Studio News, September 2019

With "Untitled (Pigtails)," at the opening of the Artists' Choice Show at The Anton Art Center this past Saturday. Photo courtesy of The Anton Art Center.

Studio Newsletter, September 2019

Remember last month when I told you about all the exhibition rejection letters I was bracing for? well, to my surprise, they did not arrive. I was juried into 4 different shows, which delighted me to no end. Which means you can now see my paintings in the 59th Annual Thumb Area Art Exhibition at Starkweather Gallery (Romeo, Michigan), as part of the Detroit Society of Women Painters & Sculptors annual show (Grosse Pointe, Michigan) and at the Anton Art Center (Mt. Clemens, Michigan). At the end of this month, the Greater Michigan Art Exhibition will open at the Aldon Dow Museum of Science and Art (Midland, Michigan), and I'll have work there as well. I've included links to each of the shows so that you may see their various details and plan a visit to one - or more - of the spaces.

I am painting as much as possible, although between delivering artwork for exhibitions, various board and guild meetings, multiple trips to The Princess's college campus, and the tail end of the summer concert season (did you know that I am a volunteer bartender for a Detroit area ampitheater?), I've been running running running. Things should settle down in the next week, and I can build a routine that involves more easel time. I find that I'm the happiest and most balanced when I am creating regularly, and I'm very much craving more of that.

Looking towards the cooler temps, and the impending holidays, means planning, too, for an increase in pet portrait commissions. Which translates to fewer Daydreams and Figments. And preparing a body of these non-commissioned pieces right now so I am ready to submit for several winter deadlines (I am notorious for waiting until the last possible minute to send in my entries).  I am considering applying for a fellowship and a museum show, among other goals - ultimately it boils down to whichever opportunity best suits the work.

But, going back to the (cough cough) holidays, if you are considering a pet portrait, please begin the commission process now to guarantee a delivery window. My calendar fills quickly. Projects begin at $399.  Message me for more details.

I am grateful to the new students in my online classroom. If you are a new student and reading this newsletter, thank you!! This month we talked about color mixing and the germination of an idea - from the ah-ha moment through to the signed painting. The online classroom is centered around video, text and other materials, all available online for students' perusal at their convenience.  $5/month grants access to this exclusive content. It's a fabulous investment in your own creative growth.

And, finally, please let me know what you think. I'm always listening. Feel free to respond to this newsletter, shoot me an email, comment on the blog or interact via Facebook or Instagram. Locals can join my journaling group that meets monthly. There's all sorts of ways for us to connect!

Thanks, as always, for following along with my art and musings,
Warmly, Kim

“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...

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