Paintings With Soul

"On the Turf II," 6" x 8", acrylics on museum quality panel, starring a bayThoroughbred race horse and jockey. This piece is $329 (which includes s&h inside the US). Inquiries may always  come to me , and thank you so much.  Tomorrow I will be setting up a temporary studio at Spa Fine Art and painting all afternoon and evening. I plan to work on pieces similar to this one, using photos I shot at the track today. Which means I need to start editing photos, like, 10 minutes ago. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Warmly, Kim  

"Captain America," Toy #18, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite. This painting features a tiny metal superhero figurine, fascinatingly articulated and detailed. I have absolutely no idea where he came from or who he was made by. His painting is $75, including shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . SOLD (thank you!) From My Satellite Office in NY I spent the last week painting ahead with the grande scheme of scheduling all my newsletters and blog posts to automatically distribute themselves while I was traveling. Great idea on paper, but there wasn't enough hours in the day to make it happen! I've been traveling the last two days - drove to outside Toronto on Tuesday to spend time with Linda Shantz (we reminesced about our trip to the Kentucky Derby, played with her horses, and collaborated on a new painting), then drove across Canada and New York yesterday, arriving in Saratoga last night (where I enjoyed a fa...

"Baby Boo Magic," Toy #17, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite. This painting features a pepto bismol pink unicorn with a glittery purple horn. This piece is $75, including shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . You might say I am obsessed with unicorns. I've painted and drawn quite a few of them this year (you can see/order prints/notecards/cell phone cases/bedding/tote bags featuring them here , here , here (and this one's for sale!) , here , and here ). I've adopted the unicorn as my totem animal, at least for the time being. I relate particularly well to the specific qualities of unicorns - historically, one didn't see unicorns, nor did they come to help, unless one believed and was truly in need.  I have a dear friend who told me (when I was mourning the loss of loved ones) "When you can't believe you'll get through this, I'll believe it for you." It was at that moment sh...

"On the Turf I," 6" x 8", acrylics on museum quality panel, starring a chestnut Thoroughbred race horse and jockey in full stride. This piece is $329 (which includes s&h inside the US). Inquiries may always  come to me , and thank you so much.  Running with an idea. Last week I got the idea to paint individual running horses on small panels. Things got a little crazier when that idea grew into a double diptych, "Tail Lights ." And yet I still very much wanted to paint these little guys at an individual level. And so I have!  Above is the first of a new series** where I will study propulsion and power and balance inside the horses' stride. I am wasting no time in getting going here - my second piece,  "On the Turf II" is nearly completed, and later this afternoon I will start "On the Dirt." (**Working in a series is a fantastic way to fully explore an idea. It gives the artist multiple op...

"Baby Boo Peanut," Toy #16, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite. The designers at TY are brilliant - first they brought us Beanie Babies, then Webkinz, and now Baby Boos. I love the huge eyes and the stuffie's proportions - makes for a fun subject to paint! This piece is $75, including shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . SOLD (THANK YOU!) The Princess cleaned her room. And I got a bag of props.  Makes me sad that she is no longer playing with stuffed animals and toys. Well, perhaps sad isn't the right word - melancholy might be better. She's grown up now, giving me her hand me downs for the studio. At least I can still entice her in here every so often for journaling and listening to music. It's going to be hard when she starts high school this fall. I think it might be harder than her first day of Kindergarten. Perhaps I will secretly tuck a naked Barbie and a love letter from her Mommie int...

"Saratoga, August," 9" x 12", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting three campaigners getting hosed down on their return to the barns after racing. How I LOVE to stand along the rail and watch the rainbows from the mist as the horses walk by, glistening wet and reflecting all sorts of color themselves. This piece is $549 (which includes s&h inside the US). In process images are here  and inquiries may  come to me .  Horse Racing is On My Mind..... Next week I head east for my annual trek to the magical town of Saratoga Springs, New York. This year three other artists will be journeying in the same direction (from Tennessee, Connecticut, and New York). We all will convene around the kitchen table Thursday evening with ice cream spoons and wine glasses. Friday morning it'll be to the track for early morning workouts, then into town for coffee and pastries at Mrs Londons , then perhaps a trip out to Old Friends (a Thoroughbred r...

"Finger Puppet I," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, painted from the army of finger puppet guardians that watch over my studio entryway. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . Another Year Older But am I wiser? that is the bigger question. (Today is my birthday) This year included soul searching and digging deep as I worked on making sense of the losses and heartache encountered in the previous 18 months. I have not figured it out, nor have I gotten one inch closer to understanding much other than teenagers and their mood swings (secret - it's all about full bellies, because, seriously, people, hangry (hungry+angry) can be dangerous). But I am learning to step towards what terrifies me the most (like my baby being in high school), to trust in the universe (there HAS to be a bigger reason we have a curtain and wallpaper eating cat in our household), and to linger more ful...

