A New "Emerging" Painting

A New "Emerging" Painting - Stevie

"Stevie," from the "Emerging" series, 12" x 12", acrylics on museum quality panel, starring a young Thoroughbred race horse and a smidgeon of dramatic light (and some glare in both upper corners from studio light!), $599 to the first asking nicely. Ask here!

With Stevie's painting, I decided to go with a (somewhat) historical limited palette - only 5 tubes of paint were used. Which created some challenges, I agree. And I may redo this composition with different choices, but first I want to simmer with it a bit.

In process pics are here - along with some great conversations about color and value.

I'm officially starting year 8 of daily painting. That's 8 years of getting in the studio and creating something, mostly start to finish, daily (well, for me, at least 5 days/week). At first, daily painting pushed me way out of my comfort zone, then it became an important creative habit that fed my muse. As of late it's become more (to me at least) about production and doing a job, and less about passion (which is a blog post for another day).

In a previous life I ran a software company's customer support center, and I was always cautioning upper management about metrics usage - what you measure becomes what you focus on, and that doesn't always reflect upon or serve your purpose.

So all these years I've been counting up the paintings created (1613 for those who might be curious), but really, what I should have been focused on all along was measuring the growth and range of my comfort zone and staying connected with my passion. Which is something a little more ambiguous to chart, I admit.

But it can be planned by taking on projects that push me to think, experiment, and dig deep. I can actively pursue my own education with workshops, classes, and group painting trips. And reflect on where I've been vs where I'm currently standing vs where I want to be.

Which means you'll see more paintings like Stevie's, where I'm working a limited palette and studying value vs other color characteristics. Yes, conversely this means I will be taking on fewer commissions as a result (so if you are considering portraits as holiday gifts, you best act now - I have 14 spots left!).

For those of you who have been along for the daily ride since the beginning, thank you SO MUCH for your time and attention. I hope that my shift (which has been gradually happening, now that I look back) from primarily commission based canine portraits to embracing ideas of color and atmosphere (while still painting lots of fur and other objects) won't be too disappointing.

And hopefully you'll find value in the conversations that ensue over on FB with respect to the evolution of each piece. I have 100s of in- photos sorted into albums by painting title, and if you click on any one image, there's individual comments/commentary along with them.

And through this change, my commitment to adding beauty to the world through my art and actions continues. Thanks, as always, for following along,

Kim

“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...

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...

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...

Paintings With Soul

Search This Blog