Skip to main content

American Pharoah, Triple Crown Champion!!


IN PROCESS: "The Winner's Circle, American Pharoah," 24-3/4" x 24", depicting Triple Crown champion American Pharoah (after winning the Kentucky Derby) on his way to the winner's circle at Churchill Downs. This was my spectacular view on Derby day, painted from iPhone photos I snapped. This painting is acrylics on a museum quality panel and is available for $2980 (including s&h within the US) to the first asking nicely. Inquiries may always come to me. In process photos are here.

Unbelievable!

Did you see it? The Belmont Stakes?
 
And can you guess that I cried huge silent elephant tears when, at the top of the stretch, American Pharoah started pulling away? (if you also guessed that my children ridiculed me, you should earn a special prize!)

I couldn't believe it - I was too young to clearly remember Affirmed, the last Triple Crown winner. And honestly, there had been a flurry of champions taking this honor in my childhood, so I truly didn't understand the enormity of the accomplishment as a kid.
 
But now I do.
 
Every spring I held my breath, wondering and watching and rooting. And this year I got to see it. I even got to see one of the races IN PERSON, not just as a regular track guest, but as the official Kentucky Derby artist.

I was a small part of this Triple Crown story! It's something never even imagined, but I'm sure loving it. 

We toasted American Pharoah and his connections from our Kentucky Derby wine glasses Saturday evening. And started dreaming about a road trip to see him run again - perhaps the Arlington Million? Breeders Cup? who's up for an adventure?

(PSST, this painting is for sale - I am accepting offers prior to it's completion, so if you are interested, let me know!)

Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork!
Warmly, Kim 
ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“Katie’s Moustache,” 6x12, pet portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, $90. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . One glimpse of Katie’s face, and I was hooked. Not only did she fall into my beloved “black & white” category, but she came with a full moustache and doe-like eyes. I first covered the canvas with a variety of blues and purples, using a (mixed) light green and pink for the highlights. (Right now my palette has been expanded to include the following: pthalo blue red, azurite hue, cad red dark, alizarine crimson, cad yellow dark, and then for graying/hazing out I use light green yellow and ultramarine purple.) I lighten with titanium white and darken with one of the blues and a touch of one of the reds. As a side note, at this time last year I was really struggling with my limited palette (I went from about 60 pots of paint to 3), but I have lived the benefits – I am so much more familiar with what I can mix given just this handful of colors. My paintings are also m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dear Copyright Thieves

Dear Copyright Thieves,   Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's free for the taking. So let's just stop pretending the internet is a free-for-all.   Don't play the card that you didn't know - that's insulting. And don't also tell me that you meant to follow up and get permission but never got a chance to. That's insulting too. And by the way, don't you have a copyright protection notice on your own site?   And don't even try and point the finger at a third party who commissioned you to make a copy of my painting - again, an insult - you and I both know the difference between a reference photo and a painting.   And don't tell me that I asked for it because I share my artwork on the internet. I share my paintings and ideas and the stories behind them so as to encourage others to pursue  their own passions . I do not share so that those lacking integrity and morals can copy and market the images as their own...
33 comments
Read more

Golden Open Acrylics

I get all sorts of process oriented questions. Most recently I've been getting asked a lot about my paints and palette, which made me realize what a nice blog topic this would make! I use a Masterson Sta-Wet Premier palette box . This is comprised of a box (think Tupperware) with a sponge liner and a slice of palette paper that work together to keep my paints wet. This setup allows me to work with the same palette for about a full week, having the box open for multiple hours every day. You can see what the palette looks like at the beginning of a new session above - below the exact same palette after this week's work. For the last 25 years I have used Golden brand acrylics, mediums, and varnish. I love the overall quality of these paints and the fact that, when I have a question, their customer service department is made up of artists who actually use the products. Until last year, I used their Heavy Body paints exclusively. They have a buttery consistency, a little loose...
11 comments
Read more