"Super Miracle Bubbles," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, painted from a fabulously shaped bottle of bubbles. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . Resonance I'm feeling very satisfied - this series of toy paintings that I started, primarily to help myself work through some specific lighting and visual challenges, is resonating well with my collectors and fans.  Despite the fact that I'm NOT painting dogs or animals, at least not in the traditional or historical sense that this blog has featured, you have been very enthusiastic about these pieces. Commenting via emails, messages, Facebook - I'm trying to respond to each one personally as time allows. Thank you for your enthusiasm! And they are selling well - sales are validation that what I'm looking at and thinking about in the studio is resonating with the real world. I'm hovering around a 50% sales rate. The...

"Push Puppet Puppy," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring a push puppet snagged from the dollar bin at Target a few years back. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . Love this toy. Love it. Didn't love it while I was painting, though. With a 1" wide brush on a 6" wide canvas. This puppy needs to be larger, so that I could do justice to the little jointed legs and those sweet button feet. Which is part of the pros in working like this, with a series of paintings and parameters. I learn what can and can't be done, and how to re-frame those "can't's" so that they are "can"s. Consider this idea filed away for another day. Meanwhile, I allowed myself a smaller brush so as to clean this little guy up better. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The...

"Pup + Penny," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring a Fisher Price Little People dog. And a shiny penny. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . SOLD (THANK YOU!). Reflected Color Something you see in life, but not always in photographs. See that smidge of copper in the dog's body? it's the reflection of the penny. And the green edge of his body? that's light bouncing off the green paper, light that has absorbed the color of the object it's bouncing off. And the shadow, how it's bluer near the dog's body? that's because the body's shadowed darkness is reflected into the shadow itself.  Set some objects up and see if you can't see similar effects. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album

"Tail Lights," (4) (yes, you read that correctly) 6" x 8" panels, when, placed side by side, depict an entire field of race horses, overall painting size 24" x 8". I have photoshopped black lines in between so that you can see how the design breaks across the panels. This is acrylics on museum quality panels, priced at $1199 (all 4 panels come together). In process images are here and inquiries may  come to me .  My Saratoga gallery asked for some pieces around 8" x 10" or smaller and I got the seemingly-brilliant-at-the-time idea to create a series of horse butt racing scenes, all individual. So I set my easel up with four, planning to attack the first batch all at once. And then that seemingly-brilliant-at-the-time idea blossomed into something entirely different. What if instead I painted an entire field of horses, running away from the viewer, but stretched them artistically across the four panels? I would end u...

"Ball Hog (Harley)," 9" x 12," acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting a very lucky mixed breed dog. This painting has a home, but I could possibly create something similar starring your dog, so  please inquire .  A Surprise A's family had been hounding her for a dog for a very, very long time. And I bet you can tell already where this story is going - she resisted, also for a very, very long time. And then this Momma dog was rescued - she had a litter of brand new pups under a mattress in Detroit, during one of the coldest winters we've known. And this Momma dog and her puppies ended up in foster care with one of A's friends. You know where this is going right? It goes without saying - one of the puppies won over A's heart, and that of her family, too. Meet Harley. A lucky girl to have had her life turned around from an unlikely and frozen beginning. She spent last week vacationing with A's fami...

"Headstrong," 10" x 12," acrylics on a museum quality canvas, depicting a post parade pairing from Saratoga Race Track in upstate New York. This painting is $599, with free s&h to your door (inside the US). Please inquire . And take a peek at the in process photos which are here . At the end of this month I am heading to Saratoga for my annual visit. A group of equine artists and dear friends gather together for a long weekend of gallery visits, shop talk, pastries (mmm, Mrs Londons !), ice cream and wine, good belly laughs, and all things equine. One of our special pleasures is seeing horses being bad. Perhaps we are a little juvenile in that regard, but we take great pleasure in following their antics. And when we are able to capture the troublemakers on film (or, err, digitally, as in my case), we are especially pleased. Once I happened to be on the rail when Johnny V (the Kentucky Derby winning jockey on Animal Kingdom that y...

