Seven Days

I know how you feel, Rachel - reluctant participant!

So, apparently I've agreed to take the Your Turn Challenge.  Perhaps Kim Santini saw my last blog post, where I may have mentioned needing to get back to the blogging thing.  She forwarded me a post from Seth Godin's blog, talking about the above mentioned challenge, and asked if I was in.  Post for seven days, from January 19 through the 25th?  Hey, once upon a time I did thirty days in a row.  Seven should be a piece of cake, right?

This one, however, has  more guidelines that those thirty days.  Therein lies the challenge for me!  I've always been the one to take that road less travelled - following other people's rules and way of doing things has rarely been my M.O.  Soooo....I will endeavour to conform this week, haha.  There are simply prompts for each day.  Today's is, "Why?"  Why am I doing this Your Turn Challenge?

I'm guessing the main reason is pretty obvious.  I was just saying I wanted to get back to spending more time posting on my blog, so this is a way of jump-starting things.  A second reason is that I was challenged to do so, and far be it from me to turn down a challenge from Kim.  ;-)  Maybe the third reason is what I talked about in the previous paragraph - trying to be part of something, rather than going my own way.  At least for seven days.  Surely I can play for that long! The hardest part will be sharing it beyond the boundaries of this blog.  That part is optional - to add it to the posts on the Your Turn blog - but, what's that saying, in for a penny? Or, as the BFF song says, "Do It Anyway!"

Perhaps taking on this challenge will spur me onto bigger ones, like settling back into a more productive routine in the studio! Guess you'd better keep tuned in to see if that happens!

My last blog challenge involved a painting a day...this one was a favourite from those thirty days!

What is Blue and Orange and Reminds Me of Summer?

I think I have actually finished a "real" painting that's been in the works for a while.  The process I used for it does actually have something to do with the painting I'm posting today.  This larger WIP was rather involved - what started out as a challenge of sorts with fellow artist/photographer Renee Fukumoto, sort of dissolved into something far away from the intended task....but I'm getting sidetracked.  All that is for another post.

You may recognize the fellow to the right.  There is a story behind Kim Santini presenting me with the plush Smurf toy in Saratoga a few years ago, but that's one of those inside jokes I sadly can't share here, haha.  It has morphed into the emergence of Spa Smurf, who has his own Facebook page....something for you to peruse one day when you're looking for avoidance tactics.

I've been meaning to paint Smurf for a while now, inspired by Kim's paintings of various toys and dolls (if you don't get distracted by the animals, have a look at them on her site). While my palette is a lot stingier than Kim's, the simple use of Cadmium orange for the ground does the trick to provide some punch.  I'm going to save discussing complimentary colours until I post the "challenge" painting...but that's what I'm making use of here.  Yes, it was actually intentional!  Sometimes I do pretend to know what I'm doing.  ;-) Our blue friend is 10 x 8 oil on canvas. 

It's A Dog Show! I Mean, a Dog Art Show!

I just realized I'd forgotten to announce the Canine Art Guild's latest online show. The CAG is celebrating it's fifth anniversary this year, and I'm proud to be a member. Oops - that reminds me, I also need to send in this year's dues!

All of the paintings are 5 x 5 inches, and there is voting for the People's Choice Award. Have a look through all of the great artwork there, and make sure you pick your favourite! I'm having a hard time deciding, myself - and no, I'm not going to pick my own work!

My contribution to the show is an oil on masonite of my Border Collie, Swish. I adopted Swish through Border Collie Rescue Ontario right about the time Kim Santini and I started throwing around the idea of the CAG. Time sure does fly - I was thinking Swish was five years old, but she was a year and a half when I got her, so she's six! In true Border Collie fashion, however, she doesn't act it! Forever young, it seems - gotta love those BCs.

Don't forget, the April Thirty Horses, Thirty Days is ongoing on its own blog. The first paintings are dry, so I'm going to be adding selling prices to them. Those prices are a limited time sort of thing, because once I start framing them for shows, the price has to go up, no way around that!

Better get going on today's painting!

Beating the Blahs with a pARTy!

I decided because my fellow Virtual pARTy organizer Kim Santini posted her pARTy painting, I could post mine as well. All's fair in painting and pARtying! This time around Kim provided our reference photo, from a photo shoot of her friend's Curly horses. This is up close and personal with Percy...which, come to think of it, is something like what Kim called her painting! If you'd like to see the photo, visit the pARTy blog. Thanks, Kim!

The details: this is 10 x 10 oil on gallery wrap canvas. This particular canvas was interesting, because it was prepped with clear gesso, so there was no need to tone it like I would normally do with a white surface. It was already the perfect colour for this particular painting. It's available for $300 US, plus shipping - once it's dry enough to go to a new home! Just email me if you're interested.

The pARTy officially runs until Saturday, so if anyone still wants to play with us, the instructions are also posted on the pARTy blog. Contact one of us if you'd like a high resolution file of the photograph. Sometime early next week, we will post all of the participants' entries on the pARTy blog, so be sure to check back then. Better yet - follow the blog so you get the latest updates.

