Paintings With Soul

  "Skye," 6" x 8", portrait of a Gypsy Vanner (one of my favorite breeds), done in acrylics on a museum quality panel, $329. Inquiries may come via  email to me . And thank you!       Don't forget about my horse-themed auction - 8 original paintings will all have new homes come 9pm EST Wednesday, May 1st. Will one of them head to your place?   Bid here . And thank you yet again!   Thanks for following along, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

    "Watch Eye," 6" x 8", from 2007, one of eight equine paintings I am auctioning off in the next couple days. Details on the auction are below and on  the studio's Facebook page.   In honor of Kentucky Derby Week, I've chosen a handful of older favorites starring horses for my next online auction hosted on  the studio Facebook page .   These are paintings I love, pieces that were exbibited/on tour up until a few years ago, when they were put in storage for one reason or another. Or maybe they were in a gallery that has since closed it's doors and returned inventory to me. Or maybe, like Watch Eye above, they were personal favorites that we have been enjoying in our home, but need to let go in order to make room for new acquisitions.   These are daily paintings, acrylics done on canvasboard panels, from 2007 - 2010. Because they are older pieces and have been around the block a few times, my current galleries are not in

  "Oscar," 6" x 6", commissioned portrait of a little yorkie, done in acrylics on a museum quality panel, private collection (THANK YOU!). I always welcome inquiries on how you can commission a portrait of your own -  email me .       Oscar came to the rescue with a fierce infection in his mouth, and ended up losing a good chunk of his jaw.   But he did win the hearts of his eventual forever family in the process.   Thanks so much for following along with my artwork! Don't forget, next week is Derby Week, so grab your fancy hat and get ready for equine paintings!   Enjoy the weekend, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

                                                                    "Vinny," approximately 4-1/2" square roughly centered on a 9" x 12" paper, portrait sketch of a black lab mix puppy, done in acrylics. This one may be available, and if so, is only $100 to the first asking nicely.  Email me  and practice your manners!! (Try out that new nifty BUY ME button!!)       Let's see, today's weather has included gloomy skies, sleet, hail, rain and now sunshine. I'm really pulling for the sunshine to stick around a bit. Like 6 months or so.  Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   PS Spoke too soon - in the time it took for me to edit and proofread this, sunshine is gone and it's omniously dark. Again.

  "Stardust," approximately 4-1/2" square roughly centered on a 9" x 12" paper, commissioned portrait of a Welsh pony, doe in acrylics, private collection (THANK YOU!).         Figuratively back in the saddle today, although my feet would likely be dragging, as I worked on a commissioned sketch of a tiny little pony.   I am unpacked, laundry is nearly done, and I'm almost through the emails that piled up whilst I was teaching.   Which means I can paint undisturbed for days on end now, right? It's just as well...... it's snowing again. Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

  My Color Partners in Crime, attendees from the LAAG's Getting Fresh workshop in Baton Rouge this last week         Pics from all 4 days of  the Louisiana Art and Artists Guild (LAAG) workshop  are on  the studio's Facebook page  – I pushed these ladies hard, and look at how forced (!!!) their smiles are.   For many, this was their first attempt at acrylics, too, in addition to having all sorts of new concepts thrown their way. They deserve medals of honor for putting up with me. (I did hear something about wringing my neck at one point....)   And despite how mean and rotten a teacher I was, whipping them into a harmonic color mixing frenzy, they sent me home with the dearest gift.   A treasured cookbook of southern favorites.   Filled with signatures and inscriptions recounting all the fun we had.   I am so lucky to count them among my friends!   I miss y'all already - keep painting, ladies, and I hope to come back

"Pink Tootsie," 6" square, just one of several demonstration paintings from today's workshop.       Oh my goodness, but these ladies are demanding!! Do you know that I spent ALL DAY on my feet, moving from easel to easel, talking about color and value? Then I was force fed Louisiana seafood.   Tomorrow's gonna be even harder. The topic? gestural brushwork. And southern Bar-B-Que for dinner.   Why do I sign up willingly for this kind of torture?!   Thanks for following along! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

      So I made it to Louisiana yesterday, despite a little last minute conspiring that got me to the airport later than I preferred (nothing like a little excitement to keep the arteries clear!). Here I am, in the land of green, and I'm not concerned in the least about the humidity because I do not have to dress in layers.   I even had naked ankles today. Shocking, I know, but I wasn't chilled in the least!   It's the little things in life!   So today's workshop was a lot of me talking. I talked and talked and talked and talked some more.   We did a segment on marketing for creatives and building a business plan. We talked about smothering our inner critics and painting with joy and abandon. We discussed our artwork as a product and severing our emotional ties. I introduced the tools that I use - both physical as well as software based.   And then I got started on a demo painting.    And ran out of time! Drat!!   I was game to s

      It was entirely surreal, what happened at the Boston Marathon yesterday afternoon. My heart aches for those who have been injured, family and friends trying to locate loved ones, for the athletes who should have been celebrating a m ilestone, and for yet another city that will forever be known as the site of such tragedy. I am donating proceeds from auctioning my backer board, pictured above, (thank you to Facebook fans Susan Elin Zacharius and Karin Golonka for the suggestion to sell my board!) to the Red Cross. This is the 18" x 24" masonite panel that has been my backdrop for years of painting and working in the studio. I duct tape my smaller panels onto this board and prop it inside my easel, so there may be some tape residue on the surface and there is one area when the paint is peeling off (along the underside of the "e" in Be - this all adds to the overall character of the panel. The panel carries layers of acrylic paint, ink, and other mat

