Paintings With Soul

"Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Bow," roughly 18" x 18", acrylics on panel, from the Beribboned series. Available to the  first asking nicely , $799 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much. Special thanks to a super wonderful young lady for sharing pics of her wee one's with me - hope I did them justice Islay!! Thank you also to MR for the best title ever. Also, SUPER excited because The Princess gets to tame and train a mouse in her zoology class this term. Which means OKeefe (the studio hamster) will have a friend!! So happy!! (it doesn't take much to make me happy these days!) Thanks for supporting my art, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

"Leggy," 24" x 36" x 1", acrylics on cradeled panel with painted sides (no need to frame). Available to the  first asking nicely , $1699 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much. This particular painting has gone through several incarnations . Each time I tackle her, I bring several months of continued study and learning to the easel. And while I loved the previous versions, I am doing cartwheels over this one. I always say, anything in my home/studio is fair game for a fresh coat of paint! Yes, please share Leggy. Add beauty to the world! Thanks for supporting my art, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

"Proud," a Florus Animalum painting , 11" x 14", acrylics on panel. This piece is available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $599 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much. This mare is strong, unapologetic, a force to be reckoned with. The tangle of roses on her back are thorny, yet bountiful with blooms. Read into it what you will, the overall composition is one of sheer delight and glorious color, and this painting will make an exceptional focal point in your space. Yes, please share this image. Our world needs more beauty! Thanks for supporting my art, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

"Petal," a Florus Animalum painting , 12" x 16", acrylics on panel, featuring a tender mouse nestled in an abundance of peonies. This piece is available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $599 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much. A difference in opinion does not mean one person is better or lesser than another. Nor is one right and the other wrong. Today is a struggle for many Americans who are afraid of the future. Be kind. Be gentle. Listen to hear, really hear their voices. I am seeking understanding of how my country has become so divided. I am scared of what we are doing to each other, not just here in the States, but all over the world.  And in the midst of this turmoil, making art might seem trite. But it is what I do to find my own inner piece. To process events and emotions in a healthy manner. And to give others a small bit of beauty to add to their days. This mouse in this painting is timid. Mice are timid. But,...

IN PROCESS: "Petal," a Florus Animalum painting , 12" x 16", acrylics on panel, featuring a mouse nestled in an abundance of peonies. This piece is available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $599 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! I'm thinking about softness with this one. A slightly out of focus, softly lit tendril of a dream. Thanks, as always, for supporting my art, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

"January," a Florus Animalum painting , 24" x 20", acrylics on panel, featuring a polar bear crowned with pink peonies and dahlias. This piece is available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $799 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! Freezing rain, ice, sleet, puddles of standing water, all overtop an already saturated and frozen yard, gave us an indoor swimming pool in the basement today. After cleaning that mess up and discovering the (previously waterproofed) walls themselves were now oozing water despite the exterior of the house being dry, I needed to lose myself in some pretty color and a fantasy world. The forecast is for rain 4 of the next 8 days. Maybe I should just give in and turn the basement into a koi pond. My Better Half has a plan, though, that doesn't involve fish or fins of any sort. And I see a couple tweaks I want to make to January in the morning. Thanks, as always, for supporting my art, Warm...

"OKeefe," a Florus Animalum painting , 16" x 20", acrylics on panel, featuring a baby hamster crowned with peonies in a nod to her namesake Georgia OKeefe . This piece is available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $749 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! OKeefe is my new baby. Well, the inspiration behind the painting is my new baby, not the actual painting. Although artists often do refer to their paintings as babies....   Also, life drawing takes on an entirely new meaning when your model is rolling around the studio inside an exercise ball. OKeefe doesn't understand yet how to hold a pose. Thanks, as always, for supporting my art, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

"Blossom," from the Beribboned series , 16" x 20", acrylics on panel, available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $749 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! Now I want a mouse. Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

