Paintings With Soul

  Speciman I, 6-1/2"x9", mixed media on Fabriano paper, collection of the artist. please tell me more about Speciman The onset of a new year is when I love to burrow in with books, blankets and new ideas. The fireplace beckons and the dogs circle, waiting to snuggle in alongside. This year there's been lots of great reads (I am really enjoying my new Kindle) and reflecting (I've filled 2 notebooks already!). This always results in a good amount of new ideas bouncing around. And oddly enough, they have to do with ink and paper. My daily drawing habit has hooked me in - drawing as a warm up for the easel leaves me hungry for more. I found myself lingering at the drawing table longer each day. So I decided to indulge my muse and let her play at the drawing table. This is ok - part of the ebb and flow of being creative. It's an important reminder that not everything I make has to be for sale. When I reflect 2023, I spent too much time focused on deadlines and lost tou...

  Sprout, acrylic on cradled wood panel, 36"x24", 1" profile, no need to frame, $2000 plus s&h to   the first asking nicely . Questions can always come  to me. this painting began in February after a heavy ice storm   and was signed last week, while the earth has been busy coming back to life. Along the way I incorporated elements of the changing season (and moon) in her design. She's a compilation of the shifts that have happened in my little neck of the woods. I am intrigued by this combination, a painting made up of multiple moments in time - you can bet it's been added to my "what if's" for future exploration! Meanwhile, you can  make Sprout your own  or oogle at a larger image of her. Also, if you are so inclined, there will be a new Watching Paint Dry episode tomorrow (May 26th) at noon eastern. I'll be talking about commissioned projects and my stint as the official artist of the 2015 Kentucky Derby. You can tune in via zoom  here . T...

  Lisianthus, acrylic on handmade round cradled wood panel (by Bara Woodshaping), 30" in diameter, 1" profile, with cleated hanging system that allows the panel to hang flush against the wall (no need to frame), $2300 plus s&h to   the first asking nicely . Questions can always come   to me. lisianthus are one of my favorite flowers   there's something extra special about their twisted buds and delicate stems. I feel like they are little  fouette turns . Or maybe little party crackers. What do you think? Combining these florals with the fox was an exercise in self control. I think at one point there must have been 100 blooms in this piece - that was when I realized I needed to dial my enthusiasm down a bit! So instead of the actual flowers, I embraced mark making that felt like the lisianthus, and twisted my brush through marbled puddles of paint. Also, I cannot say enough about this substrate, a gorgeous handmade panel from  Bara Woodshaping ...

  Magnolia, 24"x30", acrylic on flat panel, $1300 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. Link to purchase is   here .  Inquiries are always welcome .  is the hair on the back of your neck standing up? how crisp is the air you are breathing? are you bathing in the moonlight? Inspired by the coyotes or wolves (not sure now what they were exactly) that serenaded us while camping in Maine last month, this painting just sings. The autumnal colors dance across the surface like the bird in flight (do you see her?), and the eyes gently follow you. This is a stunning painting to anchor a space with a strong architectural presence - perhaps over a fireplace or viewed through an arched opening. Make Magnolia yours   here . Thanks so much for following along with - and supporting - my art journey, warmly, Kim

  Harvest Moon, 24"x30", acrylic on flat panel, Private collection (thank you so very much!).  Inquiries are always welcome . Prints are available   here . my recent paintings feel like visual timestamps of what was playing out in my life when they were created. This one was completely impacted by the lunar eclipse a couple weeks ago and the unbelievable richly colored autumn we experienced here in Michigan. As always, I welcome your questions or thoughts about my work. What do you see in her? Interested in prints or other objects featuring Harvest Moon? here's   a link . Thanks so much for following along with - and supporting - my art journey, warmly, Kim

  "Shrine," 24"x30"x1-1/2", acrylic on cradled panel, when available, Shrine will be $1800 plus s&h.   Reach out to me   for further details. I am nearing the end of the preparations for my solo show "Fox Medicine." This has been a year's worth of reflection, rumination, and intense creativity. A cohesive body of work, approximately 70 new pieces, was created while continuing to paint and process a multitude of other subjects during the past 12 months. In other words, I didn't clear my calendar but rather folded the show tasks into what I was already committed to creating. It's been a challenging and busy time and seems a little odd that it will end on Monday when I deliver the artwork. But it won't end, per se. I am certain that she (the fox) will continue to show up on my easel - after all, I headed out of town last week expecting to paint other things, but she cunningly followed along and snuck into 4 of the 7 paintings done on ...

