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School's Out!
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| "Glee," long haired doxie portrait, available for purchase. |
If you did not receive a celebratory summertime postcard
from the studio but would like to be added to the snail-mail list, please send your address to me at ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .
Plein Air Painting – in Oils!
I have embarked on progress towards two newer goals of
mine. One being becoming more comfortable painting landscapes, the other being that of beginning a transition from acrylics
to oil paints.
I’m taking a workshop with Vianna Szabo (www.viannaszabo.com) focusing on plein air painting. She’s titled the class “Plein Air Painting – Not for
Wimps.” Well I am a wimp, so have a few concerns about my survival. We’ll see how it goes, being at the mercy
of the elements (that famed Michigan weather) and the bugs (how many mosquitos can I trap in the wet paint?).
We are painting on the grounds of Cranbrook House and Gardens
(www.cranbrook.edu), which are beautiful. Fountains, stone walls, staircases, trailing ivy, pruned trees, gorgeous architecture
– it will be difficult to choose a corner to set up in, but I am looking forward to it.
And once the class ends, I’ll continue to return
to Cranbrook (or another outdoor location) once each week,
to pursue additional work in oil paint. Hopefully some of the new paintings will be worth blogging about.
Goodbye, Dear Miah
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| "Winter Sunlight II," black cat portrait in acrylic on board, collection of the artist |
In May we bid a sad farewell to Miah, our very loved kitty
and my original studio muse. Orphaned at a few days of age, Miah was raised by a Rottweiler and a handful of kids. Rick and
I adopted her at 6 weeks, and the look of relief on that Mother’s face as we drove off with the kitten cradled in our
arms was priceless.
Miah never really knew she was a cat. Since we couldn’t
bring it upon ourselves to break the truth, she lived her 19 years in blissful ignorance.
The catnip transplanted overtop Miah and Turtle’s
shared grave has grown thick and tall. I know the two approve of the new landscaping, especially given the premier view of
the bird feeders and houses.
I have been pacifying myself with repeated paintings of
my black cat, a mere shadow against the sunshine, as she moved through her final days and the last of our meager winter sunlight.
But I still can’t get past how oddly empty the house
seems without the occasional hairball yacked mid-hallway.
Summer Plans
Summertime will bring about a few changes on the Painting
a Dog a Day project.
I’ll be taking the occasional day off (what?! A day
off?!) from daily painting to work on other tasks in the studio.
Most notably that being the publishing of a book which
will highlight the first year of the dog-a-day project. The book will be a beautifully designed publication, available in
both hardcover and paperback, full of lushly printed paintings from the first 15 months of Painting a Dog a Day. The artwork
will be accompanied by its corresponding post, and in some cases, additional artists’ or clients’ notes.
My goal is to have the book published in time for holiday
gift giving. Don’t worry – I’ll keep you posted. I’ll share information on the Painting a Dog a Day
blog (www.paintingadogaday.blogspot.com) and other websites as soon as it becomes available.
Another summertime project is to work out the logistics
of digitally recording my painting sessions, and releasing video shorts in conjunction with the Dog a Day postings. This will
involve an overhaul of the current studio layout to accommodate the camera equipment, and most likely the addition of another
computer to handle the video editing.
Canine Art Guild Show
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| "Workin' on my Tan," 8" x 16", terrier portrait in acrylic on board, available for purchase. |
The Canine Art Guild has just published our 4th
online exhibition. Titled “Canine Pot Luck”, it is a wonderful show that highlights choice pieces from a highly
talented international group of artists.
The show can be viewed at www.canineartguild.com/gallery.html. Please stop by. And don’t forget to cast your vote for People’s Choice Award while you are
there!
Shaggy Chic in Store Event
On June 28th and 29th I’ll
be at the Shaggy Chic Boutique in Birmingham (Michigan). I’ll have
Dog a Day paintings with me (available for purchase) and will be booking future portraits as well. 10% of all studio sales
that day will be donated to the Michigan Animal Rescue League. For more information, you may call the store at 248-594-5599.
Brandon
Township Public Library Exhibition
For all of June and July my work will be on display at
the Brandon Public Library. I have hung a number of larger than life animal paintings, along with a handful of delightfully
framed Dog a Day portraits. For additional information, please call the library at 248-627-1471.
May your days be full of color!
Enjoy the sunshine,
Kim
ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com
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