Paintings With Soul

"Maimie (Daydream 45)," 20x30x1-1/2", gallery wrapped extra deep canvas, acrylics and graphite, image painted/extended around wrap so no need to frame, $1299 plus s&h. Returning collectors receive 10% off. I accept paypel, venmo and payment plans. Inquiries may always come  to me . Maimie was my great-grandmother. When she could no longer care for herself, she moved into the basement of my grandmother's home. One of my favorite parts of visiting my grandmother was the added 2-for-1 part - I got double the love within each visit. Every day I write a list of 10 things I want to remember in my journal. Usually they are things encountered inside the last 24 hours. But today I am making an exception. Some of my favorite memories of Maimie: 1. She always had a canary. When her last one died, she was gifted a music box - a bamboo bird cage with a tiny bird on a swing. How I loved getting permission to turn the birdsong on. 2. We had a standing date with 

"Hedgie," 6x6x1-1/2", gallery wrapped extra deep canvas, acrylics, image painted/extended around wrap so no need to frame. This original painting is extra deep, and will sit upright on it's own (see photo below). $224 plus $20 s&h. Returning collectors receive 10% off. I accept paypel, venmo and payment plans. Inquiries may always come  to me . While I may forever best be known as the creator of "Painting a Dog a Day," the  daily pet portrait blog   and personal challenge I started in 2006, I actually paint all sorts of animals. Hedgehogs included. And while I have mostly shared other sorts of paintings the past few years (figurative   Sirens , equine and rabbit   Echos , and abstract   Daydreams ), I continue to do pet portraits quietly in the background. I have a few beautiful little panels like Hedgie's residual from another project, and they need sweet little faces. So I'm putting out the call - there are (5) 6x6s (one is 1-1

"All Ears," 8x10x1/2", gallery wrapped canvas, acrylics and graphite, image painted/extended around wrap so no need to frame. $299 plus $20 s&h. Returning collectors receive 10% off. I accept paypel, venmo and payment plans. Inquiries may always come  to me . So yesterday I had great things in mind for my easel time. None of them manifested. It was one disaster after another. I figured out why (great plans but very little actual planning while also forcing in process pieces to be something they weren't destined to become). And then I tried to salvage what was left of my afternoon and evening by painting something palatable. A fun painting. Inside my comfort zone. Something cleansing, that would reset my energy levels and ready me to return to the studio with joy as opposed to dread. So what's more fun than a chick wearing bunny slippers? A chick wearing bunny slippers with bunny ears, too, of course! Thanks, as always, for following along with

"Billie (Songbird #6)," 8x8x3/4 cradeled panel, acrylics and graphite, no need to frame, varnished and ready to fly into your home. $279 plus $20 s&h. Returning collectors receive 10% off. I accept paypel, venmo and payment plans. Inquiries may always come  to me . All the Songbirds are  here . And yes, I will combine shipping. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork journey, Warmly, Kim

"Taylor (Songbird #5)," 8x8x3/4 cradeled panel, acrylics and graphite, no need to frame, varnished and ready to fly into your home. $279 plus $20 s&h. Returning collectors receive 10% off. I accept paypel, venmo and payment plans. Inquiries may always come   to me . The new daydream piece I started recently, intending to add birds in some fashion to it, actually   looks like a flower unfolding . My initial concept was a flock of birds taking shelter in a leafless shrub, and it evolved into the birth of something otherworldly and beautiful. Art is so darned cool, how it plays out. Most of the time. Meanwhile, if you are interested in seeing all the pieces inside the Songbird series, peek   here . And yes, I will combine shipping. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork journey, Warmly, Kim

"Tidal (Daydream 42)," 36" x 48" x 2", acrylics, graphite and canvas collaged on gallery wrap canvas, no need to frame. $2799 plus s&h. Returning collectors receive 10% off. I accept paypel, venmo and payment plans. Inquiries may always come  to me . I believe this is an important painting (from my body of work to date). She's been done for a couple weeks, and I still feel that way, which doesn't always happen after the adrenaline rush of signing a piece. There's something here I can't quite define - or maybe I simply can't see it yet, but most definitely can feel it - persistence, honesty, faith? Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork journey, Warmly, Kim

At left, "Arianna (Songbird 4)," and at right "Tina (Songbird #1)," each 8x8x3/4 cradeled panel, acrylics and graphite, no need to frame, varnished and ready to fly into your home. $279 plus $20 s&h. Returning collectors receive 10% off. I accept paypel, venmo and payment plans. Inquiries may always come  to me . I'm thinking of these birds, now, and how they might relate to other paintings. Using the bird as an entry point for a painting, inviting the you into the dream itself.  Or perhaps she becomes the presence that brings you back from your dream, back to reality but pleasantly changed from the experience. Regardless, these little gems are evolving into something of their own while simultaneously inspiring and contributing to future ideas. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork journey, Warmly, Kim

