Trompe L’Oeil Design and Painting Process for My Whimsical Songbird Piece Artist Kim Testone explains the painting inspiration and process behind her new whimsical trompe l'oeil foodscape painting, "Sing," featuring singing sugar cookie songbirds on pretzel branches with an ice cream cone nest.

On my blog today, take a look behind the scenes at the design and painting process for my whimsical trompe l'oeil foodscape painting, "Sing," acrylic on panel, 24" x 12". #art #painting #paintingprocess #acrylic #acrylicpainting #traditionalart #traditionalpainting #trompeloeil #realism #foodart

Trompe L’Oeil Design and Painting Process for My Whimsical Songbird Piece Artist Kim Testone explains the painting inspiration and process behind her new whimsical trompe l'oeil foodscape painting, "Sing," featuring singing sugar cookie songbirds on pretzel branches with an ice cream cone nest.

On my blog today, take a look behind the scenes at the design and painting process for my whimsical trompe l'oeil foodscape painting, "Sing," acrylic on panel, 24" x 12". #art #painting #paintingprocess #acrylic #acrylicpainting #traditionalart #traditionalpainting #trompeloeil #realism #foodart

Five Highlights from My Live Interview with Hidell Brooks Gallery Artist Kim Testone discusses her new paintings with Katharine of Hidell Brooks Gallery.

Today's blog post: Five Highlights from My Live Interview with Hidell Brooks Gallery. Including my favorite comment I've ever received on social media about my art. #art #artist #painter #artsy #artlover #galleryshow #artgallery #artshow #whimsical #realism #acrylic #acrylicpainting #traditionalart

Check out my live stream interview with Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina, about my new painting exhibition. Show is up through March 27th. www.instagram.com/reel/DVtW23f...

#art #artists #painting #traditionalart #traditionalpainting #trompeloeil #acrylic #artshow #artgallery

Thanks so much, Klaire! ❤️

Photos of My Painting Exhibition, Opening at Hidell Brooks Gallery Today Photos of artist Kim Testone's latest painting exhibition at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Opening day for my painting exhibition at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina! Check out all of the photos and video on my blog, MakingHappyArt.com. #art #painting #paintings #artist #painting #traditionalart #traditionalpainting #realism #realisticpainting #trompeloeil #whimsical

The 9 New Whimsical Trompe L’Oeil Paintings You Can See at My Gallery Show This Month All of these paintings will be on view at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina, March 6-27th, 2026. Hidell Brooks is by appointment only. Please contact them directly to schedule a viewing. For the past year, I've been working diligently on a new body of whimsical acrylic trompe l'oeil paintings for an exhibition at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Visit my blog today to preview the final photos of the 9 new trompe l'oeil paintings you can see at my show at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina, from Friday March 6-27th. #artshow #artexhibition #artist #artonbluesky #acrylic #realism #realisticart #noai #painting #art #artlover

Painting “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” Part 3: The Process Artist Kim Testone explains the detailed painting process for her large gingerbread and frosting trompe l'oeil painting, "Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood."

The painting process I used for my giant trompe l'oeil gingerbread painting "Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," acrylic on panel, 36"x48", plus photos of the final details. #art #painting #paintingprocess #acrylic #acrylicpainting #blueskyart #artist #artonbluesky #realism #trompeloeil #whimsical

This acrylic trompe l’oeil painting is based on a real-life gingerbread-frosting model that I baked and decorated…then I spent many hours painting thin overlapping layers of acrylic on panel. The painting is totally flat, but looks very dimensional. It is inspired by growing up near the railroad tracks in my small rural hometown, and waiting in the car with my family at the tracks as the rare passenger trains went by. I always thought that it must be so magical to ride in those lit-up cars.

