Paintings With Soul

"Pressed Flower (Siren #73), 18" x 24", acrylics on panel, $799 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. (There is a wee bit of glare from the studio lighting on the left side of the painting) I accept Paypal, Venmo, personal checks and payment plans. Inquiries may come   to me . There's not been much paint getting moved about the last couple weeks. I've been too busy varnishing, framing, wiring, packing and shipping paintings. At the end of tomorrow, I will have sent 30 pieces out into the world inside the last 12 days. I am so ready to return to playing with color and birthing new works. Today was an unexpected gift - in between working with students, I got a little time at my own easel. And would you look who at showed up - a delightful, delicate presence. I think she's Joy. Maybe she's Hope. It doesn't really matter who she is, though, because she is perfectly preserved in paint, so that I can figure out her identity in my own sweet time...

She who wonders is never lost (Siren #31), 24" x 48", acrylics on panel, $1499 plus s&h. Inquiries may come  to me . Today was a gray and drizzley day, which made photographing her all the more challenging. I will have to have another go at it when the sun decides to show herself. Thanks for following along with my art!

"Tragic," a Siren painting, 24" x 48", acrylics on panel, $1499 to the first asking nicely. Inquiries may come   to me . I used color to work through my tears today. I have no words. There are none. But there's so many feels. < > Wishing love, peace and strength to all who are hurting, today and always. I see you.

"Leap of Faith," a Siren painting, 24" x 30", acrylics on panel, $699 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. Inquiries may come   to me . The second generation of Sirens (you can see   the first ones here ) has me thinking about the challenges of life. I can't paint these things without first visualizing them, and therein lies the challenge, because we typically cannot "see" an individual's struggle. I've spent lots of time imagining fear, conflict, faith, hope, grace as I jump into these new paintings. I welcome your thoughts - is this one successful? what else would you like to see me tackle? Thanks so very much!

"Alice Honeybuns," 12" x 12" x 3/4", acrylics on cradeled birch panel, $529 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. Inquiries may come to me - ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . I love the story of Alice in Wonderland, especially the conflict between reality/dream/imagination that some feel they should debate. To me, the answer to that doesn't matter in the least. It's a delightfully imaginative story. What I have been thinking about, though, is what emotions Alice might have been feeling as the story unwound. I chose to paint her this time as a precocious and curious girl, stepping into the story with her stuffed bunny (The Velveteen Rabbit is another love of mine). There's more Alice's in the works - I have 4 of these little panels and plan to make a series of them. Finally, many thanks to those of you who wished me well last week. I don't usually get sick, and dang, this flu was some serious stuff. I am slowly returning to reality...

I've been rather obsessively painting these girls, my Sirens, for 4 months now. Collectively, they line my studio walls, keeping me company, chatting away to each other. We have serious conversations about what color compassion is, how deeply would one's feet sink into clouds, and if it is wrong to consume an entire bag of Hostess chocolate donuts in one sitting. I would jump back and forth from painting to painting (there's over 40 of them now), making adjustments and revisions as I discovered, or rather, understood, what needed to be changed. And now it's time to share the first generation of Sirens with you. There's 17 in this round, each distinctively carrying their own message. More remain in my studio, inspiring new girls and continuing our daily chats. They are each pillars of strength, courage, compassion and dignity. Unapologetically feminine and fierce, they live inside us, some more loudly than others, enveloping our own insecurities with th...

"Alice," 24" x 48", acrylics on panel, $1499 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. Detail below. Inquiries may come   to me . (yes, I would be delighted to put together a payment plan for you - please ask!) I actually signed a painting today! Not that I haven't been painting, mind you, but only a small handful of my girls are truly finished. Even though I've been working on them since September..... Alice is an homage to Alice in Wonderland (one of my favorites!). I imagine this is what exiting the rabbit hole first looked like. And then the mist cleared......  

