October 2012 Newsletter

Kimberly Kelly Santini TurtledoveDesigns & Painting a Dog a Day 346 N Anderson St Lake Orion, Michigan, USA 48362 In This Issue: AT RIGHT:  It Has Been a Long Time ArtPrize Facebook Holiday Commissions Spa Fine Art Artist Competition AirMail Journaling Wrap Up So What's Coming Up? BELOW: BOS Thumb Exhibition Equine Jubilee Workshops Continued Learning Did You Know?? So You Wanna Buy Some Art What I've Been Reading Staying in Touch Find Me BOS Thumb Exhibition   In September 2013's Thumb Area Art Exhibition, a Michigan juried event in it's 51st year, I was honored with Best of Show for my painting “Cannonball.”   This was a special milestone in that the artists in this particular show are mentors and highly esteemed colleagues. It was not so long ago that I was taking lessons from them, studying their artwork, and working to get own work to the next level.   The award winning pieces from the Thumb Area Art Exhibition will travel to Lapeer's Gallery 194 and Oxford's Art Capsule in the coming weeks. Additional details will be shared on my website as those dates are firmed up.   Thank you to the Romeo Guild of Art, Starkweather Gallery and juror Victor Pytko for this tremendous honor.   Equine Jubilee   Over the summer I shipped three paintings out to the inaugural juried event, the Equine Jubilee. I was especially excited to participate because of the select artists (again, people who's work I have greatly admired for many years) – the idea of my art hanging out with Carol Andreen Harris's work and Jean Cook's work among others, well, it gave me goosebumps.   And chills, too, when I learned that “Like Her Momma”received one of the seven awards, Best Contemporary Piece with a Non-Realistic Style.   The Equine Jubilee is hanging at The Arts Castle in Deleware Ohio through October 24th.   Thank you to the Arts Castle and jurors Luann Houser and Shary B. Akers for making this happen.   Workshops I have added four advanced multi-day workshops to my 2013 calendar, along with an art marketing lecture in Traverse City in August 2013.   Let me know if you would like to host a demo or workshop in your area.   Information on the scheduled classes is always available on my website.   Continued Learning Many of you know me best as a painter, but I also dabble in other media. I am a firm believer in learning and experimenting with all sorts of tools and approaches – I think that understanding, say, coil building a simple pot, helps me to better visualize my subject matter three dimensionally when I pick up my brushes.   This last year I took many classes in a variety of techniques and approaches, some online, some in person. I learned about masking and stencil building, doodled my blank off, painted papers with no goal other than color and pattern, and wrote reams of bad poetry.   I encourage you to dabble in a media you've always wanted to learn, even if it does seem off the beaten path. You'll be surprised and delighted at how much fun you have!   Did You Know????   I've now painted 1382 pieces since commiting in October 2006 to daily painting. That's a lot of miles under my brush, as one of my friends would say.   So You Wanna Buy Some Art All my art-related shopping options, including ordering reproductions and notecards, are with FineArtAmerica.   Originals are posted for sale on my blog and Facebook as they are created. You can purchase them directly through me via email or social media. I also have condensed them into a browsable gallery of original art for sale on the FineArtAmerica website, too.   There is one exception - that being limited edition giclees. Those will be listed with etsy until my inventory is depleted. "Dandy," 6" x 12", available for purchase, inquiries to me.   What I've Been Reading I am asked all the time to share bibliographies of what I've been reading relative to making art.   This summer found me reading a lot about writing and journaling, and not so much about the painting process. I found some true gems, like “Poemcrazy” and “Sacre Bleu,” and added many more titles to my to-read list. I also added a Kindle to my handbag, and now literally have a book always at my fingertips, no matter where I am stranded.   You can see what I've been reading on my Goodreads book shelves – I've categorized books based on content and value, and hopefully this will provide fellow readers a starting point on a couple of titles!   I welcome your recommendations, too! Let me know what you've read and enjoyed!   Staying in Touch   This newsletter comes out about 3 times a year, sometimes less. If you are looking for more timely updates, I encourage you to check out whichever forum - Facebook, email, Studio Website, my Blog, Pinterest - is best suited for your personal tastes.   And thank you again from the bottom of my heart for supporting my art and career!!   Find Me! EMAIL:ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com STUDIO: www.TurtledoveDesigns.com DAILIES: www.PaintingaDogaDay.com PRINTS & NOTECARDS:  Imagekind   FACEBOOK: Kimberly Kelly Santini PINTEREST: ksantini "Flopsy," 9" x 12", available for purchase, inquiries may come to me. TurtledoveDesigns & Painting a Dog a Day Studio Newsletter                   October 2012 "Stick It," 6" x 13", private collection (THANK YOU!) It has been a long time.... I have been challenged to carve out as much administrative time as the studio requires this year. All I want to do is paint, paint, paint.   I've got to strike a better balance. I've implemented a couple new practices behind the scenes that's made it easier for me to stay on top of projects - can you imagine having 50+ simultaneous conversations with different collectors about their commissioned paintings, all the while painting and blogging and facebooking daily? That's essentially what I'm trying to do - it is a challenge, to say the least!!   I am so grateful for your sense of humor and gracious patience - growing pains are something every small business owner dreams of having! I'm working hard to minimize these and keep the Dog a Day paintings coming!   Without your support I could not do this, so THANK YOU!! ArtPrize 1517 artists displaying in 161 venues inside 3 square miles of downtown Grand Rapids, complete with walking tours, interactive apps allowing you to plan your visit, top notch signage and tourist-friendly guidance, juried prizes and popular vote awards, and you have got ArtPrize......   It was my honor to be one of the artists chosen for this year's event. Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson and I did a collaborative installation at the MVP Metro Club.   