Paintings With Soul

  Delta, 24"x24", acrylic on a flat panel, $1200 plus s&h to   the first asking nicely . Questions can always come   to me. There's a story behind Delta......   There is a lovely little creek in our town that is home to a significant number of trout. One of our favorite stops on our daily dog walks (when the weather is warmer) involves lingering at their feeding and spawning holes. I so enjoy watching the interplay of looking into the waters depth while also seeing the reflection of the sky and the objects surrounding the creek's edges. It's a living painting. The momma bear in this painting was birthed of sketches done from  the bear cam  in Katmai National Park. It's my own life drawing session, watching them fish, lounge, groom themselves, lumber about. Now those rivers are much more active than our little creek here at home, but I love to imagine how they also teem with life under the surface. I married the two experiences together in Delta. I parti...

  "Fire Water Air Earth," 24"x30", acrylic mixed media on flat panel. She will be available at a future date, alongside her fellow momma bear paintings. I welcome inquiries - they may always come   to me . i've been learning all about clouds and other sorts of sky vocabulary as possible titles for this painting  because at first I thought she was emerging from a dark night. While she may have begun that way, she didn't stay cowed for long. Now she is victoriously ruling over a new dawn. I am exhausted. I have signed 3 emotionally demanding paintings this week, with others in process. Time to rest and savor what next week promises. I have a feeling t'll be more bears. I have plenty of anger and other emotions to work through before they can go. Hug your little - and big - ones, warmly, Kim PS You heard right - there is a pop-up studio sale next week. It'll be on my website, Friday, June 10th at noon, and it will feature rabbit paintings!! Details to c...

  "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...

IN PROCESS, WORKING TITLE "Cygnets," 11"x14", acrylics and graphite on stonehenge paper, $399 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. This piece will need to be framed and set behind glass by the buyer. I accept Paypal, venmo, personal checks and payment plans. Purchase inquiries can always come   to me . Every day I get at least one email or message, asking about my process. Which means I must not be doing a good enough job talking about   my online classroom,   where I share all the magic and more. This painting is being filmed as it progresses, and my students will get all the deets about my concept, and see the process from the underpainting to the finishing touches. Plus they get the added benefit of discussion, links to my sources of inspiration, learn what I'm reading and thinking about as I create. If this sounds interesting,   come on over   and join us! Meanwhile, Cygnets should be finished later this week, and ...

"Surfacing(Daydream 41)," 20" x 24", acrylics and graphite on panel, $849 plus s&h to the first asking nicely. I accept paypal, venmo, personal checks and payment plans - inquiries always welcome to come  to me .  This painting evolved from the same reference photo as   "The Butterfly Effect (Daydream 40)," yet they have entirely different feels. I think it's a reflection of my mood and frame of mind at the time I create them. Even just the span of a few days can have a significant impact. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork journey, Warmly, Kim

Prince Leopold.  12" x 12" x 1/2", acrylics on canvas, $309. Inquiries may come to  me . In between waiting for layers to dry on a 24" x 36" panel, I continued with my Frog Princes paintings. Warm thanks to  Team Husar Photography  for this leopard frog reference.

"Airplane," 9" x 12", acrylics on cradeled panel, depicting one of my favorite goldens doing his favorite thing. Dogs + water is always a win, unless you are wearing light colors. As always, inquiries may come to me .  I have been slowly reworking this piece, making adjustments that pop Bear's head towards the viewer and add depth to the sluicing water. There's lots of wonderful little passages made all the more fascinating by a slip of a doodled line and dashes of complimentary color. This piece is earmarked for the Historic Yellow Springs Art Show (Chester Springs, PA) this spring. Stay tuned - I'm sending them a dozen little gems. Thanks for your interest in my artwork, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

"Airplane," 9" x 12" x 3/4", acrylics on Raymar panel (all 5 sides so no need to frame), depicting a friend's Golden Retriever, photo used with permission from Team Husar Photography . This painting is $629, which includes special delivery to your doorstep (inside the contiguous US). Inquiries may come directly to me . In process photos  here .  I Have a Confession You might not have seen it on the surface, but the last couple years have been very difficult. My Grandmother passed away, suddenly but peacefully, in March 2013, and that ushered a string of immeasurable losses - pillars of my family, dear friends, mentors, a friend's child, mothers of my kid's friends, one of my daughter's teenage friends. It was (and is) never ending. Life does that sometimes. Not only was I feeling unrooted in my personal life, but there was an emptiness in my painting process that began to loom and gather momentum. I had been battlin...

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

"Still Waters (Bear)," 16" x 20", acrylics on museum quality panel, commissioned portrait of a Golden Retriever I've painted more often than my own dog (and hope to paint many, many more times), acrylics on a museum quality panel. Ask nicely if you would like one of these portraits starring your pet . Some faces are so timeless, I could never tire of painting them. Such is Bear's - I hope to get to create many more pieces inspired by him. Provided fate continues to allow that. While running errands today, I was delayed by a feral pregnant kitty. I tried unsuccessfully to lure her close enough for a good look (or a quick drive to a warm bed in my garage), but she outwiled me. After a fruitless 45 minutes, I left her a chicken breast, messaged my friend who's an animal control officer, and went on my way. Only to discover emergency crews caring for the injured at a serious car accident which occurred exactly at the point I would have been ...

