Paintings With Soul

"HoHoHo II," 6" x 8", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a vintage (unmarked) roly-poly plastic Santa toy, $329 (with complimentary shipping and handling to a US address). In between doing top secret paintings, I'm pulling out older pieces and reworking them. This guy first hit my easel in 2013 . I think he's quite a bit more dashing now.  Email me if you would like to to own Santa - and thank you so much for your interest! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com 

"Playmobil SuperGirl," Toy #33, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, depicting a Playmobil caped figure. She could easily bring her superpowers to your house - $75 includes s&h. Email me to purchase (and thank you!). I'm playing teacher at the kitchen table.  Well, it feels that way at least, like playing. Today I had a private painting lesson with a student who traveled from out of state (technically, she had a couple of meetings in my area, too, so I'm not letting it get entirely to my head). My studio is kinda dinky for two people to work in, so we set up shop in the kitchen . We even put the leaf in the table so there was extra room. And played with Playmobil. And now I'm off to my journaling class . We're playing with watercolor and fountain pens and lists of gratitude tonite. Thanks, as always, for playing with me, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album

"Flutterby," 8" x 8" x 2", acrylics on a deeply cradeled museum quality panel, depicting a My Little Pony figurine toy. I grabbed her as an impulse buy while in the checkout lane at Target. Now, after the success of this painting, I want to go back and get more (because I am a hoarder and I have 2 other panels identical to this and think a triptych would be super fun!). This piece is $429, and that includes shipping and handling direct to your US address. Let me know if you want Flutterby for your home! I Finally Figured Yellow Out. And now I've most likely cursed myself by saying so out loud. But here's the thing, just like with any other color, yellow grays out (de-saturates) as it moves away from one's eye. Until today, I didn't see that graying process, I simply read the overall intensity of yellow (generically speaking) and painted that. "Paint what you see, and not what you know." How man...

"Madame Alexander," Toy #3, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, depicting a backlit porcelain doll from the Salvation Army. Please connect with me  via email  if you would like to purchase this painting - she's only $75, and that includes s&h inside the US! I spent the last 2 days prepping for my workshop in Ann Arbor tomorrow. This one is a 2 day intensive, where I try to boil down and condense all the goodies I throw at students in a typical 4 day workshop (and THOSE are fast paced too!). I also have a couple new exercises I wanted to use, which meant restructuring the flow of the days and reworking my slideshow. I work best under pressure, I suppose! And to top things off, I'm a couple hundred emails behind in responding. So please continue to be patient with me if you are awaiting a note - I promise I'll get to them asap. But I will have limited computer time the rest of the week. Now it's off to wrap and ship paintings h...

"Sprout," 9" x 12", acrylics on masonite, a study of a rubber toy of the Jolly Green Giant's little friend. This painting has a home (thank you very much!!). Inquiries may  come to me . Eat Your Peas!   Sprout was a study begun during my workshop last month. One of my students wanted to purchase him, but I asked to have a little more time to clean things up and make a few more marks. Thankfully she obliged. And she just gave her approval so we both are delighted. And now he's ready to go home! Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Warmly, Kim  

"Jigsaw Puzzle I," Toy #28, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, depicting a few pieces from a Beatrix Potter puzzle. I might have a new favorite subject - puzzle pieces AND Peter Rabbit and friends! Please connect with me  via email  if you would like to purchase this painting - only $75, and that includes s&h inside the US! Deceivingly Difficult Umm, yeah. Carving those curves out with a giant brush (I didn't want tight, fussy brushwork), then getting the nuances on the table top, followed by the pattern on the pieces themselves (which ended up getting rubbed out as they swallowed up the whole painting). It was so hard that I had to walk away for a bit and go around the block for some fresh air. But it was a lot of fun to have such a simple setup that required so much of my brain. I'm going to try this again! Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com ...

A quick little demo after a day spent harping on color and value with the added bonus that there was no heckling or pelting with tomatos. "Curious George," 6" square, acrylics on masonite, depicting everyone's favorite little monkey. In typical George fashion, he's worked his way into one of my students' bags. But I will be painting him again, so by all means, let me know if you are interested. Inquiries may  come to me , and thank you so much. I Won't Go Home Hungry There's something about southern hospitality. I'm getting fed three squares, and plied with Tiger Cake, Apple Cake, homemade chocolates, muffins, skunk cookies, you name it! Plus have gotten cooking tips on how to make the bestest gumbo ever and been given a few secret jambalaya ingredients. And they have this thing in the south called grits. Good God, I don't know how I've lived nearly 50 years without tasting this miracle food, but I am now a...

