, acrylic on a cradled wood panel with 3/4” profile (no pressing need to frame). Edges painted a mica filled tootsie roll brown. $950 to the first asking nicely, includes s&h inside the contiguous US. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost. Charming can ship at the end of May 2026.

Keeping things light in the studio these days, allowing my littler friends like the chicks and toads to show up. Working on these pieces keeps me smiling, which is a wonderful respite from other things. I imagine them leaving a trail of smiles and glitter as I send them out into the world as well.

The link above will take you to my website for direct purchasing, along with viewing in a room or right up close. Payment plans are also available - see below for terms.

Also, in case you missed it, I am teaching an in person workshop this October at Slow River Studio outside Boston. It’s a three day blitz on how to build paintings of your own design through examining line, shape and color and minimal use of reference photos. How can you go wrong - we get to paint together at Slow River Studio’s gorgeous space plus enjoy all the amenities of the area in the fall! There are only a few seats left, so don’t wait if this is on your list.

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Garden Friend Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Chicks in Space

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:36:00 +0000

Chick in Space i (far right)

Chick in Space ii (on left)

Chick in Space iii (the middle child)

Each 6”x6”, acrylic on a cradled wood panel with 3/4” profile (no pressing need to frame), sides painted a sparkley tootsie roll brown, $350 each to the first asking nicely, includes s&h inside the contiguous US. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost. These girls ~~will launch~~can ship at the end of April 2026.

This week started out pretty heavy. I didn’t have the motivation to begin another large Bear painting, but I knew that pushing paint would be good for me. I decided to try something light and playful after Facebook served up some good memories of chick paintings from years passed.

Initially I thought the paintings would be like the others, lighthearted, lifesized chicks in pastel-ish spring colors. Instead I found myself drawn to the girls’ personalities, imagining fantastical narratives for each, and they became scaled up VIP (Very Important Poultry) portraits.

Why not treat them similarly to my Mother Bears and add a sky backdrop? Why not add orbiting constellations and a bit of whimsy? Why not cover the sides of the panel with mica laced paint?

Before I knew it, I had three little chicklets ready to spread their wings - and some joy - into the world.

The buttons above will take you to my website for direct purchasing, along with viewing in a room or right up close.

I am so grateful for your interest in my work.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Chicks in Space Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Cumulonimbus (Storm Cloud)

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:28:00 +0000

check her out, make her yours

24”x36”, acrylic on a cradled wood panel with 1-1/2” profile (no pressing need to frame), $3000 to the first asking nicely, includes s&h inside the contiguous US. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost. Cumulonimbus can ship at the end of April 2026.

I signed two paintings on Friday, which is uncommon, but also a bit overdue as I’ve not finished anything (other than Mona’s posthumous portrait) in a couple of weeks. I’m still painting daily - even Tuesday after the studio flooded, although it wasn’t for long. Painting is one of the few ways I escape all the noise of The Real World, and I’m finding my daily studio routine to be a life saver anymore.

There is always an element of current events in my work, although it’s not super obvious. In this one it is the feel of a roiling storm building. The pixellated edges are my way of saying how unreal current situations feel (I actually quite like this effect and will be leaning into it more in the future).

She’s also made me rethink the monikor “Momma Bear.” It sounds softer than than “Mother Bear,” and my whole purpose of painting these She-Bears is to leverage their reputation as fierce protectors. I might have to do some rebranding going forward.

Finally, I absolutely LOVE the history in my layered glazes and all the nuanced marks revealed when one gets nose up into the painting - this reel shows them off. I can’t be the only one appreciating this.

The button above will take you to my website for direct purchasing, along with viewing in a room or right up close. Payment plans are also available - see below for terms.

I am so grateful for your interest in my work

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Storm Cloud Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Snowcapped, a new Momma Bear painting

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 13:45:00 +0000

check her out, make her yours

24”x30”, acrylic on a cradled wood panel with 1-1/2” profile (no pressing need to frame), $2250 to the first asking nicely, includes s&h inside the contiguous US. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost. Snowcapped can ship at the end of April 2026.

I tried a number of new things with this one:

restricting my palette to four blues, one red and two yellows
working with large value shapes, feeling my way into Bear’s pose and weight distribution
use of glazes to unify and soften passages

You can see her progression here.

I learned quite a bit and am eager to roll it into another piece. Stay tuned.

The link above will take you to my website for direct purchasing, along with viewing in a room or right up close. Payment plans are also available - see below for terms.