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

Ask Nicely & Buy Me Now "Spin Cycle," 18" x 24", acrylics on museum quality panel, featuring a Thoroughbred race horse getting bathed after his morning workout,  available through Spa Fine Art  . I was stalking bathers. I honestly was. My friends' cameras were mostly pointed at the training track, but I was facing the other direction, looking for those who had already run and were ready for a little rub down. This painting was inspired by a handful of gorgeous bathers from Todd Pletcher's stable one early morning last week in Saratoga. And this painting was completed during a 10 hour live painting session last Saturday at Spa Fine Art , also in Saratoga. I am so proud to be one of the many talented artists Spa represents - and they are the exclusive carrier of my Thoroughbred racing scenes. Reach out to them for personalized service like you'll get nowhere else. Thanks, as always, for following along with my...

"Squeaky Clean," 15" x 24", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a blood bay Thoroughbred getting bathed. Inspired by the barn area at historic  Saratoga Racetrack . This painting is available for $1299 to the first one asking nicely. SOLD. VIEW IN PROCESS PHOTOS I was half afraid to come into the studio this morning for fear Squeaky wasn't nearly as good as I remembered. But then he was. Then I started thinking what would happen if I ruined him during today's painting session? But then I didn't. Some days you have to stop thinking and trust that you can. Here's to a safe trip for all the horses running tomorrow, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com 

    At Peace (Gracie May), 12" x 18", depicting our neighbor's dog. I started this painting at my Dragon on the Lake demo in August of this year - it was a hot and windy day, which led to a little excitement as I painted with one hand steadying the canvas on my easel. Today Gracie made it to my studio easel for the finishing touches. This painting can be yours for $639. Inquiries may come  to me .     On any given day I can peek out my studio window and catch a glimpse of Gracie May sunning herself at her home across the street. Usually with a shoe nearby.   A rescued dog, Gracie's of uncertain ancestry - she's much taller and lighter boned than a typical lab, but has their sweet disposition and fondness for cookies. Lumpy and stiff with arthritis, her tail thumps upon your approach and she rolls for a good belly rub.   If I'm especially lucky, she'll get up, drop her head, wiggle her butt, and howl with anticipation when ...

    From left to right: Koi I, II, III, IV, each 6" square, together measuring 6" x 24", acrylic on museum quality panel, depicting koi fish in a natural pond setting, all four panels together available for $699. Inquiries may come  to me .     I came home from last night's art guild meeting inspired and wanting to paint. Since I had to stay up and wait for a kid to return home, I poured a glass of wine and reached for my brushes. You can see what I worked on long past said kid's return  here  - including the work today.   Around lunch I got to a clear stopping point and decided to work on something entirely different - an idea I have had for quite some time.   So this afternoon was spent fishing.   The four panels are meant to stay together - and yet each of them also works well alone, as you can see in the individual photos below.   Once the originals sell, I'll offer reproductions on these fo...

Sprinkler, 12" x 16," the newest Water Dog painting starring a very wet yellow lab, acrylics on museum quality panel, $629. Inquiries may come  to me .     It was tedious, getting each of those droplets painted, but I cranked up a new symphonic playlist that The Man Child inspired (including Khachaturian's  Waltz from Maskarade , Mussagorsky's  Pictures at An Exhibition , and Shostakovich 's Waltzs among others) and had a grande time.   Comment on the painting's progression over on FB, where  there's lots of in process photos .   Happy weekend, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

IN PROCESS, "At Peace (Gracie)," 18" x 12", a portrait of light (and my neighbor's much beloved Gracie May), painted in acrylics on museum quality panel, $639 when completed. Inquiries may come  to me .     What a great weekend spent at Dragon on the Lake, the summertime festival my local town hosts!   This year in addition to our involvement with The Princess's Dance team, I was invited to paint live in the middle of the art fair.   And "At Peace" is the painting I started yesterday.    It was very warm with gusty winds - winds that lifted my easel at one point and threatened to topple it. There was lots of spritzing my palette to keep the paints dry and one hand steadying the large panel with each wind gust.   I'll spend a bit more time with her before she's finished - but she does have a lovely glow. And it was no accident that I chose to work on a painting that was more about light than the su...

"Gator," 16" x 20", the latest Water Dog painting starring a golden retriever and a once-still body of water, acrylic on museum quality panel, available to the first asking nicely.  Let me know  if you are interested, and I will arrange for you to see a less-blurry jpg (I only packed my cell phone for this trip, and you all know how hard it is for me to take a non-blurry photo with my phone!!). SOLD. This is the painting I created in the lobby of the  Grand Bohemian Hotel  on Saturday evening. It was a fabulous nite spent meeting new fans and friends and working alongside  Elizabeth . At the tail end of the night, she and I were treated to a tour of  Mr Kessler's art collection , and I got a little teary eyed over  Egon Schiele's  sketches. Huge warm thanks go out to Debbie at the Kessler Gallery for putting this remarkable evening together for us both. As always, there are a mess of photos on the  studio...