"Kermie," Toy #25, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, depicting a vintage Fisher Price Kermit the Frog puppet (perched on an empty Scrumpies Hard Cider bottle, which you cannot see, but I assure you was delicious!). This painting already has a home (I don't think there's such a thing as a homeless Muppet, is there?) Meanwhile, connect with me  via email  if you are looking for something in particular. I keep doing  the Muppet flail . It's ridiculous, I know. But the kids are happy to be back in school and I'm delighted to be back at the easel during daylight hours. However I think I pulled something in my shoulder whilst flailing.  Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album

"Lorek Byrnison," Toy #23, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, depicting a Schleich polar bear figurine I've dubbed Lorek, after the polar bear-ish character in The Golden Compass (book). This painting is $75, including shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . My Fantasy World I absolutely adore reading, almost as much as I love painting. As a result, my head is full of lively characters, all personalities I bonded with during some marvelous adventure. And it may sound strange, but I consider them friends and confidantes, and do carry on conversations with them in my head. It's quite a party in there on any given day. I guess a true reader will understand. So Lorek Byrnison is just such a character. He hails from Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials . He honors promises and values true friendship. He embraces who he is and loves purely. And, to me, he became an emblem of almost religious proportions: m...

"Kit," 8" x 10", acrylics on museum quality panel, a commissioned pet portrait of a tri-colored long haired Chihuahua. Kit's painting has a home (thank you so very much!), however do not despair - I am now accepting a limited number of special projects like this one. Please send inquiries  to me .  I know, I know. I've been painting a lot of things other than dogs. And dogs are what the majority of you readers know me for and want to see. But here's the thing - I love painting them just as much as I did before, they just aren't getting to the easel as often. Because I want to learn better handling of lights and darks, and focus on manipulating edges - both things that aren't always possible when working from photos on a specific likeness. So yes, I'm mixing it up a bit. Working on the  100 Toys series and doing more totem paintings , spending a lot of time journaling and sketching and reading and thinking and...

"T Rex," Toy #19, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite. This painting features a Schleich plastic dinosaur, freshly grown in our Dinosaur Garden. This painting is $75, including shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . SOLD (THANK YOU!) Yes, you read that right. We have a dinosaur garden. It's a perennial one, self sows/reseeds every year underneath some giant hostas and magical foxgloves. It is home to Grandpa Toad (he's a very happy, very large toad) and his descendants, along with a collection of tiny dinosaurs and dragons that co-exist quite nicely. Kids always ask where we got our dinosaur garden. But it came with our house, so I'm not sure where to tell them to get one of their own. But I have heard, if you make a comfy dinosaur nest, you might entice one to move in and start up his/her own commune. Please note, there is a difference between making a dinosaur nest and a warm bed for feral cats. Make sure...

You can download the file   directly from my website . I've set up a couple different ways to do this, either via the photo album or a direct link. I am not an expert on operating systems, so if you don't know how to change your desktop wallpaper, please don't email me - I will indubitably steer you wrong. Your computer's help files will be more concise, more knowledgeable and more responsive than I could ever hope to be.  I've sized this to fit a standard screen height of 768 - I realize there are lots of variables that could impact how the file displays on your screen. Let me know if, once you get the file installed, there are display quality issues (keep in mind, too, that options such as "stretching to fit," "tiling" and "cropping" will impact your display, so check those first!). Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork,   Kim

"Finger Puppet I," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, painted from the army of finger puppet guardians that watch over my studio entryway. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . Another Year Older But am I wiser? that is the bigger question. (Today is my birthday) This year included soul searching and digging deep as I worked on making sense of the losses and heartache encountered in the previous 18 months. I have not figured it out, nor have I gotten one inch closer to understanding much other than teenagers and their mood swings (secret - it's all about full bellies, because, seriously, people, hangry (hungry+angry) can be dangerous). But I am learning to step towards what terrifies me the most (like my baby being in high school), to trust in the universe (there HAS to be a bigger reason we have a curtain and wallpaper eating cat in our household), and to linger more ful...

