Skip to main content

ArtPrize 2013

 
Painting in process in my studio, complete with still life setup of vintage Playmate doll, acrylics on cradeled panel, 16" square. Inquiries may come to me (including special requests to paint your treasured childhood toy).
 
 

Last year my good friend Elizabeth St Hilaire Nelson and I participated in ArtPrize, what I think is the largest art festival in the world. It's an annual event, happening in Grand Rapids, Michigan, about 2 hours west of my home. As I recall, 2012 involved over 1700 works of art displayed throughout the Grand Rapids area. It's a big deal.

 
It was great fun preparing my ArtPrize paintings last year - I put a call out for muses in April 2012 and painted right up until days before the installation.

 
Our work was very well received, we enjoyed our time in Grand Rapids and couldn't wait to began planning for this year. 

 
Elizabeth's way ahead of me - her 2013 piece, an astounding mural depicting a mermaid and goldfish, is nearing completion, whereas I just got started this weekend. I've been busy percolating, though!

 
I decided to step away from animals just a bit, try out new subject matter and take advantage of a scale that screamed F.U.N.

 
So they are not Dog a Days, and I do beg your forgiveness, but here is the first of my new series "Family Portraits," starring the faces of some very well loved dolls. I'm planning at least a dozen of these paintings, and they will be displayed in a row, just like traditional family portraits on a mantel.

 
Regular updates on "Family Portraits" and my journey to ArtPrize 2013 will be posted to a folder on the studio Facebook page. Along with a final version of this portrait (whe will need a name eventually - I'm thinking "Phyllis" after Phyllis Diller). You are welcome to check in, make comments or ask questions.

 
And thanks so much for following along with my artwork!
Kim
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

Picture Book "A Dog Named Blue" - now available!!

The cover of "A Dog Named Blue," now available from Blurb publishers. When I first painted Amelia I never imagined that she would be re-christened "Blue" and inspire a book. In her defense, Amelia had a number of other partners in crime - animals who's portraits seemed to fall into a specific color category and prompt color-centric names. In typical ADD fashion, my brain started spinning 100mph. What if I turned those muses' paintings into a picture book for animal loving kids? I shared my idea with three friends in the industry, and they eagerly offered their expertise. I am truly indebted to them. Illustrator and author Matt Faulkner and children's book author and literacy expert Kristen Remenar edited an early version of the draft. They suggested key plot/conceptual changes that made it oodles better. Designer Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson worked her magic, pairing the images with perfectly color...
1 comment
Read more

Tabby Kit

"Tabby Kit," 5" x 7", acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting a tiny little orange striped guy from Morgue File . This painting can be yours for $289, which includes s&h inside the US. And in case you didn't see it, a little doodle of him is also available for sale here . Inquires may come directly to me .  Although it certainly doesn't FEEL like spring here (snow and ice and wind chills, brr!), I can tell that spring is coming. The mercury is rising a wee bit each day and the days are getting longer and brighter. Over the weekend we drove with the moonroof open just to feel the sun's meager and oh-so-very-welcome warmth (although the heat in the car was cranked, too, in the interest of full disclosure!). I wanted to work with spring-like colors today, and this little guy was still on my mind , so I grabbed a small panel and got to work. Of course, I also have Poppy to finish and some changes to make to another po...
Post a Comment
Read more