Holy smokes, but am I behind here. I'll give you a glimpse of what today has been like, and it's just a sampling of the prior 6 weeks I've gone without posting here.

First thing this morning I dueled with the CD drive on my laptop, which suddenly decided it didn't want to burn the images I needed for my 10am meeting. Debated tossing the laptop through my front window, but decided that would create too much additional work. Brought the damned beast with me to the meeting, and transferred the images to a flash drive.

Discovered the basement had flooded during the prior evening's/early morning rains. Emptied the entire contents of the towel closet onto the basement floor, and left a voice mail message for my husband.

Spent the latter half of the morning with a great crew at the Sterling Heights (Michigan) City Hall, accepting their honor of Artist of the Month. (I should add that my early morning also included an atypical combing of the hair and painting of the face, in preparation for the camera.) Filmed a little chat about the story behind my art, and spent a nice chunk of time with two charming and enthusiastic reporters (thank you Cortney and Deanna).

Visited a brand new Salvation Army that was on my commute home. Scored several items that will star in still life paintings of their own, along with the bargain of the day, a vintage wool peacoat for $16!

Checked in with a local electronics store to research the feasibility of tossing the (Windows) laptop through my front window and purchasing a Mac. Highly feasible.

Raced home to prep for a painting demo and presentation this evening. Drafted an outline, chose my reference materials, packed up a mini-retrospective of works, and whipped through a quick demo in the studio.

Participated in a teleconference on marketing and promotions. Discovered I really had no clue about how to "sell" my work to the rest of the world, but walked away with some concrete ideas on how to bridge that gap.

Welcomed children coming home from school. Reviewed backpack materials, shoved snacks down their throats, rushed them through a wardrobe change, and shuttled them off to soccer practices.

Threw dinner together, set the oven timer, loaded the car, and headed off to the demo, trying not to pull over and vomit along the way (due to nerves, not the flu!).

(Quite unexpectedly) sailed through my presentation, created a lovely demo painting while sounding articulate, and literally basked in the positive after-comments. Made it home safely, despite walking on clouds (in the dark), to find everyone in bed (and -BONUS - smelling clean!).

Tossed the final load of wet towels into the washer (bless you, Rick, for mopping up the basement and starting the laundry and packing lunches), warmed up some dinner, poured a glass of wine in this silent house, pulled in emails, and checked my to-do list. It included a long overdue entry on updating my studio blog.

Which leads me to here. The dregs of a glass of wine, and a good book calling my name.

Goodnight!

The Barbie Series

FROM TOP: "Bad Hair Day (Barbie)," 12" square, acrylic on gallery stretched linen; "I've Lost My Head (Barbie)," 8" x 10", acrylic on gallery stretched linen. Both available for purchase; inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .

Friends convinced me to enter some of my toy paintings in an exhibition at a local university. Originally I was going to paint finger puppets, but an afternoon spent sorting through my daughter's closet pushed me into an entirely new direction - Barbies.

These two new paintings are very much part of the "Tags, Toys and Treasures" group. But they have a presence that is oddly unlike the objects I've painted for "Tags, Toys and Treasures," and therefore will become their own entity/series.

Barbie is such a cultural icon that every viewer brings their own bag of memories and feelings to the paintings.

I'm laughing as I play with the dolls in my studio. It's a second childhood, working on these toy paintings, that's for certain! (Having 4 brothers, I didn't play much with Barbies. My oldest brother ripped their heads off to jam firecrackers down their necks. That sort of behavior wouldn't be tolerated these days, but it was pretty common place when I was a kid. We lived dangerously then, riding bikes without helmets and all. Ah, but I digress).

So anyways, here are the two pieces I'll be sending to the show. We'll see how they are received, and what sorts of other compositions I can build from Annie's stash of dolls.

Thanks for your time,

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/

Frustrations

I set out yesterday with high aspirations. I was going to paint outdoors, all day, and complete at least one little jewel in oil paints.

The stars just weren't aligned, though.

I did paint outdoors for most of the day. The light was beautiful and the birds were serenading me. I set up near a building that had intricate cast shadows of foliage.

But it just didn't happen. I don't know if the light changed too quickly, or if I just wasn't in the groove. I couldn't see what it was I was supposed to be painting. My palette had all the right colors, but I couldn't get the shapes down, and the edges eluded me.

