Come. Sit. Stay!

What an original and excellent idea!

Artist Kimberly Kelly Santini is an artist, specializing in pet portraiture. She has been painting daily dogs (and cats and horses and guinea pigs and bunnies) since 2006. Proceeds from the sale of these paintings support Kim and often animal-related causes, as well. Anyone who knows what it takes to create ANY kind of work of art—much less skillfully accomplished portraits—will appreciate the immense amount of work and dedication it takes to keep up a commitment like this. And yet, she keeps on, with dogged determination (yes, pun intended).

Well into her third year of this endeavor, and inching toward 700 finished paintings, Kim admits that she often asks herself, What the heck!?

"Yeah, I ask myself that constantly," she writes in her blog. [It's] insanity, yes, but good times all around as well."

Certainly, you can't miss the joy she packs into her paintings—all you have to do is look at one. The images are powerful and impactful. The American Kennel Club was so taken with Kim's work that they used a colorful collage of her Dog-A-Day images to adorn its 2007 Eukanuba National Championship poster:

Kim's all about the animals and the art at her blog. She takes commissions for your own special pet portrait, talks about her works-in-progress, features an "In Memoriam" section for animals she's painted who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and even tells us what she's currently reading. Speaking of which—yes, you CAN buy a book containing her Dog-A-Day imagery!

There's more there, as well, my favorite part of which is the "Been Rescued by a Rescue?" section. Here, Kim invites visitors to share their rescue story with her, and your furry loved one may appear in a future Dog-a-Day painting. Now, I happen to know at least eleven ladies who have a story like this...

Get on over to PaintingADogADay. You'll be glad you visited this little corner of the blogosphere, I promise.