You Are My Sunshine, A Lesson Painting, Part II of II ~~ Kimberly Kelly Santini

Shall we recap?   Yesterday, in celebration of little Mona Lisa's 1st birthday, I began a kitten lesson painting. You can see what was accomplished in my blog entry from Monday.     Picking up where I left off, I began laying glazes* down on the background/floor. (*A glaze is a transparent layer of paint which allows the layers underneath to peek through, while also creating an illusion of "floating" brushwork.)   Multiple layers of glaze have reduced the color saturation of the yellow and orange without reducing any of the "shimmering" effect they created.   I also started putting more color into the kitten, molding and sculpting her form with my brushwork. Working from a 1" flat to a smaller 1/4", I finished Mona out with a handful of carefully placed whiskers and fur. There's no need to paint all of them - the viewers eye will fill in the necessary details.     And here she is, all finished:  "You Are My Sunshine," a Gratitude Painting, 11" x 14", depicting the studio's littlest muse and rescue kitty Mona Lisa. Done in Golden Open and Heavy Body acrylics on an Ampersand Gessobord, $568 to the first one asking "purr-ty please." Which can be done via email.   Thanks so much for sharing my art with your friends and family, Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com       Gratitude Paintings   I'm currently working on a series of paintings starring rescued animals, which I have titled "The Gratitude Project."    I've called them such because only an animal can overcome homelessness, being abandoned or mistreated, to willingly supply a lifetime of faithful companionship. It's a life lesson I can personally take note of while trying to be more open hearted and forgiving myself.   Each original in the series is earmarked for proceeds to benefit a particular group. Usually it is the group that initially rescued/rehomed the animal. Furthermore, when reproductions (giclees and notecards) of the same painting are sold, the proceeds also benefit animal welfare.   It's my way of staying focused on the positives and working to make a difference. Even if it's only a few lives, it's a few more lives touched than were I to sit on my butt all day and eat bon bons.   If you know of a rescued animal or a non-profit group that deserves to be part of my Gratitude Series, please let me know.   Thanks in advance!