Paintings With Soul

"Pressed Flower (Siren #73), 18" x 24", acrylics on panel, $799 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. (There is a wee bit of glare from the studio lighting on the left side of the painting) I accept Paypal, Venmo, personal checks and payment plans. Inquiries may come   to me . There's not been much paint getting moved about the last couple weeks. I've been too busy varnishing, framing, wiring, packing and shipping paintings. At the end of tomorrow, I will have sent 30 pieces out into the world inside the last 12 days. I am so ready to return to playing with color and birthing new works. Today was an unexpected gift - in between working with students, I got a little time at my own easel. And would you look who at showed up - a delightful, delicate presence. I think she's Joy. Maybe she's Hope. It doesn't really matter who she is, though, because she is perfectly preserved in paint, so that I can figure out her identity in my own sweet time...

Detail of Siren #41, "The Day My Heart Exploded," full painting is 24" square, acrylics on panel. Not currently for sale, but inquiries are always welcome. Please send them directly   to me . This painting is a self portrait - while the likeness is not mine the emotional state most definitely is. This morning there was yet another school shooting. I cannot understand why our children are killing each other.  This siren came from my gut. There's others still in there. I imagine they will show up in the coming days. May your children all come home safely tonite.

She who wonders is never lost (Siren #31), 24" x 48", acrylics on panel, $1499 plus s&h. Inquiries may come  to me . Today was a gray and drizzley day, which made photographing her all the more challenging. I will have to have another go at it when the sun decides to show herself. Thanks for following along with my art!

Fossilized (Siren #17)," 24" x 30" x 1-1/2", acrylics on cradeled panel (image painted around sides), $999 plus s&h. Inquiries may come   to me . Somedays the news makes me feel as though humanity has lost every shred of compassion. Yesterday was one of those days. To say that my heart is breaking doesn't even cover the depth of sorrow I feel for our world and, particularly, for our children. Fossilized is my attempt to paint through the senselessness. Because painting is how I cope when the world seems heavy and cruel. Wishing you peace.

Ok, so I THOUGHT she was done, but now that I'm looking at her on screen, I see some things to adjust. Here is "Siren #15," 16" x 20", acrylics on panel, when finished this one will be $679 to the first asking nicely. Inquiries may come   to me . It was a rough day in the studio - started out wonderfully with   Vianna Szabo , who brought warm pastries over. But afterwards I could not find my groove. Ruined one painting completely, pushed another a decent ways towards it's death, and it looked like this fair lady was heading in the same direction. I persisted, got some good marks on this one and things started looking up.  And I thought she was done. But now that I'm looking at her, I'm no longer certain. Good thing tomorrow will be a new day!

"Tragic," a Siren painting, 24" x 48", acrylics on panel, $1499 to the first asking nicely. Inquiries may come   to me . I used color to work through my tears today. I have no words. There are none. But there's so many feels. < > Wishing love, peace and strength to all who are hurting, today and always. I see you.

"Leap of Faith," a Siren painting, 24" x 30", acrylics on panel, $699 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. Inquiries may come   to me . The second generation of Sirens (you can see   the first ones here ) has me thinking about the challenges of life. I can't paint these things without first visualizing them, and therein lies the challenge, because we typically cannot "see" an individual's struggle. I've spent lots of time imagining fear, conflict, faith, hope, grace as I jump into these new paintings. I welcome your thoughts - is this one successful? what else would you like to see me tackle? Thanks so very much!

I've been rather obsessively painting these girls, my Sirens, for 4 months now. Collectively, they line my studio walls, keeping me company, chatting away to each other. We have serious conversations about what color compassion is, how deeply would one's feet sink into clouds, and if it is wrong to consume an entire bag of Hostess chocolate donuts in one sitting. I would jump back and forth from painting to painting (there's over 40 of them now), making adjustments and revisions as I discovered, or rather, understood, what needed to be changed. And now it's time to share the first generation of Sirens with you. There's 17 in this round, each distinctively carrying their own message. More remain in my studio, inspiring new girls and continuing our daily chats. They are each pillars of strength, courage, compassion and dignity. Unapologetically feminine and fierce, they live inside us, some more loudly than others, enveloping our own insecurities with th...