At left, "Barbra (Songbird #2)," and at right "Judy (Songbird #3)," each 8x8x3/4 cradeled panel, acrylics and graphite, no need to frame, varnished and ready to fly into your home. $279 plus $20 s&h. I accept paypel, venmo and payment plans. Inquiries may always come  to me . Painter   Stanka Kordic   has encouraged me to play with physical dimension and non-traditional brush marks. I thought I would start to practice this with some little songbirds, all puffed up and staying warm for the winter, like me in my five layers today. There's a good amount of texture in here but not as much as I think Stanka was pushing me to do - baby steps, right? And I've pulled out some unconventional tools to paint with; I'm auditioning combinations of different ones with each painting. It's actually fun, seeing what sorts of marks happen under these circumstances, and seeing these little birds emerge with so much personality. And then, when I was

"Specimen 25," 12x12x1 cradeled panel, acrylics and graphite, image painted around the sides so no need to frame, varnished and ready to fly into your home. $449 plus $20 s&h. I accept paypel, venmo and payment plans. Inquiries may always come   to me . Here is another butterfly-in-flight inspired original painting. There is such an infinite variety to their wing shapes, patterning, and bodies. I may never run out of subject matter! Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork journey, Warmly, Kim

"Specimen 26," 12x12x1 cradeled panel, acrylics and graphite, image painted around the sides so no need to frame, varnished and ready to fly into your home. $449 plus $20 s&h. I accept paypel, venmo and payment plans. Inquiries may always come  to me . I'm trying to start out the New Year by finishing a number of pieces that have been lingering in the studio. This is one of them, something I started in December that didn't get the adequate easel time she deserved until recently. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork journey, Warmly, Kim

Happy New Year!! (They don't look like this anymore - it didn't take long for me to get paint on them, like the majority of my wardrobe) Studio News, January 2020 If you are reading this, you made it through the holidays, one of the most stressful times of the year. Congratulations on surviving and getting a start on the new decade. How weird is that? We've got a new decade on our hands. I don't remember 2010 being that big of a deal, but I was pretty engrossed in raising my kids then, and social media was much quieter, too. As someone who's never watched a whole lot of television and currently limits their online time, I rather prefer things on the quieter side. I have enough voices already in my head, lol! So here we are, feeling even more pressure because it's the start of a new year and a new decade, to make resolutions and throw out those habits that don't serve us well. I'm going to tell you something, though - each day is a n

Above "Specimen 23," below, "Specimen 24."  Each painting is a 6x6 flat panel, done in acrylics and graphite, varnished and ready for display in your home. $99 plus s&h each (yes, I will combine s&h). I accept paypel, venmo and payment plans. Inquiries may always come  to me . I reorganized my painting storage today, which is another way of saying that I cleaned out the basement. 4,000 steps, all on stairs, all with my arms loaded. I'm gonna be sore tomorrow!! Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork journey, Warmly, Kim

"Bonded (Daydream 44)," 12" x 12" x 1", acrylics, graphite and pastel on museum quality cradeled panel, image painted around the side and completely varnished (no need to frame), $459 plus s&h. Inquiries may always come  to me . My 2nd grade teacher told me, in no uncertain tone, I could not make a living daydreaming. But I sure did love letting my brain wander someplace far, far away from the blackboard. FUN FACT: I learned over the weekend that our brains naturally gravitate towards thoughts we find the most interesting. Sort of like when one is caught in a not-terribly-interesting exchange at a party, and overhears a snippet of another conversation; we tune out on what's in front of us and try to follow along with the far more fascinating ideas. It's a subconscious reaction that we might not even be aware of. I tried some new techniques in this one (putting to use all the how-to books I read and videos I watched over the last mont

"Specimen 20," 4" x 6", acrylics on watercolor paper, $50 plus $4.95 s&h. Inquiries may always come  to me . SOLD (TY KL!) This is one of 5 little butterfly sketches, acrylics on watercolor paper, 4" x 6". This one is available now, to the first asking nicely. The others will be available next week through   The Art of Custom Framing's exhibition "Postcards for Patricia,"   which opens January 9th. I am lucky to call  Patricia Riascos  a friend. A number of years ago she was diagnosed with ALS. As her disease has progressed, Pat has continued to inspire and paint, adapting her practice but never compromising her passion. She  even wrote a remarkable book  about living graciously. The exhibition "Postcards for Patricia" is an ALS fundraiser, a way for Pat's community of friends and fans to give a little back in honor of someone who's never stopped giving herself. Michigan artists were invited to crea