Paintings With Soul

"Gordon and Susan," Toy #21, 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite. Remember these two from Sesame Street? I loved their calm, loving characters. They always brought me peace. This painting is $75, including shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . I'm dating myself, but I grew up with this show. As the oldest of 5, I had lots of opportunities to continue to enjoy it beyond my preschool years. And I didn't mind it a bit - the personalities, whether muppet or human, were loved like family. So when I found Gordon and Susan's characters as Fisher Price Little People figurines, I had to have them. Even though I never played with these specific toys, the memories the figures stirred up were still there. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album

"Pup + Penny," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring a Fisher Price Little People dog. And a shiny penny. This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . SOLD (THANK YOU!). Reflected Color Something you see in life, but not always in photographs. See that smidge of copper in the dog's body? it's the reflection of the penny. And the green edge of his body? that's light bouncing off the green paper, light that has absorbed the color of the object it's bouncing off. And the shadow, how it's bluer near the dog's body? that's because the body's shadowed darkness is reflected into the shadow itself.  Set some objects up and see if you can't see similar effects. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, All my best, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com The 100 Toys Album

"Little People Puppy (Toy #10)," 6" x 6," acrylics on masonite, starring a spunky little spaniel with jointed legs made by Fisher Price This painting is $75, with free shipping inside the US. Purchasing is as simple as  asking . I didn't play with this particular version of Little People toys, but I find them very sentimental never the less. They are well designed and charming. I tried to figure out what year Fisher Price made these particular jointed toys which I own (via ebay - I have circus characters too!), but got distracted learning about the history of Little People in general. They have seemingly been around for 50+ years! The Little People barn was a HUGE part of my childhood. The barn doors opened with a "mooooo," but in my head I heard welcoming nickers. Those horses and chickens were real. The brown and orange shag carpeting of my parent's family room became lush rolling pastures of green, and the Little People...

Get the Calendar Here Get the Clown on Other Goodies Here -or- Buy Him for Yourself! (and actually, who's to say you can't do all 3?) Installing the Desktop Calendar 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"...

"Bad Dog I" and "Bad Dog II," which I suppose are from the "Emerging" series since they are on darker grounds, each 4" x 6" but completed on one 8" x 6" panel (so they are one painting that includes 2 images), acrylics on museum quality panel, inspired by an old wooden vintage Fisher Price Little People dog, $329 to the first asking nicely. And if you would like, I will cut these two apart so that you will have two separate paintings, all for the price of one. Just ask here! Yesterday sneaked past when I wasn't looking. Today's doing the same thing. But meanwhile, I was able to come into the studio last nite for a little quiet time with my brushes and easel, and I eeked out this little panel featuring two versions of a bad dog - one who grins and lies to your face, and another who averts his eyes and pretends he/she didn't do it (we all know both those looks well, don't we!?). This afternoon I...

"Do You Take This Man...." 7-1/2" x 12", acrylics on museum quality panel, featuring vintage Fisher Price figurines, not for sale. You could say this one has special meaning to me. It's a long holiday weekend for us, and it's followed by The Princess's trip to a nationals dance convention and competition.  I'll be painting all week long from our hotel room - not sure yet what I'll pack to work on, but it's pretty much guaranteed to end up with an added layer of glitter and hairspray by the time we return home. I hope your weekend is safe and fun-filled. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Kim

View In Process Photos Order a Cowboy Print/Notecards/Smartphone Case I Want A Cowboy Too! "Cowboy," 4" x 6", acrylics on museum quality panel, depicting a Fisher Price Little People cowboy, not for sale. This treasure is going to a friend who's had a rough year. A little cowboy should brighten up her days from here on out. I mean, come on, it's hard to top the power of a cowboy.  Unless you are a unicorn. Thanks, as always, for following along with my artwork, Kim

    ORDER NOTECARDS/REPRODUCTIONS     "The Three Musketeers," 6" x 8", Golden Open Acrylics on canvasboard, depicting three vintage Fisher Price dog figurines. The newest piece in my "Treats, Toys and Treasures" series of paintings being displayed at Poppyseed Deli  in Downtown Lake Orion. Inquiries may come  to me .   There's nothing like painting still lifes to train one's eye on the nuances of light and shadow. And all the good info I soak up when painting them gets put to use when I set my reference photos away, and try to imagine my pet portrait subjects sitting in the studio with me.   Meanwhile, there's nearly two dozen fresh paintings at Poppyseeds, all under $100. Stop by for a coffee, and go home with a treasure.   Thanks for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com   It's A Party !!     Join us for dessert, beverages, and music, this c...

CLOCKWISE, FROM UPPER LEFT: "Training Wheels," 6" x 6", depicting dog riding tricycle, acrylic on canvasboard, $149; "Spotty," 6" x 8", depicting vintage wheeled dalmation toy, acrylic on canvasboard, $199; "Shoot the Rapids," 4" x 8", depicting dog in kayak, acrylic on canvasboard, $149; "Dalmation Duckie," 4" x 5", rubber duck disguised as dalmation, acrylic on canvasboard, $114; "Puppy Kindergarten," 6" x 12", depicting dogs seated in schooldesks, acrylic on canvasboard, $219; . A client has requested a handful of paintings from the "Tags, Toys & Treasures" series for her nursery. She gets first pick out of this group, but I'll be more than happy to create a wait list for anyone else interested. Inquiries (along with requests for higher resolution images) can come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . These little paintings star vintage toys, mostly Fisher Price Litt...