(2) in process Siren paintings, each 24" x 48", acrylics on panel Inquiries may come   to me . I'm figuring things out through all sorts of trial and error. My figures must be rooted in the atmosphere of their painting(s). Their movement and gesture are key. Color harmony is all the more elemental given the simplified compositions. Drawn line vs modeled form fascinates me (via the computer you cannot see the delicate drawings woven into the layers of paint). The vertical format highlights the power and strength of these figures. I absolutely love my job.

"Angel I," 20" x 24", acrylics on panel, originally $699, special 12 Days of Christmas pricing $609 plus s&h with holiday delivery inside the US. Inquiries may come   to me . Angels are emerging in the same vein as the Sirens I've been painting. I think that, like the Sirens, these Angels come to those who need them most. They hear us......   Share Tweet Forward Over the next 12 days I'll be sharing some paintings that would make most excellent gifts. These pieces will carry special holiday pricing thru December 15th, 2017. They are one-of-a-kind originals, and once they are gone, they are gone - so please, if you are interested in something, let me know in the timeliest manner possible. Additionally, if you are in southeastern lower Michigan, I'm hosting   a studio Open House in my new space . I've cleaned out my home studio (mostly) of inventory, and there will be lots to see, going ba...

A couple of things came to mind today - one followed from a seemingly callous comment of a stranger on my FB page, calling my recent work "garbage." Further conversation with this individual revealed that they felt my work was "too literal." Ok, "too literal" is far more interesting to ponder than "garbage." As I worked my way through the concept of literal, I began to visualize all the ways - other than symbolically - I could depict things like fragility, feeling inconsequential, immortality, and learning to speak up. Today I embraced one of those approaches - allowing my form to dissolve into the ground. Sort of like she's melting - yet she's still fully present for the moment. Two of the studies I approached in this way are pictured above. I have no end result in mind for these - yet - but I am spending time alone with them, asking myself lots of questions, and listening for answers. How does intensity of color impact my ...

In Process, "A World Away," 24" x 30", acrylics on masonite, not for sale. Inquires may always come to me via  email , though. My daughter dances competitively, and every year they do a production number that features all the dancers on the team and tells a story. And every year I create a painting inspired by their production number, selling reproductions as a fundraiser for the dance studio. This year's number is about a girl's dream, complete with a ringleader, acrobats, cheetahs, butterflies, birds, a wedding, pirates, tribal characters - it's absolutely stunning to watch.  And has been thrilling to paint, too. I still have a ways to go on this one, but I am enjoying every minute! If you are interested in ordering merchandise with this image on it, please shoot me a note , and I'll make certain to send you a direct link when the information becomes available. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantin...

ABOVE, detail of "The Tulip Princess," 24" x 36", from "The Dryad Series," acrylics on gallery stretched canvas, depicting a figure emerging from a tulip garden. BELOW, the full painting. Inquiries may come  to me . I've got 3 more large figurative works in process. I'm experimenting with different sorts of underpaintings, comparing various drawing tools, and building a jungle of growth on canvas. I can't get into the studio quickly enough in the morning, and I fall asleep painting in my head. I'm so very lucky! Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

In process detail from a newly wet painting titled "Grace," 11" x 14", Golden acrylics on an Ampersand Gessobord. This is a portrait of my daughter, inspired by a photo I snapped at her dress rehearsal this last weekend. I'm not sure if this one will be put on the market, but nevertheless, inquiries may come  to me . Please and thank you! She sure didn't get it from me. The Princess's passion is dance. And the last couple weeks have been all about it - between a master class with a cast member from Wicked, attending the show, painting murals on props, pointe shoe fittings, costume fittings and alterations, a makeup clinic, designing face painting for a group number, two full days of rehearsals and a glorious day long dress rehearsal (including run throughs for the face painting and makeup re-dos), it's all we've lived and breathed. And things are about to get real. Her competition season starts this weekend. Mea...