  "Vixen," 30"x40"x1-1/2", acrylic on panel, $2400 plus s&h when available, but first she is heading out into the world for a bit (ie exhibitions).   Reach out to me   if you are interested in Vixen and I can add you to my First Dibs Collector's Club. First Dibbers receive priority purchasing when it comes to my new work. this piece started out as a demo for my online students and then she took on a life of her own. Sometimes demos go sideways and wonky. It's the nature of having to articulate what one is doing while one is doing. That makes it more difficult (for me at least) to hit the flow state and really let loose, and I believe that it's here in this magical state where the roots of some of my best paintings lay. So I was super excited to see all the promise Vixen still held   after two hours of painting and talking . And the following painting session, when she grew stronger, I created   another lesson video of her,   just to ...

  "Terra Cotta," 24"x36", acrylic on panel, $1300 plus s&h when available.   Reach out to me   if you are interested and I can add you to my First Dibs Collector's Club. First Dibbers have priority purchasing when it comes to my new work. the Momma Bears are evolving   and this one seems to be particularly powerful. I feel elements of my prior works in here - she is   sirenesque , carries some   daydream like passages , and is rooted in the   Talisman pieces . I also see her reflecting some of my more recent interests relative to brushwork, earthy color, and skies. Don't forget about   her sister bears that will be available on Friday at noon eastern.   And if you are looking to add more than one to your collection,   reach out to me   for a collector rate and combined ship costs. Thanks so much for following along with my art journey, warmly, Kim

  "Dusk," 24" in diameter, acrylic on cradled panel, $1800 plus s&h when available.   Reach out to me   if you are interested and I can add you to my First Dibs Collector's Club. First Dibbers already have access to purchasing Dusk. There are also 5 other paintings currently in the First Dibs space.....  a tornado siren in the middle of last night    brought me outside to skywatch. It was dry and not yet eerily still, so there was no immanent need to take cover. The clouds slid across the night sky and I marveled at the moon, glowing calmly while threatening lightening painted the sky opposite the full moon and a constant roll of thunder moved across us. We had a good 20 minutes or so of this before the rain ushered us back inside. This morning when I came into the studio, Dusk greeted me. I had started her yesterday, working with the idea of densely tangled growth such as what I pruned away over the past three weekends. Life in...

  "Ether," 24" in diameter, acrylic on cradled panel, $1800 plus s&h when available.   Reach out to me   if you are interested and I can add you to my First Dibs Collector's Club. First Dibbers get advance access to new work like Ether, before she is offered publicly. I currently have 6 paintings in the First Dibs space.....  she took me for a ride, this one   as a painting that pushes the boundaries should. I try to do something new with each piece - I call these explorations my "what ifs" - and there were a number of them in Ether that sounded fantastic to ask, but were bears to resolve. Like what if the dandelion flowers and leaves were of differing scale? and what if I allowed the pencil lines to become as prominent as the brushwork. And what if I push the idea of an equine shape into nothingness (like air) - how far can I go without losing the sense that she is a horse? What ifs are a key component of my teaching style. I encourage m...

  "Sanctuary," 24"x30", acrylic on panel, $1300 plus s&h when available.   Reach out to me   if you are interested, as I am in the process of putting together a special first dibs program for my collectors both old and new. Those who are part of the First Dibs group will get access to painting sales before the general public; if you are seriously interested in acquiring a piece or you have purchased an original from me within the last 3 years, you will have the option to join this group. Collectors please watch for an email in the next few days. a few weeks ago I invited this painting back to my easel   because it was time to add to her story. Things had played out in the world, and with fresh eyes I saw that I could make some powerful changes to her design.  I believe I have finished her - at least for now. Who knows when the next chapter will show up (and if she's no longer here in the studio, I'll have to start a new one, lol!!) T...

  "Willow," 24"x30", acrylic on panel, $1300 plus s&h when available.   Reach out to me if you are interested, as I am in the process of putting together a special first dibs program for my collectors both old and new. from my heart and then from life is how this painting came about. This Momma Bear began a couple weeks back, literally drawn overtop a pine tree painting using a previous Momma Bear painting as a reference. As I worked intuitively (meaning the reference got turned to the wall and I responded just to the new bear and whatever popped up next in my head), she began to look less like a pine tree and more like a weeping willow. It seemed fitting somehow, my association of  Momma Bears protectingt our children in a world gone mad, linked to willows - both whomping and weeping.. I hadn't spent time with a willow in years (but remembered a special one I used to bike past as a kid) and knew I needed to remedy that. A trip to Hogwarts just was...

