Paintings With Soul

  "...and then she said...," from the "Cherished" series, 7-1/2" x 12", acrylic on museum quality panel, depicting a rottie and shar-pei mix, available for $469 to the first taker.   In process views of this painting are updated on the  studio's Facebook page .    Inquiries can always come  to me! !! And thank you!!     My To Do List For This Week   In addition to painting every day, I wanted to complete the following tasks this week. I'm fairly happy with what I accomplished, given that it technically was only a 4 day work week, and I've still got one day left: Pack paintings for show to hang on Friday. Create signage and other marketing materials Visit new Artists Market and deliver marketing materials Drop paintings at framers Set up database for AirMail Journaling class Process students Email announcement to all students Finalize supplies list for class Proofrea...

    It's nearly impossible to schedule any sort of workshop in the summertime that works with everyone's calendar. There's vacations and sunshine and working parents and travel sports teams and watermelon, and frankly, I can't blame anyone for choosing those sorts of things over taking a class (even though my physical class IS in a toy store).   I still wanted to tailor my offering to somehow flex around everyone's schedule. I spent some time on the back porch, just listening to the birdsong and wondering when life got so darned busy. I got all melancholy recalling the long summer days of my childhood - melty popsicles, the smell of hot pavement, the sting of sprinkler water on sunburned skin, the excitement of the mail's arrival (was there anything for ME?) - and BING - AirMail Journaling was born!   I've had the most fabulous time designing five entirely new lesson plans for this summer's journaling adventure. These...

      It's time to swap out those cows from May for an equally sized (hah!!) St. Bernard. How on earth did it get to be June already? Wow.   To implement June's desktop calendar, simply download the calendar 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 by no means an expert on the variety of operating systems, so I highly recommend that if you don't know how to change your desktop wallpaper, don't email me for advice. Instead consult your computer's help files - they will be more concise, more knowledgeable and more responsive than I could ever hope to be.    June is sized to fit a standard screen height of 768 - I realize there are lots of variables that could impact how this 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 ...

      "Lengthening Her Lead," from the Saratoga Series and fresh off the easel, 5" high by 22" wide. Details of each side are above, with the full view below. Add this painting to your collection for $599.     In process views of this painting have been uploaded to the studio's Facebook page  the last couple days.   Inquiries can always come  to me! !! And thank you!!         Hope everyone has fabulous plans made for the weekend - we'll be spending time at the Dog Bowl in Frankenmuth, Michigan, hanging with family, and getting our veggie garden in.   Special thanks today to the veterans who's own personal sacrifice has enabled the freedoms we enjoy today, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

      Details of the panoramic painting currently on my easel, and also currently untitled. This piece (pictured in it's entirety below) is 5" high by 22" wide. This is a challenging painting to photograph, given it's dimension. Forgive the tiny images!   I have several consults this afternoon and hope to return to the studio later, but just in case, I thought I'd share now, and take the pressure off for later.     In process views of this painting are updated on the studio's Facebook page .   Inquiries can always come  to me! !! And thank you!!         Great news!! I need to replenish my painting inventory at  Spa Fine Art  in Saratoga Springs, New York, and this is my latest candidate.   This one honors  Melissa , who's birthday should have been today. That gray horse in the lead is in her memory, for noone loved grays ...

  "Double Trouble," from the "Cherished" series, 10" square, acrylic on museum quality panel, depicting two partners in crime, available for $539 to the first taker.   In process views of this painting are updated on the  studio's Facebook page .   Inquiries can always come  to me! !! And thank you!!       The Cherished series is shaping up nicely. I'll have to create a space on my website where you can browse all the images, but meanwhile I did add links to the inspiration photos  shared on Facebook.   If you would like to submit your companion animal to the series, send non-flash photos to me. All the details are outlined in  an earlier post  on my blog. And you can see the candidates for the series of paintings on the studio Facebook page inside  the "Cherish" photo album .   Thanks, as always, for supporting and sharing my art with your friend...

