Paintings With Soul

This is Simon, from 2011, my favorite of several portraits I've been lucky enough to create. His family's super power is that they can't resist a beagle in need. Let me tell you about them.

In the early days of Painting a Dog a Day, I set aside one week each month to feature my paintings of homeless animals and tell their stories, with proceeds going back to the host shelters/groups. I don't recall the timeframe, even, but I had painted a doe eyed beagle from my local shelter. This collector from out of state emailed and asked to purchase the painting. And then she went above and beyond, contacted the shelter arranged to sponsor the dog until he found a home.

I have so many angels like this in my life. Real, tender, generous hearts, all around me. One thing the Painting a Dog a Day project did was highlight those souls - I always felt surrounded by love.

Thanks for following along with me,
Warmly, Kim

Wishing all a glorious end - or beginning, depending upon your point of view - to the week. And to a long winter.
Warmly, Kim

This is Yellow, a portrait I did in 2012. Originally, this was a commissioned painting, but my client disappeared. The portrait looked at me for months while I kept hoping that her person would just show up out of the blue. When it became obvious that wasn't going to happen, I made an executive decision.

I re-worked the piece using lots of yellow. Because yellow = hope, and that's what I wanted for this little face. Then, right before the holidays, I auctioned her off - $2 a ticket - with the proceeds going to my local skelter.

The homeless painting raised money for homeless animals. My collectors and fans delivered - the auction raised $860! It was the best feeling to walk into the shelter just a few days before Christmas and hand over that check.

(SIDE NOTE: We also unexpectedly adopted daVinci that day, a tiny little bean of an abandoned kitten with broken whiskers and one heck of a purr.)

All this good started with a project which I never got paid for, but in the end, that di…

Back at the beginning of the 30Dogs30Days challenge, I shared a video short of myself doing a quick sketch. I wasn't terribly pleased with the quality of the footage, and made a note to do something a bit more thorough that didn't involve so much of my arms blocking the canvas. LOL. So here you go!

I prefer the spontaneity that happens when i work directly with my brushes. Usually, a carefully drawn layout holds me back, as I focus more on keeping those edges in place and less on building dynamic marks. I have developed this process of working directly, from general to specific, with periods of re-drawing/establishing the edges, to best honor my own desire for expressive marks inside the boundaries of establishing a likeness.

Enjoy the video - and feel free to jump in and share a direct sketch of your own! Drawing in paint is far easier than a pencil - the brushes are bigger, and you can work so much faster!
Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork and journey.
War…

"All the Better to See You With," 24" x 20" x 1-1/2", acrylics on cradeled panel, featuring a wolf (inspired by Abby Wambauch's bookWolfpack). This painting is $999 plus s&h to the first asking nicely, because manners are always important. Inquiries may cometo me.

This wolf is a stand-in for powerful women the world over, who love unconditionally because their hearts are beating and their minds are open. You know who you are, and I see you too.

In other news, if you visitedmy Patreonpage that I shared yesterday - which is essentially a virtual classroom - you will find a lovelyvideo, along with step-by stepin process photosof this particular painting. This is a sampling of the content that student subscribers receive when they join my Patreon for about the cost of a cup of coffee (a mere $5/month).You are invited to learn more here.
Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork and journey.
Warmly, Kim

"Symbiosis," 24" x 30", acrylics on panel, $899 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. I accept paypal, venmo, personal checks and payment plans. Inquiries may cometo me.

This is another piece that has been loitering in the studio. At least 4 months or so. It happens to me all the time - an idea materializes, but it's only partially formed. If I wait for it to fully develop, it might fade away in the meanwhile. So I try to paint them as fast as they show up, and take them as far as I can. And then I wait.

And while I wait, I beat myself up. "Self," I ask, "why haven't you finished this one? or that one? and did you forget about this one over here too? what's wrong with you? why can't you see what they need? you are pathetic. You know nothing. You are a fraud."

Yup. The Fraud Police show up here too. Just in case you thought they only knew your address.

Thanks, as always, for following along with my art journey,
Warmly, Kim Join My V…

Photo courtesy of Vivos Images, Nancy Gutelius.

I loveteaching- there's nothing like sharing all I've managed to cram into my brain with a group of like minds. And when those ah-ha moments happen, it's glorious - goosebumps, joy, pride - it's a great time all around. Because learning is most successful when the environment matches the students' needs, I offer three different ways for us to work together: in person, one on one via Facetime, and a new online community.

I travel once or twice a year and teach multi-day workshops. A host group sponsors, markets and sells the event, and then I show up to do my song and dance. I will be doing so inSaginaw, Michigan(this September) and in the Hudson River Valley of New York (next March). Links to the Saginaw workshop are onmy website; the New York event will be added once they begin accepting reservations. Workshops are priced based on the various groups' overhead and the number of days we get to paint together.

I als…