Paintings With Soul

Dream, 15" x 30", acrylics on gallery stretched canvas, $799 plus s&h. Inquiries may come  to me . Another encaustic piece. This time I wanted the horses to melt into the space. Layers of nuanced pours, scrapings, scratching and drawing. Next comes a BIG one. At least I think so.........

Protect, 15" x 30", acrylics on gallery stretched canvas, $799 plus s&h. Inquiries may come  to me . I've been playing with an acrylic based encaustic-like process - basically suspending my pigments in a translucent, pourable medium sharing many of the same properties as melted wax. This allows me to blend, scratch into, layer, suspend, dribble and do all sorts of delightful things with the paint. So much to learn!!

A Little Romance.  24" x 20", acrylics on panel, (sold - thank you SO much!) Inquiries may come to   me . Another special request painting - after completing   a gray mare and chestnut foal painting last week , I was asked to try my hand at a bay pairing. From the historic "Four Sixes Ranch" in Texas, comes the mare Mostfamouseromance, and this year's baby filly by Hez Our Secret. The baby is a promising future racehorse, and they are hoping to register her as Scandalous Romance, but for now she's just "a little romance." Now what to paint next? I'm open to suggestions - you are welcome to send   non-flash photos that you have taken  to  ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . By submitting a photo you are acknowledging that you are the photographer and have not assigned the copyright to any other parties and that derivative artwork may be made from your photo. You are under no obligation to purchase resulting artwork, however, you will ...

She carries me from the darkest places.  12" x 24", acrylics on museum quality panel, $849 plus s&h. Inquiries may come to  me . Who's always got your back?

The Knight in Shining Armor Was No More Than Eye Candy, So She Left Him Behind When She Had Serious Work To Do  24" x 30", acrylics on panel, featuring a ghostly mare emerging from an enchanted woods. $899 to the first asking nicely - inquiries may come  to me . Please and thank you. SOLD (TY) This mare is on a quest for equality, dignity, safety, respect and love for all beings. She's got no time for distractions. Unless they are peppermint coated.

"Proud," a Florus Animalum painting , 11" x 14", acrylics on panel. This piece is available for purchase to the  first asking nicely , $599 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much. This mare is strong, unapologetic, a force to be reckoned with. The tangle of roses on her back are thorny, yet bountiful with blooms. Read into it what you will, the overall composition is one of sheer delight and glorious color, and this painting will make an exceptional focal point in your space. Yes, please share this image. Our world needs more beauty! Thanks for supporting my art, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

"Minx," 24" x 30", acrylics on panel, featuring a black Thoroughbred mare with a tangled forelock of ribbon. Minx is available - what a stunning holiday gift she would make! $899 and the first asking nicely gets her! As always, inquiries may come to me . A couple weeks ago I roadtripped to Linda Shantz's home, hanging out together in her studio and in the barn. This painting is inspired by one of her layups, Quidi Vidi, and our childhood obsession with the Black Stallion . We both are convinced that Quidi Vidi is exactly what Black Minx, the Black Stallion's filly, would have looked like. Thanks, as always, for following my art, Warmly, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   

"Briar Rose," 24" x 48", acrylics, charcoal and ink on panel, featuring a shaggy chestnut pony and a tangle of spray roses.  Briar needs a home - she's got impeccable manners. $1499 will get her to your door (inside the US) - I guarantee that you can't find a more perfectly behaved pony for a better price! Inquiries may come to me . I'm looking for a space that will host a solo show of my floral pieces or offer a few of them for sale. If you know of any galleries that may be interested, please l et me know ! Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com    Shop Reproductions Here   WORKSHOPS: "Color-iffic," Montague, Michigan (near Grand Rapids), September 8-9th, 2016. For further information or to enroll, please contact  Korrine Rodgers . "Color-iffic", 2 days, Crooked Tree Art Center, Traverse City, MI, October 8-9, 2016. Click here for further information or to enro...