I wiped out three panels before packing up and heading home. It was far more enjoyable to join up with Rick and the kids lakeside for the remainder of the day.

I'll have another go at plein air work later this week. Hopefully I'll have better luck this time around!

Kim
ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com
www.turtledovedesigns.com

Cranbrook House, Plein Air & Oils Part II

"Cranbrook House," 11" x 14", oil on panel. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .

I had every intention of returning to Cranbrook Gardens after my class ended, but so far it hasn't happened. I haven't given up on this idea, but rather, am starting to realize how difficult it is in the midst of summer vacation, when I WANT to have 6+ hours to work on site with an idea.

I wanted to try this composition again multiple times, in the morning, mid-afternoon, and evening. Study how the light's angle changes the color and substance. It'll happen, just not this week.

Anyway, this is my second oil painting from my June plein air class. Unlike the last post, which was done from thumbnail sketches and memory, this one was done in the flesh.

I was drawn to the mullioned panes, and the way they reflected the sky and trees. The tiled roof did the same thing - flashes of pink in the highlights, and dashes of softer violets in the shadows.

I ran out of time to get that level of detail into this painting. But I had a great time finessing my drawing, working those edges, and laying the paint down. I think oils and I will be getting along fine in no time at all.

Thanks, as always, foor looking.

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Plein Air and Oil Paints

"Twins," 8" x 10", oil painting on panel, inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .

It's been a while since I last posted to this blog. Guess I have been REALLY immersed in the daily paintings. But I did want to share some of the piecess from the plein air course I took last month.

It was a week long adventure into painting out of doors, working directly from the landscape, and using oil paints for the first time.

And of course, being Michigan, the weather did not coorperate.

Day one we wandered the grounds and did thumbnail sketches, planning compositions and breaking them down into planes, using about 5 values.

Day two was cold, windy, and threatening rain. We convened in the classroom to paint from memory, using our thumbnail sketches as guides.

That's where this piece, "Twin Shrubs" came from. The night prior I was drawn to the negative spaces between the low slung, woven branches, and the way the evening light glowed from behind.

This was a nice exercise for me, and allowed a lot of playing with the oil paint, working across the surface of the panel, lifting areas of paint, rubbing others in. I could have kept on working for hours, exploring the properties of the paint.

When we returned to the gardens the following night, I realized how "off" my painting really was. Just gives me another reason to try the same concept at another time.

Thanks, as always, for looking,

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

This painting has been a long time in the making. Our home is always had at least one goldfish bowl, and I've been captivated by the beauty of fantails as they circle through their fantastical world of reflections.

I moved my two black moors from the kitchen into the studio a couple weeks back. I spent a few days playing with different background fabrics, various sized shells, and other oddments. I bounced light off different walls, the ceiling, colored boards. Finally I found a setup that captured my fascination with the goldfish, yet retained a fresh and whimsical quality matching my vintage toy still life paintings.

The image at the top of this blog is the work in process right now. Working title "Fish out of Water," the painting is 26" x 18" on gallery stretched canvas.

I am concentrating on capturing a limited number of values at this point, establishing the weight of the forms and placing them firmly within their space on the canvas.

I also want the light to feel tangible, and that has been a tricky, as this setup is a high contrast one by nature, and therefore the light itself becomes more transient, and those value shifts aren't really value shifts at all, but color temperature changes.

I'll continue working on this painting in preparation for a March exhibition. I'm also finessing a handful of smaller paintings that will be going to the art show held in conjunction with the Grand National Rodeo Championships near San Francisco California in April. And I continue to paint the dog-a-days, which are now booked into March 2009.

I already have my next still life setup - a couple of hand carved wooden vintage horses that were once children's toys, but have seen better days. They definately have that "Velveteen Rabbit" feel to them. I'm excited to start that piece, once I get these fish out of my system!!

A Very Serious Still Life

I received a number of inquiries in the last few days about where I find my inspirations and how I keep going. Besides in all the faces and personalities I get to profile as part of the Painting a Dog a Day project and my daily (strong) dose of coffee, I find them everywhere around me.

• The golden maple leaves dancing right outside my kitchen window.


• My kids' first smile each day (which comes hopefully before their first tear).


• The sound of a dear friend's voice on the phone.


• The way Finnigan's nubbin of a tail glides underneath his skin.


• The purr of my black cat, not just the sound, but the feel of it against my chest.


• The smell of a wet painting.

