January

"January," a Florus Animalum painting, 24" x 20", acrylics on panel, featuring a polar bear crowned with pink peonies and dahlias. This piece is available for purchase to the first asking nicely, $799 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much!

Freezing rain, ice, sleet, puddles of standing water, all overtop an already saturated and frozen yard, gave us an indoor swimming pool in the basement today. After cleaning that mess up and discovering the (previously waterproofed) walls themselves were now oozing water despite the exterior of the house being dry, I needed to lose myself in some pretty color and a fantasy world.

The forecast is for rain 4 of the next 8 days. Maybe I should just give in and turn the basement into a koi pond.

My Better Half has a plan, though, that doesn't involve fish or fins of any sort.

And I see a couple tweaks I want to make to January in the morning.

Thanks, as always, for supporting my art,

Warmly, Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

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OKeefe

"OKeefe," a Florus Animalum painting, 16" x 20", acrylics on panel, featuring a baby hamster crowned with peonies in a nod to her namesake Georgia OKeefe. This piece is available for purchase to the first asking nicely, $749 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much!

OKeefe is my new baby. Well, the inspiration behind the painting is my new baby, not the actual painting. Although artists often do refer to their paintings as babies....  

Also, life drawing takes on an entirely new meaning when your model is rolling around the studio inside an exercise ball. OKeefe doesn't understand yet how to hold a pose.

Thanks, as always, for supporting my art,

Warmly, Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

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Happy 7th Gotcha Day Sofy!

Seven years ago today Sofy came into my life.  She was a foster dog needing assessment and everything was quite different then as of course I had Wiggle and Sir H.

And now, 7 years later, Sofy is an only dog but she's happy and has her toys and loves me and her food and her cuddles.  I still miss Wiggle every single day but having Sofy helps so much, I'm so very grateful for her silly ways and that she has helped me through tough times.

I love you my gorgeous, silly, cuddly Miss Sofy xx

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Blossom

"Blossom," from the Beribboned series, 16" x 20", acrylics on panel, available for purchase to the first asking nicely, $749 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much!

Now I want a mouse.

Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream,

Warmly, Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

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Whiskers

"Whiskers," from the Beribboned series, 16" x 20", acrylics on panel, available for purchase to the first asking nicely, $749 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much!

I want a hamster.

Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream,

Warmly, Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

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Spots

"Spots," 5" x 7", acrylics on museum quality panel, available for purchase to the first asking nicely, $199 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much!

Returning to my roots and painting a simple, backlit kitty. This was a means of reminding myself that I DO know how to paint. The last 10 paintings with the ribbons pushed me so far out of my comfort zone - which is a fantastic thing to do, because that's the only way I'm going to learn - but it's also exhausting.

Thanks, as always, for supporting my dream,

Warmly, Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com  

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Sapphire

FINISHED: "Sapphire," 24" x 30", acrylics on panel, available for purchase to the first asking nicely, $899 (includes s&h inside the US). Thank you so much!

The Beribboned pieces are cobbled together from reference photos of the animal and actual ribbon set up as a still life here in the studio.

With Sapphire, today I abandoned my elaborate ribboned armature and the reference photo to focus exclusively on the painting, making the various elements work together.

I think my next one will be much, much simpler.

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