Paintings With Soul

  My New Moon journal page, one of three new streamable journaling sessions now available for free. Back in the day (meaning pre-pandemic) I ran a local journaling group. Our meetings were one of my favorite nights of the month. We all moved our hands (and hearts) together while working in our books. During the pandemic, when gathering in person and sharing art supplies became too risky, Ardith Goodwin and myself began the online   #journalthroughit project . For about 18 months we streamed - for free - journaling lessons designed to heal and guide journalers through the challenging days. Those lessons remain accessible (for as long as Facebook keeps them up!) via my   website . Now it's safer to gather, but many of my previous students remain at risk for various reasons. It's costlier, too, to hold in person classes, and with reduced attendance, well, it seems like it isn't quite the right time to revive my journaling group. However, I deeply miss the connectio...

"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...

From 2005, a gallery stretched painting titled "Wilted (Taco)," a larger than lifesized portrait (24" x 28") of a beefy chihuahua. Before I became a daily painter, I often painted really, really big.  I held onto this little big guy for 9 years, but he's spent the last couple in storage. I think he deserves a new home. Ask nicely , and he can be yours for rollback-to-2005 pricing of $700. I couldn't think of a better piece to end my week of critiques than with Taco. Because sometimes, even if we can't articulate it, a piece comes together and shocks us. These are the special ones, the "ah-ha" paintings, that we take special pride in. So what does work here? I'll tell you: 1. Taco isn't centered, but he's firmly rooted. This guy isn't budging one bit, and the composition is structured to send that message. 2. Look at all the color here, even though he is a (mostly) white dog! The form is modeled ...

Bun, 6" x 8", acrylics on museum quality panel depicting Bun, a little Lionhead bunny who's accomplishing great things (read below), $329 to the first asking nicely. Proceeds from the sale of Bun's portrait (and reproductions and cell phone cases ) will benefit bunny rescue. A call for bunny muses introduced me to this little guy. I was drawn immediately to his velvety color, deep fur and sweet demeanor. Then I got to know his Mom and fell in love with his family and their mission - Bun as the face for responsible pet ownership. You, too, can become a Bun fan here . Here's a little video of the painting in process .  Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS................. It was a shock this summer when I realized how much I've come to love neutral colors. Still working with a limited palette - titanium white, pthalo blu...

Maslo, image approximately 4-1/2" x 5" roughly centered on a 9" x 12" bristol board, depicting an Aussie pup, private collection (THANK YOU!).  I don't offer commissioned sketches any longer, but recently a couple collectors asked nicely. And I simply could not say no, especially when it was to welcome a new puppy into the family and to memorialize a dear friends' dog passing. I forgot how wonderful it feels to sketch, stay loose, and gob the paint on. Oh, and there was some dancing happening, too. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com 

ABOVE, detail of "Ice (Luna III)," BELOW, full version, 12" x 7-3/4", acrylics on a cradeled museum quality panel, the newest installation in The Luna Series, a study of black and white, $499. In process photos here . I don't think this painting is going to last long -  inquiries may come to me . I want to do a few more paintings of Luna, but am far from done with my exploration of black and white. Which means I am casting for additional black and white muses. The ideal muse will have interesting markings and texture along with an expressive face. Nominations may come to me via email  with the subject line "Black and White" - include 2-3 non-flash photos that you have taken where your black and white nominee makes up at least 1/3 of the photo.  PLEASE NOTE: Nominating individuals are under no obligation to purchase resulting artwork. By submitting photos, nominating individual is guaranteeing they are both the photog...