Our work featured animals: Nelson displayed a portion of her “Noah's Ark” series and I showcased my new“Cherished” paintings. You can peek at our install here.   I'd like to personally thank Scott Moore and the staff at MVP for graciously hosting and helping to facilitate our exhibition.   ArtPrize continues through October 7th, 2012 – and if you can't make it this year, get next year's event on your calendar now. Elizabeth and I are both already planning our pieces for 2013.     Facebook I am getting better at this Facebook thing....  I've integrated my smartphone with the studio page, and continue to update photos of paintings in process most days I am at the easel. It's a fantastic way to answer process specific questions and get people excited about the evolution of their paintings.   I also share other studio based projects there, like photos from classes I teach or take, images from exhibitions or field trips, and links to articles and artists who's work inspires me.   I'd love to hear what you would like to see more - or less - of. Let me know!!   Meanwhile, come fan the studio Facebook page!     Holiday Commissions It's only October, but time is running out to book a portrait for the holidays..... Please let me know if you are thinking of commissioning something extra special like a Dog a Day painting, so that we can begin to outline the details of your project and give it all the attention it deserves.   Sketches start at $99 (I have a limited number of these available through the end of the year, and then I will no longer be offering them) and paintings on panel at $209.   Turnaround time depends on my calendar, but let me know up front if you have a particular deadline (other than the holidays) and we will work together to make it happen. Spa Fine Art My piece, in process, in the window of Spa Fine Art.     Every summer I trek to Saratoga, New York, for an artists retreat with good friends and the race track....   This year I had the added benefit of being able to spend a day inside Spa Fine Art, doing a live paint and getting to meet the public.   The staff set me up in the window of the gallery, and I worked all afternoon on a large racing scene inspired by the track. People were welcome to sit and watch, and Spa provided finger foods and beverages for those who lingered.   I had several collectors I'd never met stop by and introduce themselves, including one woman from Florida who was on her way further north to another artist's workshop. I met wonderful people that day, talked to a handful of children who were avid creators themselves, and thoroughly enjoyed myself.   The painting I completed sold quickly, as did several other racing scenes Spa had on hand. I haven't had a chance to begin work on new track pieces, but I look forward to spending time with my summer references and ideas once the holiday rush is past.   Thanks again to Amber and Alyson and Sean and everyone who stopped by to say hello!     Just one of the many inspiring photos I shot at the track and intend on painting.... Artist Competition October 24th, 2012, I will be one of the artists competing in a live paint event at Merge Gallery in Oxford, Michigan..... As I understand it, we will have 5-9pm to create artwork, from beginning to end, during or after which the public chooses their favorite. You are invited to stop by and cheer me on.   AirMail Journaling Wrapup This summer I launched my first effort at online teaching, leading nearly 50 students in an art journaling adventure I called "AirMail Journaling".....    It was a huge learning curve for me, as I structured the class to bridge a conventional hands-on classroom all the while leveraging advantages of the internet. Lessons and miscellaneous materials or tools were packaged up in 5 bundles, and mailed at intervals all summer to the students. Additionally, participants were encouraged to create and share Mail Art with a penpal from the class. We also created Abondoned Art, leaving treasures in public spaces for an unknowing soul to enjoy. An online classroom space allowed participants to share images of their work, and we all were able to carry on dialogues and build friendships.   I am re-vamping the AirMail class to better accommodate some of the challenges, after which I plan to offer it again, perhaps early winter. You will be able to find information about the class on my website, blog or facebook, so stay tuned. So What's Coming Up? Obviously, the holidays..... this is my busiest time of the year, and I'm already pretty busy the other 9 months!!   So while I'm painting five+ days a week, creating holiday commissions, I'll also be preparing work for a number of juried events, continuing to teach my local journaling classes, and working on other projects like revamping websites, editing articles/materials, and planning for next year (how is it possible that 2013 is nearly here?).   It won't all be work – I'll include lots of family time, too. We have a Kelly reunion coming up, two Thanksgiving dinners (the Santini family is in Canada, the Kelly's here in Michigan), three Santini spawn birthdays to celebrate, an excellent football season tying up for The Caped Crusader, The Man Child's Marching Band competitions (starting this weekend!), and The Princess making her debut with her dance team in January.   Hoping your lives are just as full! and thank you SO MUCH for supporting my artwork! ~Kim  Kimberly Kelly Santini TurtledoveDesigns & Painting a Dog a Day 346 N Anderson St Lake Orion, Michigan, USA 48362

P.S. ....glub.....     My recent obsession with dogs and water has gotten me thinking about painting more water-based compositions..... And what's better for that than a real-live goldfish bowl? Now I can paint my subjects from life!!   Monet and Mayonnaise joined the studio household about a week back. I've been doing some contour drawings and studying the way light is refracted through their bowl. I am looking forward to all that these two will teach me, and Mona's delighted to have new playmates.   (Please don't fear for their safety – when I'm not actively photographing their bowl, the fishies have a custom made hairnet that keeps the cat out and them safely underwater.)                                                                                   -thank you All images copyright protected by Kimberly Kelly Santini   Stealing isn't nice, and that's what you do when you life an image from my newsletters, blog or websites. Please be nice, respect copyright law & give a good ear scratching to dogs crossing your path. The world will be a much better place.   KK Santini, 346 N Anderson, Lake Orion, MI 48362,www.TurtledoveDesigns.com www.PaintingaDogaDay.com