STUDIO NEWS February 2020

Detail from my easel of a current, untitled, painting in process.

Studio News, February 2020

I am feeling crushed by our world right now. If my kids had behaved like some of our leaders, they would have lost their cell phones, bedroom doors would be off the hinges and they would be grounded for life. The news is depressing, exhausting, terrifying and misleading. I need to invite more happiness into my life to counteract world events.

Turbulent times light a spark inside all of us, and artists respond with their creativity. Future generations will look back at the artwork from these years and have a better idea of what our times were like, because we artists are telling that story through our eyes (think of Picasso's Guernica).

While pursuing my MFA many, many moons ago, my work was criticized for being too pretty. I know it - no matter how hard I try to bring more grit into my paintings, they ultimately reflect my (usually) rabid optimism. I realize now that this could be my superpower, making beauty.

Reminders of tender memories, connections with our natural world, the never-ending circle of life. We are all the same, we share the same beginning and the same ending. These are the things that i try to express with my brushes - I hope that you see them.

Invite beauty into your days and let it begin to overshadow some of the ugliness.

If you want indulge in this sort of joy and see more of my work, there's a multitude of ways (and for that matter, you can do pretty much the same with any other artist who's work you find inspiring).

See them in your inbox 2-3 times per week - subscribe to my newsletters.
See them on Facebook - like/follow and then comment on my threads so I continue to show up in your newsfeed - I post art-related content multiple times daily
See them on Instagram - please follow along!
Visit them in person at an exhibition or gallery (or go to your fav museum!)
They are on my website and blog (my blog even goes back to 2006, if you really want to binge!).
If you can afford to, buy an original. I also have some affordably priced little songbird paintingsavailable. (thanks - it pays The Princess' college tuition).
You can bring prints (and other items) into your home (also thank you - this keeps my utilities turned on).
Leave a book of my artwork on your coffee table or nightstand.
Write or make art in my Reflections journal based on the Siren series of paintings
Attend a journaling class in person (not able to come to me? find a group in your area)
Take a class with me - online or in person, in a group or one-on-one - for as little as $5 a month

You are always welcome to let me know what you think. I'm 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!

THANK YOU so much for making it this far, for reading all my wordy words, for buying my art or taking my classes or commenting and sharing things on social media. I am so grateful to share this journey with you.

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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