I'm sure we all have triggers that keep us going - those are just a few. I make sure I am surrounded by handfuls of them, all the time. And for those days when it's tough to get into the studio, I've found a couple of no fail motivators:

• The Nutcracker soundtrack, no matter the season.


• And The Barber of Seville (kill the rabbit..... kill the rabbit....) The right music can almost always get the job done!


• Browsing through Julian Merrow-Smith's website (http://www.shiftinglight.com/) and dreaming of being able to one day paint like him.


• A visit to our local yarn shop, where I can simply sit amongst the rows of colored wools.
  The smell of freshly baked brownies or cookies.


• A brisk walk around the neighborhood, following Finn's nubbin and prance, breathing in the air, listening to the birds/crickets/frogs/silence (when snow is freshly falling)

Here's a bonus painting - one I couldn't help but do. My latest inspiration, you might say.

Yesterday I looked up from the easel and spied a row of puppets carefully lined up by one of my kids, perfectly centered in an unexpected shaft of sunlight. They were brilliantly colored and terribly humorous when visualized as still life objects. It was way more fun than painting pitchers and creamers and ghourds (sorry, Vianna, if you are reading this!!). This guy is the first of a number of lighthearted studies I'll do in the weeks to come - painting something saturated in humor and color was a great diversion!

So I give you "ARGH!! (Puppet #1)," 8" square (larger than life), acrylic on canvasboard, $180. Imagine this guy framed up and hung in a cubicle/office. Or in a child's room. Or even hung overtop a mirror. He will definately brighten up a special corner somewhere. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .


Thanks, as always, for looking.
And for sharing these paintings with your friends and family,
Be back tomorrow!
Kim

Kimberly Kelly Santini
http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

http://www.paintingadogaday.com/
come. sit. stay.
enjoy the art.

Another Human Portrait

Here is last night's class efforts, "Liesel," a 10" x 20" canvasboard of a young woman.

While the painting itself is not a strict likeness of our model, I am very happy with the results for the following reasons:

I captured a beautiful idea of the light and shadow. I paid careful attention to the light, and it's temperature as it travelled across the shape of the face. The color actually cools as it hits boney planes of the face - I never noticed this before.

I also concentrated on my edge work, working hard to eliminate strong lines and gestural brushwork. If you compare this piece to Jerry's portrait from last week, you'll see that it's far softer and less linear in style.

And I really had fun with her hair. Not strictly black, it had areas of orange and blue to it. And that piece underneath her cheek that reflected her skin tone.

You can purchase this painting (which is only visible here on my studio blog, as it isn't animal or pet portrait related) for $349 plus any applicable Michigan sales tax and shipping costs (estimated to be about $15 for within the US).

All inquiries can come to me at ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com.

I'm getting the hang of this thing, though. And surprised at how much fun it has been, too! Think I might try to rope one of my kids into sitting for me over the upcoming long weekend......

Kim

I've been working hard, behind the scenes here, taking another course with Vianna Szabo (http://www.viannaszabo.com/), refining my painters eye. This latest course, about 1/2 way completed, has involved some intensive still life paintings, graduating into portraiture from a live model.


Here are the paintings I've completed to date. I will not be offering them for sale through my website, simply because they are not animal related. But if you are interested in purchasing one of the class paintings, please drop me a line - ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .



"White Still Life," 8" square, acrylic on canvasboard, $180. This was the first assignment, a still life setup that was entirely white. The lesson was to paint all the shades of white. I had a difficult time - first off, because I couldn't buy into the inanimate objects, and then secondly, with the lack of contrast. I ended up sitting crosslegged on the floor, looking up at the table, sketching the still life with conte pencil, when I came upon this composition. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .



"White Pitcher," 16" x 20", acrylic on canvasboard, "$399. Our second assignment included a variety of white items set against darker grounds. I was still trying to find a means of connecting with the inanimate items, when my eye fell in love with the pattern when the setup was viewed from the far corner. I used artistic license, and really played with the colors, working on balancing my values so that the objects read properly, but using color saturations straight from my head.



"November Still Life," 11" x 14", acrylic on canvasboard, $279. This third assignment was a still life setup saturated with intense hues. The trick was to paint not just the light, but the color reflections from each object. I concentrated on the use of edges and modelling the objects with my brushwork.



