Skip to main content

Missing You Already




A journal page done after Margot's diagnosis, where I "spilled" stream of consciouness writing, layering the words overtop each other, then returned to pick out pattern and symbol.

Margot has been my biggest fan since we met over 13 years ago. As a gallery owner, she worked her tail off to promote and sell my work. As a fellow artist, we hashed through all sorts of artsy things together while trying out new ideas. And as a friend, she relentlessly kicked my butt into gear on pretty much everything.

"Just shut up and paint," she would tell me when I was over analyzing and trying to drag her into my mess. She knew painting would provide the clarity I needed.

Margot passed away early Tuesday morning after a brief illness. The last two weeks I've been repeatedly rocked to my core - first with her diagnosis, then her move to hospice, and now with saying goodbye. She was always so damned matter of fact about things, but did she have to tackle dying with the same sort of practicality?

I know she can hear me. And I see her looking over her shoulder, one eyebrow cocked, a wry smile touching her lips. And I hear her laughing.

Perhaps I should just shut up and paint today. 
Please keep Margot's family in your thoughts - they are even more wrung out than myself,
Kim 
ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Comments

  1. CAROL HOPPER -- A PAINTER'S JOURNAL6:11 PM

    Your entry stuns me. It is so heartfelt and beautifully written. You were a wonderful friend. I miss her for you too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kimberly Kelly Santini10:10 PM

      thanks, Carol. Margot was pretty incredible and I was very lucky to count her a friend.

      Delete

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