  "Guardian," 24"x30", acrylic mixed media on flat panel. Guardian will be available at a future date, alongside some sister paintings. I welcome inquiries - they may always come   to me . Momma Bears are back with a ferocity. This was a tough week, to be honest. I can't stop thinking of the children and teachers who lost their lives in the Uvalde elementary school shooting. As a mother myself, a parent of a teacher, with friends who are educators, counselors, administrators et all, well, this guts me. Particularly so after seeing how changed my own community was after this fall's Oxford High School shooting just a few miles from my home.  So the foxes and rabbits, my own personal totems, got set aside in order for me to process the complexity of feels with my paints. I sat with my own complex responses but also talked to and read many other accounts. I tried to tap in to what people were feeling using a visual language I cultivated while painting the Talism...

  "Red Pine," 24"x30", acrylic on panel. This painting may be offered at a future date with a small collection of similar pieces.  Reach out   with any questions and thanks so much for your interest in my artwork. Red Pine. She's packed with magic. Can I attribute it to the moon water I drank this morning before my painting session? or is it a product of visualizing the tree circle (of pines) in my back yard when I came to the easel? or did she show up because I have been doing so (showing up at my easel) for the last 20+ years? it doesn't matter the how, because she's here now, and I'm in awe. There are spirits and energies all around us, if we dare to pay attention. Here's a little   video short   about how she came about. Thanks for taking the time to look at my work, With peace, Kim

  "Sky," the newest addition to The Talisman paintings, 24"x36"x1-1/2, acrylic and water solubles on a cradled wood panel. Sky will be available to purchase, along with a handful of sister paintings, at a future date. In the meanwhile, inquiries may always come   to me. Inspired by a backyard encounter with a barred owl (she was so very full of magic and glory), then a dream sequence featuring owls (with speech bubbles) and then the random acquisition of a barred owl feather, this painting was steeped in loveliness from the very beginning. This is how all of my Talisman paintings start out - via multiple nods or winks from the universe that are connected in some way. That wink provides the seedling idea which I take to the easel. Then the piece begins to take on a life of her own based on the marks that show up and other connections that form during the time the work is in process. I have a similar owl piece still in process, this one smaller and more squar...

  "Exhale," 24"x20", acrylic and water solubles on a flat panel, $849 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. I accept paypal and personal checks - please   reach out directly   with your questions. This piece will forever be known to me as the lion who became a lioness. Or maybe she was a lioness all along, and I was merely confused at the onset. More to ponder as I set off to stretch a new big canvas and think about the paintings Exhale is already inspiring. I also want to mention that next year I will be changing how I offer work for sale. I will be offering small collections, maybe 5-6 related paintings, at the same time (instead of piecemeal, like how I do things now, a habit left over from my daily painting days), and they will be available to purchase directly through my website or via gallery representation. I will continue to share and announce new works as they come off my easel, but for a predictable and fair acquisition experience, I will schedule a...

  "Ladybug," 24"x30"x1-1/2", acrylic and water solubles on a cradled wooden panel. This piece is $999 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. And thank you so much for your interest in my artwork. Returning collectors receive 10% off original artwork purchases. I accept paypal, personal checks and payment plans. Inquiries my always come   to me . A ladybug somehow got in my car a couple weeks back, and was crawling up my arm. I pulled over to let her go safely. I've been hiding her in paintings ever since, but today she declared that she wanted to be the star. Who am I to argue with a good luck omen? Thanks, as always, for following along on my painting journey, Be well, Fondly, Kim

  "Equinox," 30"x24", acrylic and water solubles on panel, This piece is $899 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. And thank you so much for your interest in my artwork. Returning collectors receive 10% off original artwork purchases. I accept paypal, personal checks and payment plans. Inquiries my always come   to me . There's lucky rabbit's feet tucked into this painting for a mild winter (I sure hope I haven't jinxed us!).  Thanks, as always, for following along on my painting journey, Be well, Fondly, Kim

  "Autumn," 24"x18"x1-1/2", acrylic and water solubles on cradled panel, with the image painted around the sides so no need to frame, This piece is $849 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. And thank you so much for your interest in my artwork. Returning collectors receive 10% off original artwork purchases. I accept paypal, personal checks and payment plans. Inquiries my always come   to me . This sweet girl is inspired by a dream I had several nights ago, and my rescued rabbit Gertie was the willing model. In the dream I had an awakening of sorts, where I recognized my role as a nurturer. I found that intriguing given the reading I've been doing of late (Robin Wall Kimmerer, Suzanne Simard, Linda Hogan and Richard Powers' The Overstory), and the intrinsic idea that we give back (to the earth) prior to respectfully and reverently taking for ourselves.  In a nod to the seasonal shift and daylight savings time, too, I painted Autumn filled with her ...

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...