Paintings With Soul

"Powder Express," 16" x 20", acrylics on museum quality panel. Yes, this is another painting starring Nita, who we've already established as one of my favorite muses. I took a lot of in process photos, and they are here , for those interested. Lots of thanks to Team Husar Wildlife Photography for permission to paint from their photos. And I do believe that when this piece sells (hint hint!), Ms Nita has earned herself a shipment of dog toys - I'll put Finnigan right on that! This painting, including s&h inside the US, is $1499. Please send inquiries  to me . (Psst - now is the perfect time to start planning for holiday portraits - don't wait, because my calendar fills up FAST!) Letting Go There was a point in this painting where I could have chosen to paint every single clump and flake of snow, and every single ripple of feathers. And I did spend some time considering how to get a perfectly smooth, perfectly blue sky....

"Sun Goddess," 14" x 18", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting Nita, one of my favorite muses. If any dog wears their heart on their sleeve (and Golden Retrievers tend to do that), it's this one!! In process photos are here , for those interested. And I would be remiss not to give props to Team Husar Wildlife Photography for permission to paint from their photos (I look forward to sharing Chicago with you soon, LH!) The Sun Goddess is shortly heading south to her new home (a very warm welcome and lots of thanks to my new collector). Meanwhile, I am now accepting a limited number of special projects like this one. Please send inquiries  to me .  Order reproductions/totes/smartphone cases/household items here.  You know I love color, and this composition was perfect for me to revel in it. Pure, unapologetic color. This piece started out Saturday as a very rough, bright layer , and I worked through the first 90% of it wit...

"Lorek Byrnison," Toy #23, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, depicting a Schleich polar bear figurine I've dubbed Lorek, after the polar bear-ish character in The Golden Compass (book). This painting is $75, including shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . My Fantasy World I absolutely adore reading, almost as much as I love painting. As a result, my head is full of lively characters, all personalities I bonded with during some marvelous adventure. And it may sound strange, but I consider them friends and confidantes, and do carry on conversations with them in my head. It's quite a party in there on any given day. I guess a true reader will understand. So Lorek Byrnison is just such a character. He hails from Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials . He honors promises and values true friendship. He embraces who he is and loves purely. And, to me, he became an emblem of almost religious proportions: m...

"Kit," 8" x 10", acrylics on museum quality panel, a commissioned pet portrait of a tri-colored long haired Chihuahua. Kit's painting has a home (thank you so very much!), however do not despair - I am now accepting a limited number of special projects like this one. Please send inquiries  to me .  I know, I know. I've been painting a lot of things other than dogs. And dogs are what the majority of you readers know me for and want to see. But here's the thing - I love painting them just as much as I did before, they just aren't getting to the easel as often. Because I want to learn better handling of lights and darks, and focus on manipulating edges - both things that aren't always possible when working from photos on a specific likeness. So yes, I'm mixing it up a bit. Working on the  100 Toys series and doing more totem paintings , spending a lot of time journaling and sketching and reading and thinking and...

"Pooh Bear IV," Toy #22, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, depicting a tiny plastic Disney Pooh (with a smidge of velcro on his back - he must have been part of a game). This painting is $75, including shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . SOLD (Thank you SO much!) Sing Along With Me   Winnie the Pooh Winnie the Pooh He's a tubby little cubby  all stuffed with fluff..... There's a reason he keeps showing up on my easel. Thinking I may also need to re-read The Tao of Pooh .  Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album

"Dont-Give-A-Care Bear," 16" x 20", mixed media on museum quality panel, a continuation of my  Year of the Spark  studies. At first I thought I could part with this one, but really, I can't. So, next best thing, it is uploaded on  FineArtAmerica . I think Bear is a fine companion to  Under a Van Gogh Sk y, and together they would look fantastic in a playroom. Inquiries can always  come to me , and thank you so much.  I thought the  Year of the Spark  class would renew my passion for painting. I never expected it to push me into entirely new directions. And yet, here I am, creating work I'd not even imagined a few short weeks ago.   These "totem paintings" (so named because the central figure seems imbued with a symbolic presence) were seedlings in the winter, with contours done on clear plastic layered overtop other drawings. A dialogue started between the objects and stories formed that stretched beyond the ...

