Skip to main content

A Busy Week

Above, a stack of commissioned portraits ready to ship to Bozzuto Greene Art near Baltimore.

Typically this newsletter is about showcasing my artwork while I talk about the process of creating. That's the best part of my job, getting to make the imagery that resonates with so many of you. But that's not all that I do. There is this romanticized version of how artists live their lives that I sometimes need to dispel. Because as much as I'd like it to be all about long lunches in sidewalk cafes and late nights discussing the merits of what I create with like minds, it's a bit grittier and tedious. Here's what my last week looked like:
  • one exhibition opening, for which I baked lovely tahini caramel brownies 
  • 6 hours of teaching/instruction done in person and via Facetime with students as far flung as Switzerland (yes, I offer long-distance mentoring)
  • varnishing, framing, wrapping and shipping 7 paintings to 2 galleries and 2 paintings to 2 collectors
  • contract review, marketing/PR planning, inventorying, and beginning the varnishing/framing/wrapping process on 18 paintings for my upcoming solo show
  • two lovely critique sessions with two equally lovely groups of women (because work's gotta be eyeballed by fresh peepers before I hang a show or send inventory to a gallery)
  • building content and writing a proposal for a new 1 day workshop near Chicago this fall
  • communicating with three new clients on commissioned portraits, reviewing photographs and building compositions for 6 new paintings
  • coordinating representation details with a new-to-me gallery space, and prepping 4 paintings to ship their way next week (I am very excited to share this new partnership with you!)
  • researched travel options for spring workshop in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (there's also one in Saginaw, Michigan this October and rumors of one in Lexington, Kentucky in August)
  • photographed and archived a dozen paintings (I can't believe there are 16 Medicine Hat paintings already done this year!)
  • paid bills, cleaned out my email box, responded to a variety of phone calls, ordered art supplies, mixed up fresh batches of mediums/varnishes, cleared paperwork off my desk
  • spent a whopping 5 hours at the easel
That's right. In a work week that has been well over 60 hours, only 5 of them were spent actively creating. It is always skewed, the business management time vs the painting time, but this week in particular was very unbalanced. And I imagine that may continue next week - although I am itching to paint so so badly. My brain feels fuzzy and clunky and crabby when I don't, and it's all of this right now.
Thanks, as always, for following along with my art journey,
Warmly, Kim

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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
“Rapt (Shadow),” from the Larger than Life series, 16”x22”, acrylic black lab mixed breed pet portrait on gallery wrapped canvas, $699. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. This is Shadow, who went missing on Sunday night. He belongs to a friend of mine, and has been a fixture in our community for many years. Errant fireworks scared the silly old guy into running off, and his family is busy searching for him. (If you happen to be in the Lake Orion/Oakland County area and have seen Shadow, please call 248-391-0867 or 248-391-6817) I’m confidant that he is safe (somewhere!) and awaiting discovery, but meanwhile, couldn’t help myself from posting his portrait as today’s dog a day painting . He’s constantly on my mind, and probably will remain so, until he finds his way back home. Hug your four legged guys while you can! Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with friends and family, Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/ dis

NEW! Etsy Store

One of my favorite unsold paintings from 2008, "Lashes & Corkscrews," 5" x 8", acrylic on canvasboard, depicting a tobiano buckskin curly horse, $289. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com (but read further on how you can get a special deal on this painting!). Now it's ridiculously easy to browse my painting archives. All you have to do is visit my Etsy store . Etsy has a Shopping Cart (so you can pile it high with purchases from a variety of artists), is integrated with Paypal (although you may still pay by check if you prefer to), and is terribly simple to navigate. When the week has ended, I will have listed almost 100 of my favorite (UNSOLD!) paintings here, grouped loosely by subject matter. During 2009 I'll update the shop regularly, and add non-Dog-a-Day pieces as a bonus, thus making it easy to search for that perfect gift. Watch my daily postings for announcements, promotions and discount codes. If you do not receive the Dog-a-Day emails (