Oh, The Pressure!

A trip to Saratoga inevitably provides an endless stream of inspiration for an equine artist, particularly when directly involved in Thoroughbred racing. After three days of taking photos at the beautiful track - followed by a visit to good old Woodbine on Sunday for the last jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, the Breeders' Stakes, I'm itching to get at it. Unfortunately for me, I have some pressing paperwork and prior commitments that take precedence at the moment. I am dealing with some serious easel envy today, having just read fellow Saratoga-goer Kim Santini's blog post! It will be interesting to see how we both interpret our trip, as often we were standing side by side taking photos. Photographer Juliet Harrison was also with us, but we're going to have to wait to see her black and white work, as Juliet is off to Scotland now!


It was a fun day out at the barn today. Yesterday, for the first time, I put flymasks on the babies, knowing the game would be to see how long they lasted! I was amazed they left them on yesterday, though one of them got Gracie's off (from the opposite side of the fence, no less). Today, however...Clever's colt had his off before noon, and about an hour ago I saw Leo's was about to follow. It's all a game with those two boys!


Priority number one in the painting department at the moment will be the piece I'm working on for the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame silent auction, to be held the evening of the induction ceremony, August 27th. I've been asked to paint harness horse extraordinaire, Somebeachsomewhere, one of this year's inductees. So while my Saratoga paintings must wait a while, I'm looking forward to painting this great horse. My panel is prepped, and I've started sketching. I won't be posting it until it's done, but in between stages I'm sure I'll be able to get at some of those images floating around in my head following out trip. All I'll have to do is buy some Ben & Jerry's to bring the atmosphere back!

Coming Up Short

Well, it didn't quite happen today. I didn't quite get today's painting finished, because the mare and foal that have been away for a couple of days returned tonight, and the foal is a little under the weather. I know it's just 9:40pm, but suffice to say my head isn't quite there!

Technically this wasn't a daily painting anyway. This was one I started a couple of weeks ago when I was still waiting for my oils to get back from SK. I didn't do much - I was trying to see if I could do something remotely close to what Val Hinz does (hahahaha...right!). I'll show you what I did in that session. I was pleased with the progress today, just trying to keep it simple, loose, with lots of colour. It was headed in the right direction, at least! The 'stretch run' will have to wait!

The details: 8 x 10 oil on panel; purple underpainting (if I can call it that!) in acrylic.

Just an interesting, albeit useless, fact about this scene, and my reference photo. The horse on the right is the same chestnut Kim Santini and I painted for our Preakness pARTy. I laughed when I realised that. Of course Juliet Harrison took our pARTy photo. This was a shot I took of the race at Saratoga, as the horses entered the straightaway.

My apologies again. Off to the barn to check on the kid.

More Belmont pARTy!

My fellow pARTy host Kim Santini heard my plea for help (or whine, however you might see it!) and agreed to let me feature *her* Belmont pARTy not-one-but-two-paintings today for a guest post! Kim had the kind of week that definitely entitles her to join me in that chorus of "It's My pARTy" from yesterday, so I'm humbled that she would take pity on me! :-) I love these paintings. I've been having a lot of fun seeing the participants' efforts come in yesterday and today. There's still time to play, if you're quick about it - midnight EST is our deadline.

My show today went well - beautiful weather an encouraging sales. Back for another day tomorrow. Left a little early to rush home, feed the horses and get in the house in time to watch the Belmont, only to discover it was ABC instead of NBC broadcasting this time around, and I don't get ABC! Crisis!! I sort of get the audio, so I listened and watched the snow and will have to catch the replay later. So yes, I'm disappointed that Mine That Bird didn't win, but he didn't disgrace himself by the sounds of it. And I thought Wooley's comments were perfect - it did sound like he moved too early, but really, when you're not the one out there on the horse, that's so easy to say! And on the TV front...maybe today will be what finally prompts me to get satellite! I know I must be the last person on the face of the earth without, but it just seems like a lot of money to spend on something I don't have a lot of use for: more TV.

All right...enough of my grumbling...time for some artwork!

Gallop I and II, the Belmont pARTy
By Kimberly Kelly Santini

FROM TOP: FROM LEFT: "Gallop I (Gray)" and "Gallop II (Dark Bay)," from the 2009 Belmont pARTy, both 6" x 12", equine paintings in acrylic on canvasboard, $249 each or $479 for both. Inquiries may come to me.

Today's pARTy reference photo was provided by equine photographer Juliet Harrison. I'd like to thank Juliet for sharing her imagery with us on our first open invitation pARTy.

The reference photo (which you can see here), from Saratoga, depicts two Thoroughbreds in full gallop, complete with jockeys and the track scene as a backdrop. Initially I planned on painting each horse on his own panel, with the gray one pulling away and the dark horse digging in. Somewhere along the line, however, I began liking the idea of them running free, and never added the jockeys, rail, or background sheds. I'm debating still whether I should leave the dirt/track surface in the foreground or carry the grass to the lower edge of the canvas.

