Paintings With Soul

I knew my website program was relatively old, but I did not expect this. The operating system upgrade I performed last week rendered my website image management program obsolete. Which means there's no way to reformat images to get them onto my website.  Which means there is a website overhaul in my very near future. And which also means there is a new procedure for downloading your desktop calendar. It is now stored here , and you must go to the first comment, click on the photo, choose the "option" menu, and select the "download" feature. Every month I will send you a new link. Unless, of course, I am able to wave my website wand and get everything fixed by the end of the year. I'm not going to put any money on that, though - December is cray cray!! However, I am doing my best! Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, and the Happiest of Holidays to all of you, whatever and however you celebrate, may it be ex...

"Swishy," 18" x 24" x 1-1/2", acrylics on museum quality cradeled panel (no need to frame!), depicting an unusually still Border Collie (she's not always like this!). Reference photo used with permission from Linda Shantz  (my Derby date!). This painting can be yours for $2299, including delivery to your doorstep (inside the contiguous US) - inquire directly to moi . Oh, and there are in process photos  here. pARTy, pARTy, pARTy !!!I It's our fourth pARTY since the beginning of the year!   What's a pARTy? It's where artists use the same photo (with permission, of course) to create work. In this case, our muse is Swish , belonging to my friend Linda, who has graciously allowed us to work from her photo. (Please respect that this photo is being shared purely for the creation of artwork, and is not to be repurposed in any other way.) I take the pARTy one step further by creating a photo album on Facebook where arti...

One of 8 contour drawings made available today , all equine related. Because I couldn't wait ANY longer to start celebrating Derby Week! Contour drawings were something I learned in college as part of my life drawing class. The model would hold a pose for 10 minutes, and we were to draw the edges of her form. In 10 minutes. I know it sounds impossible, and at the beginning, it very nearly was. With practice, those contour drawings became blind ones (meaning that we couldn't look at our paper while drawing), and those poses shortened to 2 minutes. It's all a matter of training one's eye and hand. At the time I enjoyed the exercise, but didn't think much of it, and stopped doing drawings shortly thereafter. What the heck was wrong with me? (I know what it was - I got seduced by COLOR and all her mysterious ways!) Now that I've rediscovered contours, and begun doing them in colored inks, it seems to be a happy marriage.  You can see all o...

Just a sampling of some recent creativity, clockwise from upper left, detail of "Charlie"s painted sketch, detail of a racehorse themed contour drawing, and detail of a journal page. Inquiries may come directly to me .  A couple days went by and I didn't get a chance to blog/email. I promise I'm not slacking!   I've been finishing up the 20 sketches sold in February (my goal was to have them done and shipped by the end of this month - I'm nearly there!), working on 36 new contour drawings (to be revealed at a local Kentucky Derby poster signing event next month), keeping abreast of my homework (remember Year of the Spark ?), communicating with my galleries about their Derby Day plans, keeping my desk clean (that means staying on top of paperwork and emails!), continued research about painting on copper (I got my copper panel last week), prepping (6) 16"x20" underpaintings for my Stanka Kordic workshop (I am giddy with antic...

"Poofus," a contour doodle, 9" x 12", ink and paint on bristol board, private collection (THANK YOU!). As always, inquires may always come directly  to me .  Another busy day, but this one I anticipated, which somehow makes things better! Yoga-ed, grocered, lunched with The Man Child, ran an errand for The Caped Crusader and helped The Princess pack and ready for this weekend's dance competition. I'd love to lay my head down now, like Poofus, and take a quick nap. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork! Enjoy your weekend, warmly, Kim   ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Racehorse I," a contour drawing, roughly 5" x 9", ballpoint pen on paper, available for $75, including s&h inside the US. As always, inquires may always come directly  to me . SOLD (TY!). A similar styled piece, with paint added, is available via auction benefitting  the Equis Gallery Relocation Fund  is also available -  learn more and bid here .  It seems as though every day this week has taken an unexpected turn or been consumed with meetings, phone calls and various appointments. I miss my quiet days in the studio with my paints. But that doesn't mean I'm not creating! It used to be that I refused to touch any art supplies if I didn't have 3-4 hours to work uninterrupted. Three kids and a busy household taught me that no amount of meticulous planning or patient waiting would ever guarantee that. Compromising hurt my pride for a little - but, in the long run, it enabled me to embrace the moments I do have t...

"Dorrit," 9" x 12", ink and acrylics on sketch paper, depicting our lionhead bunny. This piece will go to the first one offering $100 - with the added bonus of getting a house bunny who doesn't need a litter box! As always, inquires may always come directly to me .   SOLD (thank you!) Chasing Rabbits That's the phrase Carla Sonheim uses to describe active play. The homework she assigned us this week is to actively play with our supplies. Ahh, yeah, I can SO do that! (and feel like I kinda did yesterday when playing around with the background to Dreamer ).  Ever since the bunny took up residence inside the house (to avoid the polar vortex), I've been itching to sketch her. Which I finally did today. AFTER I blocked in a new commissioned portrait. This is a single lined contour drawing, laid down in pencil first, then embellished with a little paint, then inked. I'm calling these Contour Doodles. They are grand f...