"Angel I," 20" x 24", acrylics on panel, originally $699, special 12 Days of Christmas pricing $609 plus s&h with holiday delivery inside the US. Inquiries may come   to me . Angels are emerging in the same vein as the Sirens I've been painting. I think that, like the Sirens, these Angels come to those who need them most. They hear us......   Share Tweet Forward Over the next 12 days I'll be sharing some paintings that would make most excellent gifts. These pieces will carry special holiday pricing thru December 15th, 2017. They are one-of-a-kind originals, and once they are gone, they are gone - so please, if you are interested in something, let me know in the timeliest manner possible. Additionally, if you are in southeastern lower Michigan, I'm hosting   a studio Open House in my new space . I've cleaned out my home studio (mostly) of inventory, and there will be lots to see, going ba...

Breathing Underwater.  30" x 40", acrylics on panel, not for sale. However, inquiries may always come to   me . I've been working on this one all week. It is extra special to me, and I plan to enter her in a juried show later this summer. What sort of story does this one tell you? I'd love to hear your interpretations!

In Process, "Pansie," 24" x 30", from The Dryad Series, acrylics on panel, depicting a 6 year old Princess. This piece is $2499 - please  email me  if you are interested in seeing detail shots or have any questions. Another painting that will hurt my heart a little to send out into the world. Love this kiddo and all the women that pansies remind me of. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

I took an online class on painting boldly and wildly in February, using florals as my subject matter. It kinda rocked my world. Some of my classwork is here,  class information from the uber talented Lynn Whipple is here . Prior to this, if you had told me I would EVER enjoy painting florals, I would have laughed in your face. And if a similar conversation did play out between us, I apologize.  I am loving painting flowers, cannot stop as a matter of fact, and am offering the first from my new series called "Hybrid Blooms." In these paintings you will find all sorts of blooms, realistic and fantastical, along with some unexpected guests. I imagine these paintings inside playrooms, nurseries, offices, and any space populated by a sense of humor. Let me know if you are interested in any of them, or if you would like to see a certain combination. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com ...

Both very much in process, above an untitled (and larger than life) portrait of The Princess, 36" x 48" (gallery stretched canvas), and below, a life sized self portrait, 18" x 24" (panel). Multi media paintings, my own personal collection. While cleaning out the fish bowl yesterday, I realized that it would make a great vase (started one of those too, with goldfish in the bowl and swimming amongst the roses!), and then began thinking of other non-traditional containers for flowers. That was when my head exploded, which I tried to paint. And I was up most of the night working on it. Then I made Anna my next victim. I have mostly thought of painting florals the last couple weeks. I cannot turn my brain off - it is constantly going, even when I'm not at my easel. I'm really going to have to reel things in soon and paint a couple of dogs!! Meanwhile, the pieces are piling up from the online class I'm taking - I need a bigg...

    "Masquerade," 6" x 8", portrait of three young dancers on stage, inspired by the young ladies at  Broadway Dance Co  (where The Princess studies). This is acrylics on museum quality panel and is available to the first asking nicely for $329 - inquiries can come  to moi !    Last nite I found myself with a couple hours to do whatever I wanted. That was a tough one!! I headed straight to the easel and created Masquerade - it's time on the easel was relatively short lived, but this composition had been in my head for over a month, and the idea itself has been percolating for several years.   But inquiring minds always want to know how long did this take to paint?   The painting process cannot be measured or valued by a number of minutes. Making art is a lifelong process of seeing and questioning and filtering and experimenting, building up cumulative knowledge and filling those visual memory banks. ...

  "Splash," 9" x 12", acrylic on museum quality panel, depicting a certain Princess and her rather neurotic Cattle Dog partner in crime, playing together in Paint Creek. This painting was done in acrylics on museum quality panel, and is the latest acquisition by the artist. Yes, me. I'm allowed to claim one every so often, no?   This is one of my favorite memories of this summer - taking Finnigan down to the creek, and watching him play water frisbee with his girl.   What's your favorite summer memory?   Kim, who is fearing the day when The Princess will be too cool to need me for anything other than a clothes allowance, but savoring and loving every single moment between now and then, including today's emergency trip to the library for "brain food" ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com