The idea of diptych's has always fascinated me. I've done it on a couple other occasions (Pounce is one), and really enjoy the challenge painting companion pieces provides. It's even more challenging to get those works completed within the course of a day that also included delivering artwork to a gallery and the end-of-school-year carnival.

I haven't seen Linda Shantz's painting yet, nor any of the Belmont pARTy participants. I understand Linda would like to have them all posted by Monday. You can review all the artwork on the Virtual pARTy blog.

Meanwhile, here's to a safe trip and a good race.

Enjoy your weekend!

Kim Santini

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Preakness pARTy!

Well, we're at it again. Kim Santini and I did another 'paint-off' today to commemorate tomorrow's Preakness Stakes. The photo was supplied by our mutual friend, photographer Juliet Harrison. Thanks, Juliet! To see the image we worked from visit the Virtual pARTy blog. That's where you'll also be able to see both our paintings.

My motto for today was "work smarter, not harder!" The breeding season has been throwing me curve balls this year, and so far 'the team' is striking out! Today was another vet visit to check the status of a couple of the mares - my vet comes often enough these days that my dogs don't bother to announce his arrival anymore! Anyway, all that meant I knew my time to paint might be limited , as I called making the latest round of arrangements after I had the necessary information regarding the girls...on top of the usual barn chores. I decided to go with a pretty extreme crop of the reference image, and then chose a piece of precious Artfix linen on which to work, as I know paintings all but paint themselves on this surface (now that I seem to have figured it out!).

The result: 10 x 16, oil on linen, tentatively titled 'Eye on the Prize.' As much as I love to see fillies beat the boys, I have to maintain my loyalty to Mine That Bird tomorrow, and join in on the rain dance headed by my friends at Pine Valley! I saw Gemini Caine last weekend when I was in at the track....yes, I was the one yelling through the tunnel to the main track, "How's the person that BROKE THE DERBY WINNER?" So...first things first, wishing everybody a safe trip tomorrow...and looking forward to seeing how the drama plays out!

Monday Guest Artist ~ Kimberly Kelly Santini

Kind of a chilly, wet day out there. I'd left Monster outside but she woke me up when the rain started, yelling at me...so I got up a little early to bring her in, fed all the horses and came back to the house for breakfast. The vet is coming out for some work, so most of them would have been in anyway!

I've been excited about all of the guest bloggers, but today's artist played a big part of my decision to try and do a modified daily painting project. Kim has explained about her journey in her post, and be sure to visit her website and blog to enjoy more of her artwork! Comments are always welcome and hopefully this post will inspire some good discussion!

The Ugly (and Not So Ugly) Truths About Daily Painting

Kimberly Kelly Santini

I was especially tickled to follow Linda's daily paintings last fall when she first committed to the routine. I was even happier to hear that she had been bitten by the daily bug and has pledged to paint daily for several chunks of time during 2009. And what an honor when Linda approached me several weeks ago about being a guest blogger.

You see, I am a daily painter as well, having been hooked since October 2006, practically 750 paintings ago. That's a lot of paint, wasted and well-spent, and a lot of blog entries.

Working daily takes diligence and will power, since life insists on getting in the way. The key to a successful daily (or regular) routine is structuring it so that it is not a chore. That can get complicated though, if you are on foal-watch (like Linda has been) or merely have a sick child (like I am occasionally blessed with). It is of primary importance that you set up your daily routine so that you are not penalized when these sorts of things happen (because they will).

It is also key that the daily routine itself provides you with a reward, hence the positive reinforcement you need in order to maintain the pace. For me, the process of making art is mental health time. If I go several days without time at the easel, my mood shifts. I also am the sort of person who thrives under pressure. The process of creating a painting while the world seemingly falls apart outside the studio door (or so my kids often think) builds great confidence. That snowballs into the next painting/the next tough day.

I'll agree that the demand of a daily creation process is not for everyone. Those considering the commitment should do some serious soul searching, and if they are ready, next build a program to fit their personality, their skill set, their work routine, and their lifestyle.

If you think you can hack it, dwell for a minute on the rewards:

1. A greater knowledge of your materials.

2. A greater number of opportunities to work out ideas, merited or not.

3. A greater number of pieces to market to your clients (and potentially a greater number of sales).

4. A greater number of topics to address in your blog (that is, if you blog).

5. A greater ability to discuss your work (that is, if you blog or write in some fashion about your daily works).

6. A greater number of examples to share with potential clients (if you do commission work).

7. A greater confidence when you stand at your easel (or sit at your desk/wherever you work).

8. A greater variety of experiences to draw upon when deciding ideas/compositions for future works.

9. A greater ability to recognize your strengths and weaknesses.

10. The perfect platform to address both strengths and weaknesses.

These are just a few thoughts that come to mind, but the list could go on and on.

I would love to hear your thoughts on daily work and how it has benefitted you personally or someone you know. Or if you have concerns prior to committing, what they might be. Feel free to comment below or send an email to me (ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com). Perhaps Linda will be kind enough to allow for a follow-up post should there be enough interest.

Beginning the dialogue, however, is the first step towards discovering a program that could change your work all for the better.

It has mine.