"Super Miracle Bubbles," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, painted from a fabulously shaped bottle of bubbles. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . Resonance I'm feeling very satisfied - this series of toy paintings that I started, primarily to help myself work through some specific lighting and visual challenges, is resonating well with my collectors and fans.  Despite the fact that I'm NOT painting dogs or animals, at least not in the traditional or historical sense that this blog has featured, you have been very enthusiastic about these pieces. Commenting via emails, messages, Facebook - I'm trying to respond to each one personally as time allows. Thank you for your enthusiasm! And they are selling well - sales are validation that what I'm looking at and thinking about in the studio is resonating with the real world. I'm hovering around a 50% sales rate. The...

"Push Puppet Puppy," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring a push puppet snagged from the dollar bin at Target a few years back. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . Love this toy. Love it. Didn't love it while I was painting, though. With a 1" wide brush on a 6" wide canvas. This puppy needs to be larger, so that I could do justice to the little jointed legs and those sweet button feet. Which is part of the pros in working like this, with a series of paintings and parameters. I learn what can and can't be done, and how to re-frame those "can't's" so that they are "can"s. Consider this idea filed away for another day. Meanwhile, I allowed myself a smaller brush so as to clean this little guy up better. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The...

"Pup + Penny," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring a Fisher Price Little People dog. And a shiny penny. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . SOLD (THANK YOU!). Reflected Color Something you see in life, but not always in photographs. See that smidge of copper in the dog's body? it's the reflection of the penny. And the green edge of his body? that's light bouncing off the green paper, light that has absorbed the color of the object it's bouncing off. And the shadow, how it's bluer near the dog's body? that's because the body's shadowed darkness is reflected into the shadow itself.  Set some objects up and see if you can't see similar effects. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album

You can download the desktop calendar file   directly from my website . I've set up a couple different ways to do this, either via the photo album or a direct link. I am not an expert on operating systems, so if you don't know how to change your desktop wallpaper, please don't email me - I will indubitably steer you wrong. Your computer's help files will be more concise, more knowledgeable and more responsive than I could ever hope to be.  I've sized this to fit a standard screen height of 768 - I realize there are lots of variables that could impact how the file displays on your screen. Let me know if, once you get the file installed, there are display quality issues (keep in mind, too, that options such as "stretching to fit," "tiling" and "cropping" will impact your display, so check those first!).   Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork,   Kim

"The King (Elvis)," 6" x 8", acrylics on a Raymar panel, a portrait of none other than The King Himself, still life done from a vintage doll (stamped "1984 E.P.E" on the back!), $329 to the first one raising their hand. Inquires may come directly to me . In process pics are here .  Today started with a little extra sleep (can never go wrong with that!), then a private art lesson with one of my favorite young ladies, then some loud music and dancing solo at my easel. Now I'm off to deliver a pre-lacrosse practice snack to one kid, collect another from a volunteering gig, and get in a powerwalk all before the sun sets. Hope your day has been just as excellent! Thank you, thank you very much!  Happy Weekend, Kim   ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

"Forthright," 5" x 7", acrylics on an Ampersand gessobord, portrait of a vintage doll, or rather, a vintage doll head. With sleepy eyes. Or are they not-so-sleepy-eyes when they are glued open? Anyway, let me know if you would like a painting featuring a favorite childhood toy  (and yes, there's still time to get a gift certificate by the holidays). R 14 That's what's stamped on the back of this little one's head. She has the most mesmerizing eyes. Coupled with her ratty hair, which at one time appears to have been very fashionably coiffed (I can't imagine dread locks were all the rage in the 50s), she's an interesting face to gaze into. If you can forget for a moment that that's all she is. A head, balanced on a glass vial. I bet she was someone's treasured friend many years ago. I'm happy to be her caretaker now.  Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork! Happy holida...

"Grey III," 6" x 8", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a dark bay Schleich model draft horse, $329 to the first asking nicely . There's a lot to be said for working in a series - it really gives you the opportunity to lose yourself in an idea. This week , my challenge has been using a limited number of colors (5 tubes of paint), mixing harmonious yet colorful grays, while working up simple still lifes inspired by model horses. I can't stop. I have to - I have some commissions to get to - but I can't stop. I may squeeze another one in later tonite. So far there's three paintings in this series - Gray I and Gray II remain available. All three of these will look gorgeous grouped together and I will give preferential pricing to any collector who wishes to purchase the collection. Message me! Pics of all the Gray paintings, including in process ones, are here . Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Wa...