Paintings With Soul

  Night, acrylic on cradled panel, sides painted so no need to frame, 18"x24", $1400 plus s&h   to the first asking nicely . Questions can always come  to me. Meet Night, the horse who has literally been in my dreams regularly the last six months. She is there, right at my side, physically or energetically, most nights (maybe she’s there every single one but I simply don’t remember). I am a lucid dreamer with consistent nightmares. When things get rough in there, I reach for her. There is a growing warmth across the palm of my hand and she is suddenly right there, and busts me through a sort of membrane into another dream sequence. This was an emotionally challenging piece to do, rather like an exhausting therapy session. I can’t believe that she’s actually here in my waking hours. Thank you, sweet girl, for showing up for me in my dreams and in the studio. You can see Night in greater detail  here ,  view her up close and in a room setting, and find a link ...

  Fortitude, acrylic on 24" cradled round panel, 1" profile, image painted around the sides (so no need to frame), $1800 plus s&h   to the first asking nicely . Questions can always come   to me. Life has been pretty challenging lately.  I know I'm not alone. War, earthquakes, political unrest, human rights inequalities, persecutions, mass shootings, terrifying severe weather - and that's just part of it, right? there is also the day to day stuff, the family things, job/household responsibilities, staying healthy, tending to our own emotional balance. Like I said, it's grueling. I've had some very lucid dreams lately. And a recurring character threaded through them. A fiery black horse. So I invited her to the easel. I expected to get her blocked in (what I call the first pass on a painting) and begin to decipher her message over a period of time. But Fortitude was having none of that quiet, slow entry sort of thing. She was all in. She was on a mission to...

  "Viola," 18" x 24", acrylics on panel, $799 plus s&h. Please note that the watermark is not on the original painting. Returning collectors always receive 10% off. I accept Paypal, personal checks and payment plans. Feel free to directly  message me  with your inquiries. So I thought I would have this painting, which I've been working on for a number of days, done today probably around noon. That would give me plenty of time to photograph and post her here to my newsletter and still be able to work on some other projects. I really mis-judged how long she would take to complete. I signed her shortly after 8pm. But every second was worth it. And I feel even more energized, if that is at all possible, than I did when I started working this morning. She'll come to my critique group tomorrow for an impartial assessment. I imagine there will be minor tweaks. Or rather, I suppose I should say that I hope the feedback I receive involves minor tweaks. At the mom...

ABOVE, full image, detail BELOW: "Listen to the Colors," 18" x 24" x 1", acrylics on gallery wrap canvas with image painted around the sides (so no need to frame). $899 plus s&h. If you love her, act quickly. If I still have her in the morning, she'll be entered in an exhibit (and, assuming she gets accepted, not available until the show opens, plus you'll have to wait until the show closes for shipment). I accept personal checks, paypal, venmo and payment plans. Inquiries   to me   please. This is the same pony from   yesterday's painting   - I wanted to try again with a treatment similar to the moodier ones I've been doing in previous weeks. Thanks for following along with my art journey, Kim PS Title from the lyrics of   The Breaking Light by Vienna Teng .

Above, detail of today's workshop demo, representing approximately an hours worth of work, mostly wet on wet, acrylics on panel, 11" x 14". There's the adage that "those who can't teach," but I take issue with that. The best teachers I've had CAN and DO, and they articulate that, no matter how many times I (or my classmates) re-phrase the same question. I'd like to think I'm working my way towards that category of Teachers Who Can. That some day, one of my students will be able to say that my techniques/approaches impacted them in a powerful way that didn't include therapy. Meanwhile, I'm refining my teaching skills with an especially delightful group of painters on the western coast of Michigan. They are willing to try all sorts of things with their brushes during the day, and then in the evening, I retire to a Lake Michigan facing porch, sip my wine while listening to the tide, and forget about their tears. And ...

FINISHED! "Stepping Out," 14" x 18", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a black Gypsy Vanner horse. I couldn't be happier with this piece - the color and movement and edge treatment fills me with joy. This is a special piece, I think one of my best to date, and, as such, it needs a special home.  Let me know if you think that's yours. $1299 includes complimentary shipping inside the US. This fills me with happiness - celebrating the things I love by making beauty. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

    Last week was a blur - not sure how it played out the way it did, but it's now history and I'm still here, which I suppose bodes well! I am learning to let the tides take me where they must without too much fretting.   Not too much, at least.   So my apologies for the delay in getting this out - enjoy!   To implement this month's desktop calendar, simply download the file  directly from my website . I've set up a couple different ways to do this, either via the photo album or a direct link.   I am by no means an expert on the variety of operating systems, so I highly recommend that if you don't know how to change your desktop wallpaper, don't email me for advice. Instead consult your computer's help files - they will be more concise, more knowledgeable and more responsive than I could ever hope to be.    I've sized this to fit a standard screen height of 768 - I realize there are lots of ...