We've watched the Kentucky Derby for years. And for many of us, attending The Kentucky Derby is a bucket list item. I knew one day I'd make it to the grounds of Churchill Downs, but never thought it would be on Derby Day as a special guest in my capacity as The Official Artist of The Kentucky Derby.   So it goes to reason that watching from our seats at the finish line was pretty emotional.  I grew up painting, of course, but I also grew up watching horse racing with my Grandfather. The best part of the springtime classics was comparing notes and debating our picks (and scouring newspapers for grainy photos of horses in training to sketch). He always chose the Arkansas Derby winner, and I went for the underdog, the gray, or the filly. And there was always art inspired by the pagentry. After Grandpa passed away in 2010 navigating Derby Week felt hollow. But this year, things were different. I wasn't just another horse racin...

"Under a Van Gogh Sky," 16" x 20", mixed media on museum quality panel, an assignment from the online class I'm taking, Year of the Spark . This piece is not for sale (I've gotta keep it!), but I have uploaded it to FineArtAmerica so that if you are in love with it too, you can have a print (or a cell phone case or a tote bag or a duvet cover or a shower curtain or a pillow or a tshirt) . Inquiries can always  come to me , and thank you so much.  Busy Work Every job has it, right? yes, even mine. Today was spent tidying up, doing paperwork for a couple show entries, building a box for another piece heading out to a show, prepping a lesson plan for next week's grownUPs journaling class , and trying to clear off my desk. After some progress was made on the above, I pulled out the homework for Year of the Spark , and rewarded myself with some serious one-on-one unicorn time. The assignment was to work large, starting wi...

"Gordon and Susan," Toy #21, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite. Remember these two from Sesame Street? I loved their calm, loving characters. They always brought me peace. This painting is $75, including shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . I'm dating myself, but I grew up with this show. As the oldest of 5, I had lots of opportunities to continue to enjoy it beyond my preschool years. And I didn't mind it a bit - the personalities, whether muppet or human, were loved like family. So when I found Gordon and Susan's characters as Fisher Price Little People figurines, I had to have them. Even though I never played with these specific toys, the memories the figures stirred up were still there. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album

"T Rex," Toy #19, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite. This painting features a Schleich plastic dinosaur, freshly grown in our Dinosaur Garden. This painting is $75, including shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . SOLD (THANK YOU!) Yes, you read that right. We have a dinosaur garden. It's a perennial one, self sows/reseeds every year underneath some giant hostas and magical foxgloves. It is home to Grandpa Toad (he's a very happy, very large toad) and his descendants, along with a collection of tiny dinosaurs and dragons that co-exist quite nicely. Kids always ask where we got our dinosaur garden. But it came with our house, so I'm not sure where to tell them to get one of their own. But I have heard, if you make a comfy dinosaur nest, you might entice one to move in and start up his/her own commune. Please note, there is a difference between making a dinosaur nest and a warm bed for feral cats. Make sure...

I'm always painting, or so it seems! The following paintings are recently available for purchase directly from my studio. These original works, unless noted, are acrylic on museum quality panel. All prices include s&h within the US. (A more comprehensive list of unsold originals can be seen here ) BONUS - Multiple paintings can typically be shipped together, returning collectors receive 10% off purchases (excluding paintings on paper or masonite), and I do accept payment plans (6 month plan with art shipped upon completion of payments).  Thanks so much for your interest in my artwork!  Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com "Domino," 7-1/2" x 12", $449. Inquire directly to me . "Bouquet IV," one of several floral paintings available, each created under the instruction of Lisa Daria Kennedy , 6" x 6", acrylics on masonite, $75. Inquire directly to me . You can view...

You can download the file   directly from my website . I've set up a couple different ways to do this, either via the photo album or a direct link. I am not an expert on operating systems, so if you don't know how to change your desktop wallpaper, please don't email me - I will indubitably steer you wrong. Your computer's help files will be more concise, more knowledgeable and more responsive than I could ever hope to be.  I've sized this to fit a standard screen height of 768 - I realize there are lots of variables that could impact how the file displays on your screen. Let me know if, once you get the file installed, there are display quality issues (keep in mind, too, that options such as "stretching to fit," "tiling" and "cropping" will impact your display, so check those first!). Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork,   Kim

"Cowboy's Ride," Toy #19, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite. This painting features a small plastic horse - perhaps from some sort of game? He bears no stamp or manufacture's id. His painting is $75, including shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . The Party's Over.... Re-entry is tough. I came home last night, and started on laundry and other neglected tasks (like email!). By midday today, suitcases were unpacked and all put away. Sigh.  Already looking forward to next year! And figuring out when I can sit and edit my photos from New York. And what sorts of paintings they will inspire. And also thinking about September, and Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days pledge . Care to join us? Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album