Paintings With Soul

FINISHED! "Calla," 24" x 48", acrylics, charcoal and ink on panel, featuring a white horse crowned with a bouquet of flowers. Calla is $1499, complete with complimentary shipping inside the US (I also ship worldwide) - inquiries may always come  to me . Wishing you a wonderful and peace filled weekend. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com    WORKSHOPS: "Color-iffic," Montague, Michigan (near Grand Rapids), September 8-9th, 2016. For further information or to enroll, please contact  Korrine Rodgers . "Getting Fresh," Mt. Pleasant, SC, September 23-25th, 2016. For further information or to enroll, please contact Kathy Sweeney . "Color-iffic", 2 days, Crooked Tree Art Center, Traverse City, MI, October 8-9, 2016. Click here for further information or to enroll.

IN PROCESS, ABOVE the full painting, BELOW, a detail: "Squeaker," 48" x 48" x 3/4", acrylics on cradeled panel (with image painted to wrap around the sides, so no need to frame), featuring a mouse on steroids (Squeaker is 24" tall!!!) with an explosion of blooms. Squeaker is available and may be purchased or placed on layaway prior to the piece's completion. He is $8999, which includes shipping and handling inside the US. Inquiries may always come  to me . I started this one late Thursday evening, and have been painting away ever since. The flowers became therapy once I heard of the Orlando tragedy. Senseless and tragic and my heart hurts for what our world has become. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

"Sistering,"** 16" x 22", from "The Dryad Series," acrylics on gallery stretched canvas, depicting two magical spirits in a tangle of ranunculus. Inquiries may come  to me . Last week, while The Princess and I tackled all but one thing on her Spring Break stay-cation bucket list (and not for lack of trying!), the boys took on Las Vegas. And I got quite a bit of painting done, but did give myself a vacation from blogging and sending out newsletters.  And this is one of the pieces that resulted. Lots of wonder happening here, with layers of marks, drips of paint, and other interesting brushwork. I adore this piece - and the floodgate of imagery it has inspired. Just wait and see! **Also, if you are unfamiliar with the concept of "Sistering," you have to read this! Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim

"Easter Brunch," 9" x 12", acrylics and mixed media (pencil, charcoal, pastels) on museum quality panel, depicting a lop eared bunny and a tasty assortment of blooms, $549 (with complimentary s&h inside the US) to the first asking nicely . Easter Brunch is an older painting I freshened up with florals. The online class I'm taking is still ongoing, and I'm learning so much about layering marks and staying loose - I love learning and playing with my tools! Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

Pictured above are a few of the paintings I've completed as coursework this week in Lynn Whipple 's Big Bold Blooms Wild Painting  online workshop. For reference, the larger piece on the ground is 24" x 30". I'm working big, and bold, and a little wild! I learn so much when I take classes from other artists. Besides the obvious content, I get to see how others' teach and how they structure their lessons. And then I get to continue to learn by practicing the lessons on my own, inserting my own ideas and agenda, and determining which processes are keepers. I really need to reel myself in, though, this time around. I am so inspired by Lynn and the exercises (working with neutrals and layered drawings), my brain is going on fast forward, piecing together all sort of possibilities. I couldn't even sleep last night (yes, I know I am OCD). In between all of the above, I did some complete some serious work on a commission. But I also need to...