BUY NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS "Whiskery Clyde," 4" x 8", portrait of a black Clydesdale, done in Golden Open Acrylics on an Ampersand Gessobord. Clyde's painting is part of my Gratitude Project , and as such, proceeds from the sale of it will go to his host shelter, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (BFAS) in Kanab, Utah. "Whiskery Clyde" is $259 and will go to the first asking nicely. You can ask nicely here. Clyde is one of the Guardian Angel animals at BFAS, coming to the sanctuary when his family could no longer provide the special care his feet required. You can read all about his progress here - it's encouraging to hear how they have treated his canker and foot health. I always enjoy catching up, too, on the Guardian Angel pages . There are some very special animals at Best Friends. Switching gears, there is still lively debate happening on Katherine Tyrrell's Making a Mark Blog about derivative art , plagarism and developing your own...

Here is one of my all-time favorite paintings, "Still Life With Black Horse," 10" x 24", acrylics on gallery stretched canvas, $479. I have loved this one since the moment I shot the reference photo and began painting in my mind's eye. "Still Life" has been exhibited and won numerous awards. It even earned me the moniker of "The Lady Who Paints Horse's Butts." (By the way, there is a PG and an R rated version of this nickname.) But it is still looking for a home. Might that be yours? ( email me if so!) The painting is a great shape and can be tucked into a smaller space very easily - but don't be fooled. It has a strong presence and will become a conversation starter. "Is that a horse's butt?" Just imagine your snappy comeback! Since today I am a slave to the book manuscript, I figured that I would share one of my favs. You can see a larger version/view here . Enjoy!! Thanks for looking at, and sharing, my artw...

"Beach Bums," 8" x 10", portrait of a woman and her horse, acrylic on canvasboard, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may always come to me . This is another piece that came about from my request for black (or white) subjects. When my client read that I was looking for muses, she sent photos of her big, black horse. Already having several paintings of her (not black or white) dogs, she rightly predicted I would flip over the photo that inspired this composition - the lighting, coupled with the fact they both were in stride together, was downright irresistable. With this painting and a few other recent ones, I'm gathering confidence with my human portrait abilities. (Of course, it's far easier when their faces are turned away....) I hope to be able to accept commissions for them in the coming year. Are you thinking about the holidays yet? I have been and there are a couple studio projects in the works, one being a storefront for greeting and note ...

FROM TOP:  "Chestnut Plains," 6" x 8"; "Lashes & Corkscrews," 6" x 8"; and "Black," 8" x 16"; equine paintings, all in acrylic on canvasboard, each available for purchase.   I received notice that the above paintings were juried into the esteemed Third Annual Dancing Horse Farm Equine Art Exhibition. The exhibition will be held at the world class Dancing Horse Farm in Lebanon, Ohio from May 2nd through May 10th, 2009. This will overlap with the farm's Spring Fling Weekend, a horse show with Dressage, Combined Test and Fun Classes. For more information, please visit Dancing Horse Farm's website .   These paintings have been exquisitely framed in custom moldings and will be available for purchase through Dancing Horse Farm. Inquiries may come via email to the exhibition coordinators .   Meanwhile, per Painting a Dog a Day rituals of year's past, I will be creating new equine paintings during De...

I feel jipped - there's no "Spring" in my Spring Break. We've got 6" of freshly fallen new white stuff, and the remainder of the week's forecast isn't looking springlike in the least.   So, we were trapped inside today (wet and windy, with heavy snow on limbs and electrical wires). I managed to steal a little bit of computer time from the kids, and got a couple things done.   There are new paintings listed on my Etsy store (including Frisky, pictured above).   And I uploaded a slideshow of images from Friday's solo show openin g onto the blog (over to the right, up near the top).   Hope the sun is shining on you, wherever you are, and the sidewalks are not beckoning to be shoveled. I'm off to throw snowballs for Finnigan to chase, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

FROM THE TOP: "Frisky," 6" x 8," $324 and "Black," 8" x 16," $529. Both acrylic on canvasboards, depicting a dark bay or black warmblood horse. Inquiries may come to me .   Today's paintings were inspired by Alpac, who belongs to fellow artist Judy Wood . Last week Judy sent bragging photos of her handsome boy frolicking in the snow and I begged permission to paint him. Well, I didn't really beg - I asked politely, and Judy, being the wonderfully supportive friend that she is, immediately sent me hi-resolution pics and her blessing.   I lost Alpac's likeness early on, but since I was striving for mood and light, and concentrating on color usage, I let it slide. It's harder for me to work in stricter value ranges than it is for me to work in saturated color, and I had many moments where I was fighting the paint.   But I stuck it through, and all worked out in the end. I couldn't be happier with these paintings. ...

FROM TOP:  "Relaxed," 6" x 12", and "Joy," 8" square; commissioned Thoroughbred portraits, both sold (THANK YOU!). Inquiries - including how you may commission your own painting - may still come to  me via email  .   Horses are a favorite subject of mine. I've wanted a horse for as long as I can remember, and only recently stopped asking Santa for one. He clearly wasn't delivering (I can hear you snickering - it was not because I was on his "Bad" list!).   Since I never had a horse of my own, as compensation of sorts I turned to drawing (then painting) them.   But things didn't work out so badly in the end. I can have all the horses I want right here in the studio, without having to muck stalls or pay any farrier bills. Yeah, you don't have to tell me. I know it's not the same. But I can pretend.   A very warm thanks to all my esty shoppers and new Dog-a-Day collectors. We are coming into the final days o...