Paintings With Soul

  Family II, paper roughly 36"x48", mixed media (paint and charcoal), $800 plus s&h   to the first asking nicely . This piece will ship rolled and need to be set behind glass to ensure longevity. I do have a scroll type hanging system for  temporarily use which can be included with the piece at no extra cost. Questions can always come   to me. taking a family portrait can be tricky....   You know, getting everyone to look at the camera and smile simultaneously. No stealth pinches right before the shutter clicks. No bunny ears or duck lips or awkward expressions. No silent but deadly farts (I'm having flashbacks to a particularly hilarious portrait session with my four brothers).  I enjoyed imagining the dialogue between these foxes. Their body language evolved and shifted as their storyline grew over the course of the year that this one was in process. I enjoyed it so much that I stretched another large piece of paper and set myself up for a repeat perf...

  Family, image 33"x45", paper a bit larger, mixed media on paper, $800 plus s&h to   the first asking nicely . Will ship rolled. I can also include a magnetic scroll style hanging system, but recommend ultimately this piece be set behind glass for preservation. And of course, questions can always come   to me. I started 2 of these large scale drawings last year.    They were pinned to my studio wall, and every week or so I'd sit with them for a bit and add marks. The accumulation of layers over time created quite a historied feel to the surface that I quite like. My original intent was to include them in the Fox Medicine show last October, but they had other plans, clearly. One is still in process, but this one, Family, is ready to head out into the world. This is a wonderfully scaled, nuanced and soothing piece. She will be amazing in someone's home or office. Here is the link to purchase . Thanks so much for following along with - and supporting - my art ...

In   today's #journalthroughit class , students made spirit animal totems using mixed media and inspiration from treasures found during a visual scavenger hunt. Don't know about the online experience called #journalthroughit? here's the Cliff Notes version: art journaling lessons, all ages, all levels (from non-artist through to accomplished), no special materials needed, family friendly, and free ( donations welcome ). Content is live streamed via Facebook ( mine   and   Ardith Goodwin's ), will be archived for a week, and is delivered Monday-Friday. We are two weeks in, but you can jump in at any time and do the lessons in whatever order you wish. Additionally, I challenge you to take   the stencil/templates   from today's class and do something totally unexpected and creative with them. Puppets (and a videoed performance), 3D dolls, other layers in your journal - use your noggin and come up with something really, really good. Next session wil...

For the first time ever, 12 original mixed media paintings by Kiki Kelly** available for purchase. TOP ROW, FROM LEFT  Applause, Bloom I, Constellations SECOND ROW, FROM LEFT General Admission Spring*, In Like a Lion, Petunias THIRD ROW, FROM LEFT Ranunculas*, Sea Serpent, Sea Urchins FOURTH ROW, FROM LEFT Snow Flowers, Valentine, Vivaldi Mixed media (collage, water color, acrylic paints, various pens, inks) on paper, archivaly corner mounted on foamcore and cello wrapped. All pieces excepting * are 11" x 14" and $200 ea, paintings with * are 16" x 20" and $300 each. S&H extra. I accept paypal, venmo, personal checks and payment plans. Inquiries may come   to me .   I'm currently taking an online class called   Symbolotry . The class is focused on finding a deeper understanding of the role symbols have in our lives, and then consciously using this knowledge to build a personally meaningful dictionary of symbolic marks in our ar...

"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  

"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

"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...

"Sniff," 18" x 21", tissue paper and acrylics collage on Ampersand gessobord, featuring canine noses representing 12 different breed groups. This mixed media piece was created six(?) years back for a poster contest and went into storage afterwards. I think it deserves a home, don't you? So I'll let it go to the first one asking nicely - for an "adoption fee" of $99, including shipping within the US. Excerpt below is truer to color and shows the patterning and detail in each of the noses. SOLD. An antique secretery desk is storage for my unsold daily paintings. It's perfect - all the little cubbies are great for nesting panels. And if a piece is too large for the cubbies, it goes into a portfolio behind my wall-to-ceiling bookshelves. Which means the paintings are out of sight. Which means I sometimes forget what's on hand. Which means that occasionally I need to revisit the out-of-sight-out-of-mind-sto...

A journal page created this weekend while escorting The Princess to a dance convention and competition. Water soluble pencil, watercolors, and gel pen. My inbox is overflowing with notes - apparently my last blog post resonated with many of you. Thanks for the notes of encouragement and commisseration. We are all in this journey together, that's for sure. While I had a busy schedule this weekend, my art supplies or iPad were always at hand . I was able to journal in the dressing room and did some digital painting in the classrooms. And I took pictures, shot video, and filled my visual memory up with ideas for new works.  Oh yeah, and had quality time with my daughter, who makes me so proud I could just burst. Thanks for following along with my artwork! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Nikki and Yori," 12" x 16," done in acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting a chow mix and a German Shepherd Dog. This is a commissioned portrait, and as such, is heading to a new home next week. However, inquiries on how you can get something similar may come to me . I started this one a little before 11 am (and that doesn't count the groundwork done prior to picking up the brushes, learning about the animals' personalities, reviewing photos, and putting a composition together) and just signed it a little bit ago. Granted, there was a break to pick the kids up from school and to inhale some dinner, but for the most part, this painting was done in one sitting. One nearly 11 hour sitting. Add the 2 hours of computer work I did earlier, and that's an honest day's work!! I LOVE days like this, and have enough adrenaline to start another painting tonite, but think I'll punch out and spend some time with ...

  A mixed media collaged spread from my journal (detail below), including hand painted papers and ephemera, stamping, tea staining, song lyrics, and personal affirmations. Tonite's journallistas will use ink and watercolors to stain paper scraps, and build cairns/totems of their own.   I teach journalling classes to children and adults year-round, and new students are always welcome. Each class introduces new methods or art concepts, and participants are encouraged to experiment. No previous journalling experience necessary, nor is any particular skill level with art materials/concepts needed.   Ask abou t upcoming classes!! And thank you!!     It was a delightful morning to make a roadtrip. I don't allow myself out of the studio that often (I'm too easily distracted!), so it's an extra special treat when I get out into the real world on occasion. I made the most of the sunshine, singing along to...