"Whiskers," from the Beribboned series , 16" x 20", acrylics on panel, available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $749 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! I want a hamster. Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

"Spots," 5" x 7", acrylics on museum quality panel, available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $199 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! Returning to my roots and painting a simple, backlit kitty. This was a means of reminding myself that I DO know how to paint. The last 10 paintings with the ribbons pushed me so far out of my comfort zone - which is a fantastic thing to do, because that's the only way I'm going to learn - but it's also exhausting. Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

FINISHED: "Sapphire," 24" x 30", acrylics on panel, available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $899 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! The Beribboned pieces are cobbled together from reference photos of the animal and actual ribbon set up as a still life here in the studio. With Sapphire, today I abandoned my elaborate ribboned armature and the reference photo to focus exclusively on the painting, making the various elements work together. I think my next one will be much, much simpler.

IN PROCESS (and with glare, apologies): "Sapphire," 24" x 30", acrylics on panel, available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $899 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! So here's the thing: I had an entirely different plan in mind when I started this painting. And like a toddler throwing a tantrum, Sapphire insisted on doing something else. So I decided to indulge her, spent some time studying and responding to what was there, and came up with this. It's kinda haphazard right now, but I can almost visualize the ending. For a while there today I was painting blindly, with very little idea of what was to come next. Disconcerting, but a great exercise in letting go of control. Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

FINISHED: "Bijou," 24" x 36", acrylics on panel, available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $999 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! I'll need to sleep on it, but I do think she's done.  I'm exhausted. Three marathon painting days. But that's sometimes how paintings are birthed. Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

IN PROCESS: "Bijou," 24" x 36", acrylics on gallery wrapped panel, available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $1299 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! Take a wilted armful of spray roses from the clearance bin, add a box of vintage crystal drops, throw in a couple thrift store pieces of costume jewelry, and you have my inspiration.  I'm working fast, because the roses are starting to tire. Sometimes speed painting turns out better because I'm not second guessing or overthinking everything. Can you feel the magic already? Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

"Midas," 24" x 30", acrylics on panel, available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $899 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! I should charge double for this one. Those ribbons took a damn eternity, so many repaints I lost count, and I'm freaking cross eyed from the stripes. BUT - here's the thing - I stuck through it, asked myself why things weren't working, found the answers through trial and error, and made it work. So yesterday's crappy paint day? No longer matters my friends! Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

IN PROCESS: "Midas," 24" x 30", acrylics on panel, available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $899 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much! This is daVinci, one of my studio kitties. And this painting is entirely HIS attitude - he thinks he's a Pretty Big Deal. So the ridiculous crown of gold ribbons and his stately, classic 3/4 profile are absolutely perfect. I had hoped to finish the piece today, but had a tough time finding my groove. Which happens - so, I'm going to be kind to myself and return tomorrow for another pass. It's only paint. And we can't always be on fleek. Well, maybe you can, but I can't! Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

Day 2 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days, this is "Light Magenta" (one of my favorite colors), 6" square, $50 to the first asking nicely . Thank you so much! Started today's painting session with this little still life. It's a wonderful way to settle into decision making, and a great warm up for the bigger piece I'm working on (working title "Midas," starring daVinci and a mess of gold ribbon). Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

I made a conscious effort to be more present this holiday season, and that meant spending a good amount of the days mostly unplugged. At first that was difficult - I missed all of you! But I wanted to be fully engaged with family and friends this year and completely focus on closing 2016 firmly shut. And then this most wonderful side effect happened - I started to hear myself think again, in that madcap fast forward crazy ADHD way, and all the various ideas bumping around inside my brain had free rein to bounce off each other and morph into new things entirely. How wonderful is that!? So I'm back in the studio today very briefly, doing my first of 30 Paintings in 30 Days, before returning to the couch for some knitting and down time. Scroll down to see what I salvaged from our breakfast this morning.....  Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com    "Berry," 6" square, acryli...