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

"Phantom," from "The Gratitude Project,"** 9" x 12", portrait of a rescued Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix, done in Golden Open Acrylics on an Ampersand Gessobord, $589. When this painting is purchased, a $120 donation will be made to Animal Ark Shelter in Minnesota. Inquiries may always come to me. Phantom came to Animal Ark from Ohio, where she was an unfortunate part of a dog fighting operation. The good news is that the dog fighting ring was shut down, and Phantom, along with her puppy Liberty, were relocated to Animal Ark. Animal Ark is the largest no-kill shelter in the Twin Cities, serving more than 1000 pets each year. Their approach to educating the public, providing innovative no-more-homeless-pets programs to their community (and beyond!) and pampering the animals in their care makes Animal Ark a huge winner in my book. Phantom was lucky to end up there - her pup was weaned and adopted out, she got spayed, and - the best part - is currently in a "foster to adopt" home. Another happy ending. Happy sigh. Special thanks to Sarah Ernhart of Sarah Beth Photographyin Minneapolis (she's The Best photographer in that area, honest!) for sharing her photos of Phantom with me. Please take a minute to visit her website when you have time to linger. You will enjoy yourself there, I promise! And since "The Gratitude Project" is all about paying it forward, should you feel so inclined, you are invited to support Animal Ark with a contribution of your own. Thank you in advance for your consideration. One final plug - don't forget 10% off all new commissions booked this month. Keep me busy painting, please! Thanks, as always, for supporting my artwork! Happy New Year, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com **What is "The Gratitude Project," you ask? Spurred by a desire to keep the good vibes happening that I picked up during last year's visit to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, this is my newest series of paintings. Featuring dogs (and other animals) from shelters across the country, proceeds from Gratitude paintings will be donated to the muse's host shelter, and the blog listings will also include a link for Dog a Day fans to make their own contributions. Lest you think there's nothing but kittens in the studio these days, I thought I'd give Finnigan his own 15 minutes of fame. He's still not too sure about Mona Lisa - he's been told he is to leave her alone, and like any good Cattle Dog, he's taken this job very seriously. To the point where Mona's been caught hanging around his neck, chewing on his ears or collar. When this happens, Finni carefully walks to wherever we might be, the kitten dangling under his chin. He looks mournfully at us until we tell him it's ok. Then he'll shake her off, give her butt a good cleaning, and then wander off to find a quiet spot to sleep the trauma off. Until Mona finds him, sound asleep and helpless, and starts batting at his paws and rearranging his legs. Don't worry - Finni is getting all sorts of extra treats and walks, and the other day it was even warm enough for some frisbee. And he's appointed himself supervisor of all Mona's toys. That's hard work, herding catnip mice and bouncy balls all day. It's no wonder he wants his rest!