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Stirrup, the April Virtual pARTy

"Stirrup," from the Saratoga Series, also my April entry in the Virtual pARTy, image approx 10" x 6", Golden Open Acrylics on multimedia artboard, depicting a Thoroughbred racehorse, $449 to the first taker.

For those of you who don't know about Virtual pARTy's, here's the lowdown - artists are given one reference photo and 24 hours to complete their artwork. All images, while derived from the same initial idea, are amazingly different. Take a peek at thereference photo here, bookmark the site, and then return next week to see the results.

So what was my focus with this painting? I wanted the glint of sunlight off the stirrup to summarize the excitement and activity in the paddock area prior to a race. Originally I had the background figures detailed and brighter, but their presence shifted the story's focus to the two horses. I wanted to paint the general suspense and anticipation, so pushed them back with layers of glazing.

If you look closely, you can see remnants of my first pass with the brush, sketching the forms into place and identifying the painting's edges. This paper allows me to layer without losing or compromising translucency and create a nice "window" to set up my composition. Another perk? it also reveals the layers of brushwork so I can build the most luscious surface ever.

Interested in a commissioned piece? They start at $29 - seriously (that'll get you a 4" x 4" loosely done painted sketch). Inquiries may always come to me.

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

PS Don't forget my Etsy sale - 10% when you mention "MOM" during checkout.

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.
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Comments

  1. martinealison1:12 AM

    Original, j'aime cette façon que vous avez croqué ce cheval.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Linda Shantz9:26 AM

    Looks great, Kim. I love how you handled the background, was definitely a great decision!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kimberly Kelly Santini9:37 AM

    Thanks, Linda. I'm so excited to see everyone's take on this - it could turn out a number of different ways.....

    ReplyDelete

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