Grindstone

"Grindstone", 16" x 20" acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting Grindstone, just a few strides away from winning The Kentucky Derby in 1996. Read more about this painting's story below - it's a good one! And inquiries may come directly to me.  Paying it Forward Shortly after getting The Derby Gig, which neatly dovetailed my childhood passion for horse racing with my grown up obsession with painting, I started formulating a plan to give back to the universe. As it played out, The Kentucky Derby Museum got involved, and it was decided I would donate a piece to them, something they could use as a fundraising tool to further their education efforts.  "Would I be interested in painting Grindstone, the winner of the 1996 Derby?" they asked. But of course! Little did I know the background story, though. Every year the Museum asks the owners of the Kentucky Derby winner to donate one breeding to the Museum when they retire the horse. This donation is then auctioned off to benefit the Museum. Grindstone's sire, Unbridled, won the Derby in 1990 (who can forget the trainer giving the play by play of the race to Unbridled's elderly owner, who could not actually see what was happening? ). Subsequently, Unbridled's connections donated a breeding to the Museum, and Grindstone was the resulting foal - how serendipitous that he followed along in his father's footsteps! It's no wonder the Museum wanted to honor his victory and their shared history with a portrait! Museum staff eagerly gathered reference materials for me, obtained the proper permissions for photo usage, and I then got to work. A videographer shadowed me during the process, and this neat little video is a result. (And there's always in process pics over on Facebook, too) The painting itself was unveiled at the Museum this past weekend as part of their 30th anniversary celebration. It will be auctioned off this coming Friday as part of their "It's My Derby" Gala.  D. Wayne Lucas (trainer of Grindstone) will be the auctioneer, selling a variety of wonderful packages and items to benefit the Museum. My painting has been paired with race day accommodations for 8 in a Jockey Club Suite on April 25th, opening night of Churchill Downs' spring meet and the start of Kentucky Derby week. Included with the package is dinner and a tour to the saddling paddock to watch the call for riders up.    If you are interested in bidding on this item, you can contact Eric Brown at the Museum to arrange for live telephone bidding. Or, if you are able to attend, tickets can be purchased via the Kentucky Derby Museum. And I will close by saying that it is simply wonderful to be a piece of the Kentucky Derby legacy - even though my role is a bit one, I am enjoying every second! Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork! Warmly, Kim  ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com