"Jerry," 11" x 14", acrylic portrait on canvasboard, $279. I am especially pleased with Jerry's sitting. This painting is a sincere likeness, but it also carries other elements of maturity - the color temperatures model the form in many places (instead of value changes), the brushwork caresses the shapes, and I employed a number of different types of edgework and color saturation to help accent my focal point.


Next week we get to paint a woman, supposedly dramatically costumed in complimentary, bold colors. I am confidant I will come home even richer in knowledge, with a few more miles under my brushes.


Stay tuned!

Kim

Yes, I've been remiss in posting here. But if you hop over to my Painting a Dog a Day blog, you'll see how very busy I have been.

The Dog-a-Day project was profiled in July's issue of Best Friends Magazine, to a phenomenal response. That exposure has been a big part of the projects successful effort in raising almost $1100 for animal welfare in the last 5 months.

I've also been continuing my own studies, most noteably taking an intensive course on painting color and light. With each class, I am able to "see" more, and I'm taking those lessons and using them the following day in my work.

I've gotten pieces into a variety of juried exhibitions, and won a number of exciting awards.

And most recently, opened up a group show with some amazing artists at Margot's Gallery.

Now I'm heading into the holiday season, which historically has been my busiest. Typically I make 1/2 my annual sales during the last quarter of the year. I'm a little scared, knowing how busy I have been - I can't imagine getting busier still. But I'm as ready as I can be!!

I am booked solid with holiday dog-a-day commissions, have a waiting list started for larger commissioned portrait work, and am currently accepting reservations for August 2008 dog-a-day portraits.

So, in a nutshell, guess that's why I haven't been posting so regularly!! Will try to work on that, but hopefully you will understand if you don't hear from me terribly often, at least on this blog!!

Thanks!
Kim

An Interesting Week

What a week it's been!

Started out with preparations for a short film about my artwork. Margot van Horne from Margot's Gallery (www.margotsgalleryframe.com) arranged for a cameraman to work with us in creating a short documentary about my painting. I've been drafting various versions of the script and having one sided conversations with myself for the last couple weeks. It will be interesting to see how coherant (or not) I sound in the final edited version.

About mid-week I started receiving feedback from the media with respect to several projects I've been working on. One, the Canine Art Guild's inaugeral online exhibition (opening April 1st - not fools! - at www.canineartguild.com), the other being my Painting a Dog a Day (www.paintingadogaday.com).

And I ended up the week with continued work on several nicely scaled commissioned paintings. The larger than lifesize mastiff portrait is almost completed, and I am still in the early stages of my first chicken painting (4 rhode island reds).

I need to carve out more hours in my day. There's still a good sized pile of paperwork requiring action or a response, and I've got another et unfinished painting headed for an exhibition next week. Like laundry, it never ends.

But that's a good thing.

Thanks for reading!

Kim
www.turtledovedesigns.com
www.paintingadogaday.com

What a whirlwind the holidays were!!

Not only did I have a handful of paintings to finish, then ship out in time for gift giving, but my whole dog a day project began to take on a life of it's own as well. And then of course, there is all the year end paperwork that needs to be done in preparation for Uncle Sam.

But I sit here in the studio tonite, getting all tingley just thinking about what tomorrow will bring.

Namely the schoolbus.

Mind you, it's not that I don't enjoy my kids. I love them to pieces.

But when they are around, I cannot totally shut out the world and get lost in my palette.

So that is what I plan to do tomorrow, all day long.

After walking the dog, of course.

Sweet dreams!

Kim

www.turtledovedesigns.com
www.paintingadogaday.com

Been busy

I've been busy staying on top of everything. This is the time of year when I really focus on studio time, and try to maximize the heck out of every minute spent in here. Having a deadline helps me to complete more commission work.

That said, I'll keep this short!

But consider yourself invited on over to my website to read my Fall 2006 Newsletter.

As always, thanks for your time,


Kim


Kimberly Kelly Santini
www.turtledovedesigns.com
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

Keeping Things Moving Along

Motivation can come in some odd forms.

I started a new practice last week, and formalized it into an actual challenge this week. That of completing a warm-up painting every day before starting on a larger work. (See www.paintingadogaday.blogspot.com )

One would think that the added work involved in completing a painting each day would be detrimental to one's overall production. But it's worked in just the opposite fashion.

The little completed studies actually get my juices going so well that I'm able to jump into a larger canvas and be more productive with a smaller amount of time.

Go figure.