"Pongo (Toy #11)," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring the inimitable Pongo from 101 Dalmations. I believe this figurine was from a fast food meal of some sort, but the distinguishing marks are worn off. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . What Was Your Favorite Toy?  Inquiring minds want to know! Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album

"Little People Puppy (Toy #10)," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring a spunky little spaniel with jointed legs made by Fisher Price This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . I didn't play with this particular version of Little People toys, but I find them very sentimental never the less. They are well designed and charming. I tried to figure out what year Fisher Price made these particular jointed toys which I own (via ebay - I have circus characters too!), but got distracted learning about the history of Little People in general. They have seemingly been around for 50+ years! The Little People barn was a HUGE part of my childhood. The barn doors opened with a "mooooo," but in my head I heard welcoming nickers. Those horses and chickens were real. The brown and orange shag carpeting of my parent's family room became lush rolling pastures of green, and the Little People...

"Barbie I (Toy #9)," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, inspired by one of those Barbie mannequin heads designed for little ones to refine their ever critical ponytail and eyeshadow skills. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . SOLD (THANK YOU!) I'm Getting Good at Juggling Painting daily toys. Working on new paintings for galleries. Coordinating projects with a few new collectors. Continuing studies/ideas discovered in Stanka Kordic and Lisa Kennedy 's workshops earlier this year. Learning bookbinding and journaling skills with Ingrid Dijkers (one week left!). Sparking creativity during a year long class with Carla Sonheim and Lynn Whipple . Structuring a website revamp. Building my post-Kentucky Derby marketing plans. And these are just a few of what I juggle when I'm wearing my artist-hat. Good thing the juggling superpower comes in handy when wearing my mom-hat...

"Wonder Woman II (Toy #8)," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, a portrait of my favorite super hero. This piece is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . SOLD (TY!) Back to Work.... Yes, it was a holiday weekend, and there was plenty of relaxing, a little yard work, and some fabulous meals.  I also took advantage of down time, too, to get some work done in two workshops I'm taking concurrently - Ingrid Dijker's Rooted Woman journaling group  and Carla Sonheim and Lynn Whipple's Year of the Spark . I've been uploading photos of my classwork to albums inside the links above, if you are interested in seeing what I've been creating. This week brings about more toy paintings, of course, and some pieces destined for  Spa Fine Art , my gallery in Saratoga NY. Which I will be visiting, by the way, on August 1st, to do a live paint .  Mark your calendars so that you can stop on in to say hello! ...

"Buzz Lightyear (Toy #7)," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, a portrait/still life depicting another Buzz Lightyear (also a veteran of my Salvation Army!). This smiley little painting is $75 and includes s&h inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . This holiday snuck up on me, but I do hope that there's birthday cake and/or fireworks in everyone else's plans for the next couple days!  I'll find a couple hours each day for studio tasks - another joy of being self employed is that the work doesn't get done unless I am buckling down! But I'm looking forward to getting byte sized work things accomplished, and then getting some serious relaxing going on too!! Meanwhile, if you are considering pre-purchasing a toy painting,  let me know via email   Indicate in the body of your message which toy # you would like, choosing from #8 all the way up to #100. I'll confirm the painting is yours, and we will coordin...

"Cookie Monster (Toy #6)," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, a portrait/still life depicting another refugee from the stuffed animal bin at the Salvation Army, a little bean bag Cookie Monster. Your favorite cookie fiend (and, supposedly, veggie lover too!) is $75 and includes s&h inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . SOLD (TY!) Blue Times...... I had a mess of Eeyore blues on my palette still, so it seemed like Cookie Monster should be next in line.  Can't tell you how much fun it is, digging through my toy bin and pulling out candidates!! And I've painted myself a little ahead (Cookie Monster got painted on Wednesday) because of some other commitments and field trips that will take me out of the studio for a couple days. If you are considering pre-purchasing a toy painting,  send me an email , indicating in the body of your message which toy # you would like, choosing from #6 to #100. I'll confirm that painting...

"Eeyore II (Toy #5)," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, another portrait (or is it a still life?) depicting Disney's Eeyore, salvaged from the stuffed animals bin at the Salvation Army (4 stuffies for a dollar, people!). This painting is $75 and includes s&h inside the US. How can you NOT love the grumpiest of grumps? Bring him home,  and then, I dare you to smile and be joyful around him! SOLD (THANK YOU!) It's Official----- I talked about the "100 Paintings" commitment a couple days ago, and was musing the added benefit of jumping on board the challenge myself. And the more I thought about it, the more sense it made.   I want to improve my ability to paint from life and to build still life setups here in the studio. Doing this in small bites, 100 of them to be exact, seems to be the perfect solution. Plus factor in the bins of toys I have been hoarding (I can't say no to an unloved toy) and I have plen...