"Present," 12" x 19", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a solid and gentle giant draft horse. He's walking away from the viewer, but his ear is rotated, and he's paying careful attention. This original painting will be a stunning focal point where ever it gets hung.. It is $600 with complimentary shipping inside the US.  Can I ship it to your home? let me know . Allowing the paint to drip, run and bleed (like I did in the bottom half of the painting) gives a spontaneous quality to the composition. Just one of the many ideas that I'm working on collectively - it's like a bomb has gone off in the studio, with all the drawings, sketchbooks, panels and stretched canvases piled about. Thanks for following along with my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

"White Blinkers," 15" x 24", acrylics on Raymar panel depicting a Thoroughbred race horse, inspired by one seen in the paddock at Keeneland Race Track last month. This painting is available for $1799, which includes special delivery to your doorstep (inside the contiguous US).  That is, if I can part with him. I am in love with this guy! Inquire directly to me . In process photos  here .  I spent a good time the last few days just studying this painting. Mentally making changes and measuring how they impacted the overall piece. It's a luxury I don't often give myself, but one I thoroughly enjoyed. I got to see the painting in a variety of different endings, each one pretty spectacular, but ultimately, I chose the ending that seemed to best suit what the piece was telling me. And yes, it did speak up, when I allowed myself to be quiet. It told me it was all about the blinkers. That white space has to be bright so that the rest of the color c...

"Chestnut" 24" x 12", acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting a chestnut mare with a little bit of flash. And some glare on the far right - my apologies - with the glossy ground, this is a very difficult piece to photograph, and I'll have to get her done professionally! This painting can be yours for $1499, which includes s&h inside the US. There's a mess of in process photos  here, including detail shots. Inquiries may come directly to me .  This piece is my new all time favorite. Here's why. The color is a bit flatter in this photograph than it is in person. This painting is vibrant and delicious! That dark ground? It's really a sea of blue to green. And those pinks in her shoulder? I teared up a little over them. Yeah, I'm a color geek. The movement is true. I can feel her stepping forward, I can see the sun glistening off her muscles, and I can hear her feet hit the ground. The brushwork looks tigh...

"Snowy Greetings," 12" square, chestnut Thoroughbred filly portrait, acrylic on canvasboard, $529 to the first taker. This is a tough piece to photograph - with the amped contrast and saturated complimentary colors, my camera didn't know what to do.  I may try to scan portions of the painting and piece it together in photoshop, but meanwhile inquiries may come to me . This little lady was half of today's Kentucky Derby pARTy - Linda Shantz will be presenting the other half later today. This is what a "pARTy" is - we are both painting from the same reference photo . I didn't think to take progress shots of my painting, but will do so next time. Linda's painting is here  and you can view her process as it unfolds. I'll add my image to the site later today. How did this piece come together? Well I started out with a violet underpainting (the compliment of orange), and pretty much had the drifts and swaths of snow painted in the f...

WORK IN PROCESS, "Untitled," acrylic on Raymar panel, 11" x 14", available for purchase. Inquiries and title suggestions may come to me .   I started this painting yesterday and continued to work on it all day today. It's quite a bit larger then the paintings I normally try to complete in one day and the composition is also more complex. However I found myself reveling in the challenge it presented. It is so key for artists to push the envelope - how else are we to learn new things?   The mare is close to being finished, however the rider needs additional attention. I'll gray down the jacket and add additional details to the tack and shift a few values one way or the other. It shouldn't take me too long, but it most definately will take me longer than I have this evening.   Tomorrow I will be stepping into new territory as well. Another artist friend, Linda Shantz , and I will be having our own Kentucky Derby pARTy. What's a pARTy y...

FROM TOP: "Illy," 4" x 8", equine portrait, private collection (THANK YOU!) and "Bay Mare," 5" x 7", horse painting, $249. Both in acrylic on canvasboard. Inquiries may come to me .   The brushwork in both these paintings makes me happy. I've learned to say more with less, and I very much like this style of painting.   There's new paintings added to my Etsy store . This is a great location where it is easy to browse through unsold Dog-a-Day artwork, and there is a mess of other wildly talented artists and artisans over there as well. Enjoy your time on Etsy , and pick up something special for Mother's Day.   For that matter, if you tell me your purchase is for a Mom, I'll give you 10% off. What the heck, let's include newly booked commissions for Moms in that as well - through Mother's Day, all purchases intended for Mom's qualify for 10% off. Sound good? hope so!!   Meanwhile, I'm headed back to ...