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

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...

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...

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...

Paintings With Soul

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