And Down the Stretch They Come !! ~~ Kimberly Kelly Santini

"And Down the Stretch They Come!!," 7" x 14", painting of a racetrack scene inspired by Saratoga, detail (which more accurately reflects the painting's color) below, done in acrylics on museum quality panel, $549 to the first asking nicely.    In process views of this painting are available on the studio Facebook page.   Requests may always come to me (and yes I am happy to set up a payment plan and yes I take credit cards and yes return collectors get 10% off all original panel paintings all the time).

I am so happy May is here!!     Because it's Derby Week, baby!! All horses!!   I spent last night reviewing photos, editing and cropping and trying to figure out what to paint this week. So many choices, not enough days!!   I've got 8 compositions but only 5 painting days, so I'll have to work quickly and productively if I want to do them all.   I cut to the chase this morning, bypassing most of my morning studio routine to get right to work. All day long I heard the thunder of hooves and the roar of the crowd, over which echoes the famous line "...and down the stretch they come!!"   It's going to be a fantastic week!!   I hope you enjoy!! Kim ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

From Amazon, the book "Belmont Park, A Century of Champions," featuring artwork by Richard Stone Reeves.   Richard Stone Reeves, My First Equine Artist Mentor   I was one of those kids who never stopped drawing horses. And took every opportunity to look at them, whether it was nose plastered to the car window on Sunday drives, scouring the latest Sports Illustrated magazine for photographs of equine athletes, or pouring over every single book in our library that included horse illustrations.   When I was a young adult/teenager, over the course of 6 years, I had a Richard Stone Reeves book continuously checked out.   In high school I wrote him a letter (I'm dating myself, because this was long before email!) asking his advice on becoming an artist.   He told me to never stop drawing. To take every opportunity I had to draw everything I saw - not just horses. And to never stop learning and working to get better at truly seeing the world. That if I couldn't draw well, I could never expect to be a decent painter.   I am so grateful for his advice, as it truly shaped my approach to making art. And I am proud to carry it onwards and share with my own students.   I wish I'd have had the opportunity to meet Mr Reeves, who passed away in 2005. I satisfy myself with enjoying his artwork in person whenever possible and continuing to thumb through my own copies of his books.