Kim


Kimberly Kelly Santini
www.turtledovedesigns.com
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

The Canine Art Guild - Today's Endeavor

For almost a year now I've been working on establishing a new artists' group just for us dog painters.

It all started as a discussion on the Equine Art Guild forum between a number of artists who regularly painted dogs. We were moaning and groaning about there not really being a place to share ideas or network about all things related to painting canines.

Enough of us stepped forward and started making notes. Those notes became To-Do lists. Those To-Do lists are getting completed. And now we have the CAG, or Canine Art Guild.

Check us out: Canine Art Guild

Our membership is growing. We have a great cross-section of artists and styles.

And if things continue as they have been, our community will continue to grow and amaze.

Today I worked on compiling a canine resources guide that will be published on the Canine Art Guild website (for members' only viewing). This listing will be all encompassing, from art supplies to framing to website development to the history of pet portraiture.

It was one of the last things on my list.

The next one will be recruiting new members (wanna join?) and identifying and establishing strong links to add to the site.

But tomorrow I get to paint.

Kim



Kimberly Kelly Santini
http://www.turtledovedesigns.com
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

Artist Books

I have just returned from another meeting, this one that of the Romeo Guild of Art. Although still a relatively new member, I love these meetings. The business part is typically dealt with in a 1/2 hour, followed by a break for food and mingling (so far there has always been chocolate, which combined with art-speak is a huge win-win). But the real kicker is the tail end of the meeting, which is some sort of presentation about a technique or process.

Tonite's was on art book publishing.

Not those coffee table books with the zillion glossy photos of art.

No, these were original artist made books, one of a kind or small editions (small meaning around 100 copies), handmade, incredibly detailed and gorgeously intricate.

The presenters told their tale, wittingly, of travelling the traditional publishing house road. And then they segued into the remarkable world of handmade books.

Specialty papers, intricate typeface, drawings, various prints, collage, digital media, ephemera. All these things and more linked with some sort of common thread - an idea, an image, a letter.

It got my juices going right there.

What a great way to summarize all the legwork that goes into a portrait - thumbnail sketches, jotted notes, photographic details, color swatches. A perfect thank you gift for an extraordinary client.

What a great way to explore the thoughts behind a pursuit. Like taking the travel sketchbook or diary one step further. A wonderful add-on for clients already owning a piece belonging to a particular series.

What a great way to package the traditional artists' portfolio. It would really set my imagery apart from everyone else's, if not simply at the level of desire. And I am currently reworking my portfolio in preparation for a class I'm teaching on professional and portfolio development next month.

Hmmm...... think I need to get to work!!



Kimberly Kelly Santini
www.turtledovedesigns.com
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

Metamora's Celebration of the Horse

Also known as inspiration.

That's what last weekend's event meant to me.

The village of Metamora invited several different breed representatives to their downtown, and set up small paddocks for the horses. The weather was uncooperative on Saturday, but Sunday dawned bright and crisp, so I grabbed my camera and headed out.

What a treat!! So much eye candy!!

A vanner mare and foal. Two donkeys. A halflinger. A miniature mare and her foal. A fresian. A belgium. A morgan.

These will all grace new paintings in the months to come.

Can't wait to get them started!

But I need to work on some commissioned pet portraits first. Right now I'm working on a triple dog portrait, a fun airedale terrier painting, and am putting the finishing touches on a long haired cat. You can see them on my works in process page.

Once I complete these paintings, I'll pick up and work some more on the "Horse as Landscape" series, and use some of the reference photos I shot last weekend at the Celebration of the Horse.

Stay tuned!

Kimberly Kelly Santini
www.turtledovedesigns.com
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

Packing and Shipping Artwork

I spent a good chunk of yesterday packing up all my pieces for the "Driven" exhibition at Skyline Farms in Yarmouth, Maine. Seems like only yesterday I was collecting images and brainstorming for painting ideas for this show….

It took far more time preparing the works than I had anticipated. This is my first invitational exhibition, so I’ve got a little bit of a learning curve, too.

I labeled, inventoried and tagged each of the paintings. This is a normal procedure for me, but I also wired and prepped them for hanging (which is something I typically leave for the customer to take care of).

I went over their surfaces with a clean tack cloth (it wouldn't do for them to arrive with cat hair!), and wrapped them in brown paper. Then each package was labeled again with my contact information and the paintings’ title.