I am so grateful for your interest in my work

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Mountain Bear Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Mona Lisa, Mo Bug, Bug, Buggy Boo, MoMo, Love

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:51:00 +0000

This is a hard one to hit "send" on. Many of you have been part of this community since Mo joined our family 16 years ago, latching onto to one of The Caped Crusader's hoodie strings at the shelter, then climbing onto his shoulder and refusing to let go. That's how she moved through the world - hooking onto what she wanted, and manifesting it. I am so grateful the kids got to grow up with her sweetness in the household - along with her tenacity. And that she was such a willing muse, as well

We said goodbye to our little Bug on Friday. What a treat it was to love on her all these years, although we would’ve gladly taken a few more. She ruled this roost, equally bossing the cattle dog about while curling up with the corgi. She was a beautiful muse and studio companion, the loveliest violet tabby with a penchant for sunshine, watching Animal Cops, sleeping in Sals dog bed (she never budged), and helping tuck the kids in. She loved a good book, voraciously reading all genres through osmosis (she would snooze on a stack of them), at aforementioned bedtimes, or from our laps. We granted her final wish, that of being an outdoor kitty, by burying her under the catalpa tree and marking her with a giant wishing stone.

Shout out to Oakland County Pet Adoption Center, where she chose us as a wee thing (we almost named her Flea). And special thanks to Orion Oaks Animal Hospital for the extraordinary care and compassionate final appointment.

Our sweet Mo, thank you for the memories. The studio - the household - won’t be the same without you. Indulge me - I may paint a few more gray tabbies in the coming weeks, as a way to bring you back for a short time. Rest easy, sweet girl.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Heliocentric

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:21:08 +0000

check her out, make her yours

24”x36”, acrylic on a cradled wood panel with 1-1/2” profile (no pressing need to frame), $3000 to the first asking nicely, includes s&h inside the contiguous US. Painting will arrive ready to hang. Hawaiian, Alaskan and Canadian shipping available at additional cost. Heliocentric can ship mid April 2026.

Heliocentric is named for Copernicus’ cosmological theory, as this Bear believes herself to be the center of the universe.

My initial concept was a girl-with-pearl-earring sort of Bear, filled with flowers. I added sunflowers, and they were super fun but also very demanding - their faces competed with Bear. She asked for the petals to become little licks of flame, and things grew from there.

Heliocentric was worked with permission** from a photo taken by wildlife photographer Allie Swafford. Thank you, Allie, for allowing me to paint Felicia’s coquettish gaze (Grizzly Bear 863 from Yellowstone). Allie offers prints of her amazing wildlife photography - you can view them on her FB or insta accounts and message her directly to place an order.

**I can’t emphasize enough the importance of asking permission to paint from references, no matter how far one diverges. I was not planning a representational depiction of Felicia, but I did rely on facial expression, silhouette, fall of the light and other gestural elements to build my painting, all things Allie showcased in her image. Online images are not free for the taking (nor is it flattery when someone helps themselves, as many of us have heard over the years - it’s outright stealing). Copyrights and intellectual property rights are conferred the moment something is made, regardless of the maker’s age, country of residence, or the item’s registration with the government. A simple reverse image search will identify the photographer/creator so that you may ask permission to use it.

The button above will take you to my website for direct purchasing, along with viewing in a room or right up close. Payment plans are also available - see below for terms.

I am so grateful for your interest in my work

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Center of the Universe Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.

Service Berry

noreply@blogger.com (Kimberly Kelly Santini) — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:18:14 +0000

check her out, make her yours

12x12, acrylic on panel, private collection (thank you so much).

I don’t often take on commissions, but this one ticked all the boxes for me. Also, I told my collectors that I was approaching their concept of Fox in the woodland like a gentle suggestion as opposed to a static list of bullet points that, for me, can stifle the joy of the painting process. After over a decade of nearly daily pet portraiture, I got a burned out on painting for others and guess I still am a bit tender.

Nevertheless, Service Berry showed up as Fox Kit, initially dancing in a wreath of oak leaves collected from the back yard, before settling into her painted space. I made a reel of her progression and shared it to my instagram.

Available work is always listed on my website - I have acrylic paintings, oil paintings (animal centric and sky and floral) and smaller works on paper.

I am so grateful for your interest in my art.

Thank you so much for your support.

Big Little One Love, Kim.

Creativity documents our voices and builds community, something profoundly important right now. How can you help elevate and keep artists’ voices alive? It’s simple:

engage with your favorite artist via social media
share what they are creating with your friends
take a course and hone your own voice
purchase original art or reproductions (see below)
fill their tip jar (let’s be real, it’s all about Treats for Blue, the studio dog)

Your support keeps the arts alive, which means future generations will understand our perspectives long after we are gone. Thank you.