Skip to main content

Margot's Apples




Apples, 30" square, oil on canvas, by Margot van Horn, proudly hanging in my family room. They are flanked with a landscape by Linda Shantz and three ATC sized silver prints by Juliet Harrison, along with a couple of my creepy dolls. To the right on the wall, a drawing by Susan Leyland hangs above an oil painting by Virginia Vaughan.

In addition to all the pieces from the artists she represented, Margot had a sampling of her own artwork at her Gallery. She was always thinking about the next half dozen pieces to come out of her studio, and she was never at a loss for ideas.

The instant I saw these apples, I was in love. She had been painting shadows without using black - you know that's a concept close to my heart - and pushing the boundaries of representation vs a flat picture plane. I gushed to her over this painting, then came home and gushed to My Better Half. 

When I called later, wanting to buy the painting, Margot told me it had sold. I was disappointed but also thrilled for her to have found a buyer so easily. 

Fast forward a couple weeks. My Better Half and I are carrying sleeping children into a dark house after a week spent camping. The lights get switched on and there the apples were, in my own family room. Surprise!

My Better Half connived with Margot. He then recruited a friend to pick the painting up and sneak it into our house. 

I smile every time I look at it. 

Margot's memorial was beautiful, and the gathering of friends a testament to how generously she supported the arts, nurtured creativity and shared her talents. She made us all believe we were extra special and was always wildly waving to us from the cheering section.

Thanks for all of your notes and emails and messages. I couldn't respond to all of them, there were so very many, but please know that I am touched by your outpouring of love.
And thanks, too, for following along with my artwork,
Kim 
ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

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