Skip to main content

A Resolution

IN PROCESS, working title "Resolutions," 24" x 30", acrylics on panel. $899 plus s&h when finished. Reach out to me if you are interested. I accept personal checks, paypal, venmo and payment plans.
As most of the world, I am reflecting today - looking at the past, and planning for the future. This painting, particularly in it's unresolved state, is a beautiful reflection of the cusp of a new dawn.

I approached this painting with the idea of acknowledging the likely truth that I will not own a horse in my lifetime. I thought sitting inside that space would help me be open to what the future brings. I know that disappointment travels hand-in-hand with joy, and I need to have my eyes and ears and heart ready to see and accept that splendor when it shows up.

So I had this plan - a reference photo, dramatic lights and darks, and the idea of a misty atmosphere similar to the equines I've been painting the past few weeks, my dream fading like a lovely old memory. I pulled an older unfinished floral painting out and roughly sketched the horse overtop. I turned the music up, trying not to overthink or second guess anything, keeping foremost the idea of opposition - deeply wanting something, but not being able to have it - peacefully co-existing in the same space.

And this happened. This insanely impossible painting that has bits and pieces of all I am passionate about. It is the labyrinth of my own life story, tattooed on an equine form. Because, duh, haven't I known this for, like, forever?

I plan to spend the rest of the evening quietly soaking up the meaning of this painting and giving thanks for the steps that brought me this beautiful life. I hope that each of you reading this find a moment of clarity and grace as we all step into a new year together.

Thanks for following along with my art journey, Kim

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