Skip to main content

Finnigan

"Finnigan," 11" x 14", mixed media on bristol board, not for sale. Inquiries (including booking your own pet portrait, from miniature size [4" x 4"] to larger than life) may always come to me.

When I'm not doing pet portraits, chances are I'm doing something I call "creative journalling." Creative journals are today's equivalent of a diary, a combination of journalling, drawing, and painting - a means of collecting ideas that are both textually and visually based. I keep several journals which are places I can safely commit my ideas, without fear of reprimand or criticisms.

Creative journalling is especially keyed towards younger souls - those who don't yet have a total grasp of vocabulary or representational skills to completely express their ideas in one direction or the other (text vs visual). They are also a perfect match for those interested in expressing ideas exclusive of pure verbage. Creative journalling is the best platform to explore thoughts and direction in that there are absolutely no limitations whatsoever.

I am especially blessed in that I have multiple opportunities to work with students, exposing them with means to embrace their own voices and share ideas through journalling. (I'll be leading a Creative Journalling class at Little Monsters in the next two weeks - call them for information - 248-814-8697).

This week I am the visiting artist at an elementary school, working with 4th graders on identifying the visual elements in story telling. Specifically we will be creating collaged pet portraits like my Finnigan's (above), working at sharing our own stories through the use of visual and textual cues.

The workshop will culminate in a professional level exhibition encompassing the artwork created during our time together, complete with an opening party and press reviews.

And should the weather cooperate, all will begin tomorrow with a presentation outlining key details in building a portrait: positive vs negative space, patterning, cropping, color, text, material use, layers and edgework.

Want me to come to your school for a similar workshop? Send me an email!

Thanks, as always, for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family.
Kim


PS Looking for Iris II? Stay tuned - I'll share it asap!!
SHOP ORIGINALS & LIMITED EDITION GICLEES: at my Etsy shop
ORDER CUSTOMIZED NOTECARDS & REPRODUCTIONS: at Imagekind
COMMISSION A PET PORTRAIT: contact me
GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE: contact me
READING MATERIAL: Preview and order each of the Dog a Day books at the publisher's website: The First Year (2006-2007) and That's 14 in Dog Years (2008). If you would like your copy personalized, order them through me.
Labels:

Comments

  1. Bobbie's Blog Spot7:46 AM

    Kim,
    You are my hero!! Where do you find all your energy!? Love your work!
    Bobbie Deuell

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kimberly Kelly Santini10:23 PM

    Bobbie, I think I just feed off doing what I love to do! :) Thanks so much, though! -Kim

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“Katie’s Moustache,” 6x12, pet portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $90. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . One glimpse of Katie’s face, and I was hooked. Not only did she fall into my beloved “black & white” category, but she came with a full moustache and doe-like eyes. I first covered the canvas with a variety of blues and purples, using a (mixed) light green and pink for the highlights. (Right now my palette has been expanded to include the following: pthalo blue red, azurite hue, cad red dark, alizarine crimson, cad yellow dark, and then for graying/hazing out I use light green yellow and ultramarine purple.) I lighten with titanium white and darken with one of the blues and a touch of one of the reds. As a side note, at this time last year I was really struggling with my limited palette (I went from about 60 pots of paint to 3), but I have lived the benefits – I am so much more familiar with what I can mix given just this handful of colors. My paintings are also m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dear Copyright Thieves

Dear Copyright Thieves,   Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's free for the taking. So let's just stop pretending the internet is a free-for-all.   Don't play the card that you didn't know - that's insulting. And don't also tell me that you meant to follow up and get permission but never got a chance to. That's insulting too. And by the way, don't you have a copyright protection notice on your own site?   And don't even try and point the finger at a third party who commissioned you to make a copy of my painting - again, an insult - you and I both know the difference between a reference photo and a painting.   And don't tell me that I asked for it because I share my artwork on the internet. I share my paintings and ideas and the stories behind them so as to encourage others to pursue  their own passions . I do not share so that those lacking integrity and morals can copy and market the images as their own...
33 comments
Read more

Golden Open Acrylics

I get all sorts of process oriented questions. Most recently I've been getting asked a lot about my paints and palette, which made me realize what a nice blog topic this would make! I use a Masterson Sta-Wet Premier palette box . This is comprised of a box (think Tupperware) with a sponge liner and a slice of palette paper that work together to keep my paints wet. This setup allows me to work with the same palette for about a full week, having the box open for multiple hours every day. You can see what the palette looks like at the beginning of a new session above - below the exact same palette after this week's work. For the last 25 years I have used Golden brand acrylics, mediums, and varnish. I love the overall quality of these paints and the fact that, when I have a question, their customer service department is made up of artists who actually use the products. Until last year, I used their Heavy Body paints exclusively. They have a buttery consistency, a little loose...
11 comments
Read more