  "Tanning Bed," from the "Cherished" series, 4" x 12", acrylic on museum quality panel, depicting two Boxers, available for $329 to the first taker.   In process views of this painting are updated on the studio's Facebook page .   Inquiries can always come  to me! !! And thank you!!       The Cherished series is shaping up nicely. I'll have to create a space on my website where you can browse all the images, but meanwhile I did add links to the inspiration photos  shared on Facebook.   If you would like to submit your companion animal to the series, send non-flash photos to me. All the details are outlined in  an earlier post  on my blog. And you can see the candidates for the series of paintings on the studio Facebook page inside  the "Cherish" photo album .   Thanks, as always, for supporting and sharing my art with your friends and family, Ki...

"Sweet Spot II," 8" x 16", acrylic on museum quality panel, depicting my ever willing model Mona Lisa, available for $529 to the first taker. In process views of this painting are updated on the studio's Facebook page . Inquiries can always come  to me! !! And thank you!! Do you remember  Cleo ? I painted two versions of her last month and reconnected with a favorite exercise from the past - that of working on multiple pieces, different in scale and composition, at the same time. Another Dog a Day fan loved my idea so much, they forwarded it to Daily Paintworks leader (and one of my favorite artists and mentors)  Carol Marine . Carol, in turn, invited me to lead a weekly challenge on the website. What spectacular company to be in, and what an honor to be included. After I picked myself up off the floor and my blood pressure had stabilized, I (hopefully) graciously accepted her invite. Than...

  "Bug (aka Mona Lisa)," 5" x 7", acrylic on museum quality panel, depicting a certain ornery tabby, $289 to the first taker (the painting, not the furry troublemaker).   Inquiries can always come  to me! !! And thank you!!       I always knew she was a starlet!! Even when busted playing in my brush water, she maintains her composure. And looks at me  just like this .   Little Mona Lisa is hitting the big time - watch for a special announcement (completely unrelated to the Cherished project's news) very soon!   And snag up  one of her paintings now,  before she is Hollywood A List-ed and we are mere bothersome papparazzi, sifting through her trash.   Now that I think about, I'm already changing her litterbox. Damn. Curses on these opposable thumbs!   Have a spectacular weekend, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   ...

  A mixed media collaged spread from my journal (detail below), including hand painted papers and ephemera, stamping, tea staining, song lyrics, and personal affirmations. Tonite's journallistas will use ink and watercolors to stain paper scraps, and build cairns/totems of their own.   I teach journalling classes to children and adults year-round, and new students are always welcome. Each class introduces new methods or art concepts, and participants are encouraged to experiment. No previous journalling experience necessary, nor is any particular skill level with art materials/concepts needed.   Ask abou t upcoming classes!! And thank you!!     It was a delightful morning to make a roadtrip. I don't allow myself out of the studio that often (I'm too easily distracted!), so it's an extra special treat when I get out into the real world on occasion. I made the most of the sunshine, singing along to...

"Junebug," 6" x 8", acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting a black and white Gypsy Vanner mare, only $329 to the first one asking nicely. SOLD. Inquiries  to me , please. And thank you in advance! It's an amazing feeling, tough to properly put into words, when life hands me a moment of such perfect beauty, andt I am able to channel from my head through my brushes. Last Saturday my friend Judy and I braved the elements to visit with a dozen Gypsy Vanners, including a fresh little baby girl who entertained us with all sorts of antics as she worked out the kinks in her new legs. You'll get to meet her soon enough. This mare, Junebug, sported a remarkable blaze that brightened half her face, with dense feathering on a nearly black body, and as she ambled over to the fence, the rain beading up on her mane and whiskers, blinking her baby blue eyes at us, I saw a painting. This painting. ...

  "Drip Dry," a favorite painting of mine inspired by a hot day, a delightful german shorthaired pointer, and a creekbed. We all drip dried on our way home! This piece has won many awards and is currently available via Spa Fine Art.  Inquiries here .       The  Canine Art Guild (CAG)  is an international gathering of artists who - no stretch of the imagination necessary - specialize in dog imagery. Actually, the monikor is a little deceiving, as our membership creates far, far more than just artwork that stars Man's Best Friend, but the dog art is our common thread.   About a dozen artists and myself started the group years ago (2007? my brain is a little fuzzy these days) with the idea of creating a community where artists could collaborate, network, and share business practices. We modeled ourself off the now sadly defunct Equine Art Guild, an online forum where many of us met and forged fr...