Ladybugs ~~ by Kimberly Kelly Santini

Once this original painting sells, I'll make reproductions (notecards and giclees) available in my FineArtAmerica storefront.

"Ladybugs," 12" square, a portrait of two Great Dane little ladies, done in Golden Open Acrylics on an Ampersand Gessobord. These pups hail from a recent litter rescued by Ohio Great Dane Rescue (OGDR) and the painting is the latest addition to my Gratitude series.   There is a short wait list for "Ladybugs," and I am working through those in the order received. If you would like an option to purchase them, please send me an email. I have a feeling that this painting, like the puppies, will find a wonderful home in no time at all.   If you didn't see them yesterday, some in process pics are on the studio Facebook page.   I'm off to lead my grownUP journallers in tonite's workshop - we are playing with graphite and watercolors, which should be a good time.   Meanwhile, who to paint tomorrow? decisions, decisions.....   Thanks, as always, for looking at and sharing my paintings with your friends and family, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     COMING UP ~~ PAINTING WORKSHOP "Mixing Color Not Mud": Saturday, October 8th, at the Orion Art Center in Lake Orion MICHIGAN. Email me to get on the early bird list.     So you blew off my opening last Saturday night, and look what you missed.......   Gallery 194 invited the Romeo Guild of Art to hang a group show this month.   If you get a chance, please swing by  - it is a fabulous exhibit deep with talent from some of my favorite Michigan artists like (we're in no particular order, guys, so don't even think about giving me grief!) Ken Taylor, Barb and Don Clay, Sharon Will, Sue Kwolek, Don Wieland, Jan Filarski, Janet Almstead-Davison, Robert Fionda and Laura Gabriel. Just to name a few.   There was live music, most excellent food and drinks and Mother Nature even provided a spectacular thunderstorm.   And I learned that "A Gentle Breeze", pictured above, earned 2nd Place. On top of that, another of my pieces sold (thank you very much to new collector EW).   My sincerest thanks to the staff at Gallery 194 for this opportunity.   And next time, peeps, come on out to the party!! You're always invited!!

Ladybugs, In Process ~~ Kimberly Kelly Santini

"Ladybugs," an in process painting of two Great Dane pups from Ohio Great Dane Rescue (OGDR), and the latest addition to my Gratitude Paintings series. This piece is 12" square, and will be available for purchase when completed (tomorrow?), with the proceeds going to OGDR.   If you are interested in purchasing "Ladybugs," I suggest you get in line now by sending me an email. I have this feeling that these girlies won't be around for long.   And yes, I know that the general idea is that I complete a painting each day.   HOW-EV (said with attitude - my kids are teaching ME stuff these days!), some paintings demand more than a day's effort, and these two darlings asked nicely for extra time. How could I say no? they are behaving so well in the studio. The ladybugs, on the other hand.....   A few in process pics are on the studio Facebook page, if you are interested.   Thanks, as always, for looking at and sharing my paintings with your friends and family, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com     COMING UP ~~ PAINTING WORKSHOP "Mixing Color Not Mud": Saturday, October 8th, at the Orion Art Center in Lake Orion MICHIGAN. Email me to get on the early bird list.   Just a few of the things happening around these parts:   THURS: grownUPs Journalling at Little Monsters in Lake Orion, Michigan, 6-8pm   SAT: Live paint demonstration at Raining Cats and Dogs in Frankenmuth, Michigan, 1-5pm   SUN: The Man Child leaves for camp, which means I'm down 1 kid for the week   NEXT TUES: final kids journalling class of the summer at Little Monsters in Lake Orion, 6-7:30   NEXT WED: Football Camp begins for The Caped Crusader - another kid gone!   NEXT THURS: Wild celebrations scheduled as The Princess and I take over the house   Email me to reserve a spot at either of the journalling classes. Next Thursday's wild celebration, however, is a private party.

Great Expectations, A Lesson Painting ~~ Kimberly Kelly Santini

It's been a long time since I did a lesson painting, and I thought these puppies were the perfect fit!

 

This 16" x 7" panel will ultimately star 8 Great Dane puppies. It is tentatively titled "Great Expectations," and is a fundraiser for Ohio Great Dane Rescue - if you are interested in purchasing it, speak up now and be first on the list!

 

I started with an underpainting - the puppys' skin is pink and warm, so I chose a brighter value of magenta. I placed very general guidelines on the panel to represent the placement of the puppies.

 

 

Next up came some local color to represent the negative space in the painting - yellows and lime green for the foreground, and darker greens for the background. See how the pink reads as orange when placed next to the other colors? There are some fantastic color vibrations happening, even at this early stage.

 

 

I began loosely placing the pups' forms, using a broad brush and unblended marks. I want to get a sense of their body volume and weight distribution, so that I can make necessary adjustments now. For instance, I am going to slide that pup in the lower corner up and back a bit, and the one center back row needs to be bigger. I can also tweak legs, bellies, ears and all that right now, before I've invested hours of work into the piece.

 

 

I continue sculpting the forms with my brush, and add additional layers to the back- and foregrounds. I'm not worried about local color (meaning the actual color of the dogs), but I am focusing on values and form. By doing this, I've started to highlight the pups' different markings/coloring without limiting my color choices, and unified the surface by scattering bits of similar color fragments across it.

 

Do you see the "X" in the composition created by the rumpled blanket in the foreground? and the "+" that anchors the center of the canvas? and how the dogs at each end bracket the others with their countered visual weight? these are key compositional elements that will make the finished piece far more than just cute little puppy faces.

 

Tonite's another late night painting session - let's see if I can't tie things up and share a completed "Great Expectations" with you tomorrow!

 

Thanks so much for sharing my art with your friends and family,

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com