      "Little Lou," 5" x 7", acrylics on a museum quality panel, commissioned portrait of a stinking cute tabby cat, private collection (THANK YOU!). In process pics are on  the studio FB page .   Want a pet portrait? Then please,  let me know!   Thanks so much for following my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

  10 Minute Tootsies - the idea is that the artist has 10 minutes to create a study and capture the essence of one still life object. Sort of like gesture drawings, but done in paint.     Today I began designing my lesson plan for next week's  4 day painting workshop  in Baton Rouge. Sure, it would be far simpler for me to teach the exact same thing each time I ran a workshop, but since I learn so much from day to day with my own work, I feel like it's only fair that I revamp and refresh my workshop contents regularly, too.   So I reviewed all my favorite exercises, created a few new ones, and grouped them based on the two topics we are focusing on heaviest - color and brushwork.   And I'll spend this afternoon working up new demos and collecting props/materials.   I can't WAIT to reveal the exercises to my students! It's like Christmas!!   Thanks so much for following my artwork and enjoy your weekend, Kim ksantini@turtl

      "Begonia," 10" x 16", acrylics on a museum quality panel, still life of potted plants alongside a sleeping orange tabby, $629. Inquiries can come  via email , thank you very much.   And don't be afraid to ask about our putting together a special painting starring your furry companion.   Thank you for the wonderful response to my call to throw more creativity and beauty into the world ( yesterday ). I think I feel a shift in the balance of positive energy already.   And it's not related to the box of Girl Scout cookies I ate this afternoon, either.   Thanks so much for following my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     photo courtesy of Diana Ostrand - copyright protected When Diana showed me this pic of her Frieda taking a break from making trouble, she recognized the look in my eyes. I think that's because she's a painter too. I didn't even have to ask (THANK YOU, Dian

      IN PROCESS, WORKING TITLE:  "Begonia," 10" x 16", acrylics on a museum quality panel, still life of potted plants alongside a sleeping orange tabby, $629 (when finished) to the first one asking nicely.   Inquiries can come  via email , thank you very much.   In process pics of Begonia are on  the studio Facebook page .   My eldest son, fondly referred to as The Man Child, is planning a career in percussive music. The last 7 years, I've been to an untold number of lessons, rehearsals, concerts, competitions, auditions and performances, and I'm coming to recognize all sorts of parallels between creating visual and audial art.   Last night we had a discussion about why he needed an expensive pair of headphones. He equated it to the quality of my paint and trying to work with a gummed up brush. He reminded me that listening to music, for him, was work, and he wanted better tools so that he could work smarter.  

      "Snuggle Bunny," 12" x 16", acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting the now infamous golden retriever Nita (I've painted her more times than my own dog - she is the inspiration behind  Cannonball  and many other recent paintings!) and her beloved bunny, $629 to the first one asking nicely.   Inquiries  via email , please and thank you!   So Nita took a little longer to finish than originally planned, but some things are worth it. I couldn't be happier with this one - but did have to force myself to stop for fear of overworking her.   Meanwhile, please take a moment to send a warm thought the way of Nita's mom, who is recovering from surgery. Nita's going stir crazy without someone to throw balls for her all day!! hee hee........   Thanks so very much for following along with my work! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

      "Ariel," roughly 5" x 6" centered on a 9" x 12" paper, acrylic sketch, commissioned  dog portrait, private collection (THANK YOU!).   Today has been a Monday, through and through. Let's just leave it at that, because tomorrow it will NOT be Monday any longer.   Thanks for looking at my artwork! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

    "Liam," 6" square, acrylic on museum quality panel, depicting a cherished little yorkie, commissioned dog portrait, private collection (THANK YOU!).   However, I can paint something just as charming especially for you -  inquire , please, and keep me out of trouble!   I painted Liam back in February, but he was a birthday gift and I couldn't share until now. Who said I couldn't keep a secret?!   I'm busy working on another secret today - actually, a couple of them! I love it, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

  The singular Vincent Van Gogh, "Bedroom at Arles", 1889 (the third version he painted), now on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts , courtesy of the  Musee D'Orsay  in Paris, France. Photo courtesy of the Musee D'Orsay.     Yesterday I got to spend a few minutes alone with one of my most favorite painters in the whole world and one of his most compelling images.   It's not just his imagery that I find so compelling. It is his voice, his ideas, shared so honestly in letters to his family and friends, that drives my infatuation (if you are so inclined, please read  The Yellow House  - it will change your life).   Van Gogh wasn't the first artist to feel as though hecouldn't capture the essence of a subject in his work. But he was one of the first to paint more than a mere likeness. He took reality, our shared reality, and infused it with his emotional energy. Some of his feelings we immediately connect with, like the awe o

      Seriously, come paint with me! I'm going to share some of my ideas about color mixing and paint application. And talk for a bit, too, about how artists can use the internet to promote and brand their work.    It's all going down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, April 18th - 21st. More info here.   I'd love to hang with you!   (And if this workshop doesn't fit your calendar, there'a another one in  Traverse City Michigan  this August and a third one happening in  Springfield Missouri  this September)   Come on, let's throw some paint around together!! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

      "Chloe," a painted sketch, commissioned dog portrait, roughly 5" x 6" on a 9" x 12" paper, acrylics, private collection (THANK YOU!!).   The sun is shining, yet there is a fresh dusting of snow. Isn't this supposed to be spring break?   Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com