I grouped them by size, shipping 2 pieces to a crate, with their faces inwards/towards each other. I wrapped each parcel with strapping tape, to avoid any shifting or rubbing that might occur during shipment.

Then I nestled the parcels into airfloat crates. For those of you who don’t know about airfloats, they are boxes made specifically for shipping artwork. The paintings are literally nestled – a bottom layer of egg-foam, a central perforated layer of foam (you remove a portion to snug the painting into the center of it), and an upper layer of egg foam. The box itself is lined and puncture resistant. These crates make for worry-free shipping, honestly.

So, after I got the paintings into their respective boxes, I labeled the inside of each box (gotta make sure that my crates come back to me!) and also included an inventory. Two actually - a master list of all the paintings going to the show, and also a packing list of what was only in that box.

The packing list included photographs of each painting, along with insurance values. This way my paintings will be returned in the same packaging and configuration.

The show opens on Saturday, October 7th, at 5pm. There will be a reception with the artists (sadly, I will not be in attendance) through 8 pm. THe show will hang from Sunday, October 8th through Sunday, October 29th. Their hours are Sat-Sun 1-4pm, and Wed from 6-8pm.

Now I’ve got several other juried exhibitions I’m starting to think about and prep paintings for, but for the most part, will focus the next few months mostly on commission works. Nothing like a pet portrait for the holidays!!

I still have a few more openings for holiday gift giving. If you are thinking about commissioning a pet portrait as a gift, please drop me a line (ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com), and we can discuss your project in greater details.

Kimberly Kelly Santini
www.turtledovedesigns.com
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

Welcome Back!

Well, it would appear as though I fell off the face of the earth. But appearances can be deceiving. Life got so hectic, that I did drop many details, one of which was blogging. Shame on me.

But I’m back now.

What are some of the things that have been happening?

I created a new body of work – some pieces of which I was blogging (note to self: return to those blogs and update with completed images) – for the invitational show at Skyline Carriage Farms Museum this fall. These pieces are a continuation of my studies in limited palette, but also incorporated some experimentation with edges and line. Some of the horse (and mule) paintings are on my website: V is for Vanner, Patience, Follow the Leader, Daybreak, and Listening.

I have embarked upon a new series of paintings. Called “The Horse as Landscape,” these pieces use cropping and unusual angles/points of view to create a - surprise! - landscape. I’ve completed probably 4 or 5 of these, and have a few others in process. There’s been overflow into my canine work too, with a piece starring a yellow lab as beachfront property. You can view this lab painting as she progresses.

I’ve been doing live painting demos at street fairs, art shows, and the state fair.

I’ve been actively exhibiting in southeastern lower Michigan (even got a piece, “Swish,” accepted into The Community House’s 2006 Our Town exhibition).

I’ve committed to teaching painting classes at the Orion Art Center for this fall, along teaching with a new course on artistic growth and portfolio development.

And the Canine Art Guild is in full swing, as well. We are actively recruiting members and compiling data to add to our website.

On top of that, I had a fabulous summer break with my family. We got to visit all sorts of wonderful places, visited with even more wonderful people, and thoroughly enjoyed the perks of having no set routine whatsoever.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

But it's back to school. While the dog spends his days pining for lost kids, I'm busily working on commissions and preparing work for new shows. After all, I need to paint the images of the summer sun while they are still fresh in my mind.

Kimberly Kelly Santini
www.turtledovedesigns.com
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

New Horizons

Back last winter, I painted a flea bitten gray horse, butt to the viewer, cropped in tight, so that the curve of his hindquarters and back created a horizon against a clear sky. Prior to him, I did a lifesize study of the fall of a bay horse’s mane (Daybreak, 20x10, acrylic on gallery stretched canvas), again, creating a landscape. With these two pieces, I had inadvertantly stumbled across an idea I needed to further explore.

This is the next piece in that series, now titled “Horizon” (after the first piece, which carries that name). This painting, titled “Red Hills, Chestnut Horizon," depicts the crest of a thoroughbred’s neck, warmed by the sun, and rolling like the Kentucky hills where I took the reference photo (see the entry “Inspiration Xs 100”).

Painted only with cadmium red deep, cadmium yellow deep, and pthalo blue red, with some titanium white. I’m getting the hang of this restricted palette, warm in sun vs cool in shadow, sort of thing.

Hope you enjoy it.

Now I’m off to do another - the nite's still young!


Kimberly Kelly Santini
www.turtledovedesigns.com
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings