Paintings With Soul

Inspired by the work of David Shevlino, done overtop a sketch completed in Aprils 30Dogs30Days. This is "red Shevlino," an 8x10 acrylic painting done on canvasboard. He is $199 plus s&hto the first asking nicely. I take paypal, venmo, personal checks and payment plans. Inquiries may cometo me- thank you!

Artists pull inspiration from a variety of sources. A revisit to The Little Prince firmly lodged the fox's words in my head:  "One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eye." And that got me thinking, how the heck do I paint things that are essential and therefore intangible?

It got me googling last night - I started out with an exploration of edges and how various treatments achieve different results. I got distracted byGregory Manchess'spaintings, and ultimately ended up onDavid Shevlino'swebsite (and of course I had gloriously colored, fractured, blurrey edged dreams!).

This morning I thought I would give it a try,…

Pictured above, from the left, "Forgiveness," "Love," and "Innocence," original paintings commissioned as reflection on a once-in-a-lifetime trip toThe Elephant Nature Park, an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of reproductions of this special project will be donated toThe Elephant Nature Parkto help continue their legacy - please read more below.

Each commission project is a deeply personal journey shared between myself and my client, as they communicate their unique relationship with the subject matter, and I capture the physical and emotional likeness in paint. A recent commission involving elephants went entirely beyond the realm of what I typically learn and experience while collaborating with my collector.

As usual, the project began with an explanation of why - why did my collector want these paintings? "V" told me about her lifelong fascination with these animals, and then invited me to travel virtually as …

Rare documentation of the Santini family, from left, The Caped Crusader, Salvador Doggie, My Better Half, The Princess, myself, Blue Dog and The Man Child. Finnigan slept through this photo opp, as nearly blind and mostly deaf dogs tend to do.Studio Newsletter, June 2019 So spring has been coming, and going, the last month. As someone who abhores winter, this is a rather daunting turn of events. I'm adapting with flannels and Birkenstocks, and hoping that things will warm up SOON.

May was an emotional month. On top of the whole weather teetering bit and a rather disappointing Kentucky Derby there were no winners this year, particularly not the sport itself), my youngest graduated from high school. She also finished a lifetime of competitive dance, having shared the stage with some of her teammates since preschool. There were many ceremonies, performances, banquets, celebrations and tears. And I know there will be more to come as she readies to fly the nest this fall. I took some ti…

Rare documentation of the Santini family, from left, The Caped Crusader, Salvador Doggie, My Better Half, The Princess, myself, Blue Dog and The Man Child. Finnigan slept through this photo opp, as nearly blind and mostly deaf dogs tend to do.Studio Newsletter, June 2019 So spring has been coming, and going, the last month. As someone who abhores winter, this is a rather daunting turn of events. I'm adapting with flannels and Birkenstocks, and hoping that things will warm up SOON.

May was an emotional month. On top of the whole weather teetering bit and a rather disappointing Kentucky Derby there were no winners this year, particularly not the sport itself), my youngest graduated from high school. She also finished a lifetime of competitive dance, having shared the stage with some of her teammates since preschool. There were many ceremonies, performances, banquets, celebrations and tears. And I know there will be more to come as she readies to fly the nest this fall. I took some ti…

IN PROCESS "Aflutter (Medicine Hat #20)," 36" x 48" x 2", acrylic on museum quality panel. Pictured below is the inspiration piece behind this painting, "The Rebirth of Wonder," a 16" x 20" gallery wrap canvas (which is $649 plus s&h). Aflutter may be for sale when finished (I'm still making up my mind), and The Rebirth of Wonder is currently available -please inquire directly to me about either painting. I accept paypal, venmo, personal checks and payment plans.

I used to dive straight into my paintings with very little preliminary work. I loved the spontaneity such an approach provided, and did all my decision making right on the final surface. Lately, though, I have found myself doing a study (or two) prior to jumping in - perhaps it's because I'm taking things much larger than usual (this one is 4 feet high!), and having a bit of a gameplan makes me less nervous about wasting paint. However, this very elemental shift in …

"The Torch Bearer (Medicine Hat #18)," 16" x 20" x 1/2", acrylic on museum quality panel, $649 plus s&h tothe first asking nicely. (Detail image at bottom - please scroll) I accept paypal, venmo, personal checks and payment plans.

I've been overwhelmed as of late, with The Princess's last year of high school and all the bells and whistles that come with the end of this chapter. Monday evening she took her final bows with the dance team, her chosen family for the past 7+ years. Big changes are looming for our little family, and even larger issues are looming in the world.

It is with that in mind that I painted this Medicine Hat mare. She is a torch bearer of hope, acceptance, love, whatever you need her to carry.

Thanks, as always, for following along with my art journey,
Warmly, Kim