“Night Train,” acrylic on panel, 18”x24”, will be part of my March show at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. #art #painting #noai #traditionalart #traditionalpainting #acrylic #acrylicpainting #blueskyart #artistsofbluesky #whimsical #realism #trompeloeil #realisticart #paintings

Painting “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” Part 2: Designing and Baking the Model How artist Kim Testone designed, baked and decorated a giant real-life gingerbread and frosting model for her trompe l'oeil food painting "Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"

Check out my latest blog post at MakingHappyArt.com to learn how I designed, baked and decorated my four-foot-long trompe l'oeil food painting "Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood." #art #paintingprocess #artprocess #artist #bskyart #bskyartists #realism #artonbluesky #trompeloeil #whimsical #artlover

Painting “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” Part 1: The Inspiration Where I Grew Up Before I show you the process of painting the four-foot-long trompe l'oeil piece "Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" -- my most complicated painting ever -- I think I need to tell you about the beautiful neighborhood where I grew up. It's not that I literally painted any part of my old neighborhood, but I did try to capture some of what it felt like to grow up there.

Painting “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” Part 1: The Inspiration

Where I Grew Up Before I show you the process of painting the four-foot-long trompe l'oeil piece "Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" -- my most complicated painting ever -- I think I need to tell you about the beautiful…

Exploring the Details of the Trompe L’Oeil Painting “The Daydreamer” As I have mentioned many times here and on social media, my paintings are best appreciated in person and not online. This is partly because I have a very complex layering process for my paintings, wherein every part of each painting consists of multiple translucent layers of acrylic paint that visually fuse together to create new colors while allowing the markings from lower layers to peek through.

Exploring the Details of the Trompe L’Oeil Painting “The Daydreamer”

As I have mentioned many times here and on social media, my paintings are best appreciated in person and not online. This is partly because I have a very complex layering process for my paintings, wherein every part of each…

Why I Almost Didn’t Finish My Largest Painting Ever…a Five-Foot-Tall Fudge Ripple Ice Cream Cone I've been painting ice cream cones in a wide range of sizes for probably at least six years, maybe longer. Dozens and dozens of ice cream cones. I've learned a lot, I've adjusted my technique, I've aimed for greater realism and yet simultaneously a more painterly approach (which really can only be appreciated in person). But when I decided to tackle the largest ice cream cone I've ever painted -- 5 feet by 4 feet -- I was unprepared for exactly how challenging it would be.

Why I Almost Didn’t Finish My Largest Painting Ever…a Five-Foot-Tall Fudge Ripple Ice Cream Cone

I've been painting ice cream cones in a wide range of sizes for probably at least six years, maybe longer. Dozens and dozens of ice cream cones. I've learned a lot, I've adjusted my technique, I've…

The Failed Painting that Changed My Art Forever One of the nice things about blogging is that it enables me to slow down and just show my art and talk about it a little bit, rather than constantly battle the algorithms of various social media platforms to get noticed. Today, I thought I talk about the failed painting that led up to what I consider to be a breakthrough painting in my new Cookie Landscape series, "The Daydreamer."

The Failed Painting that Changed My Art Forever

One of the nice things about blogging is that it enables me to slow down and just show my art and talk about it a little bit, rather than constantly battle the algorithms of various social media platforms to get noticed. Today, I thought I talk about…

Why I Made a Conscious Choice to Make Happy Art I decided to name my blog Making Happy Art for a reason. It's not a gimmick, and if anything I hope that it helps to clarify what it is that I paint. But what makes my work "Happy Art," and why would I limit my direction in painting by restricting it? I think the simplest way to explain my reasoning is to say that I treat my art as a job -- a very important job -- and in doing so, I believe it's only right to have a job description for myself: I make happy art.

Why I Made a Conscious Choice to Make Happy Art

I decided to name my blog Making Happy Art for a reason. It's not a gimmick, and if anything I hope that it helps to clarify what it is that I paint. But what makes my work "Happy Art," and why would I limit my direction in painting by restricting…

Three Reasons I Wish You Could See My New Paintings in Person and Not Online My next in-person solo show will be March 6-27, 2026, at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. When I tell people that my paintings, especially my new Cookie Landscape trompe l'oeil paintings, take dozens to hundreds of hours to paint, the usual responses are "Wow" or "Why?" While it is honestly a crazy amount of hours for a single painting, it is also necessary to my painting process.

Three Reasons I Wish You Could See My New Paintings in Person and Not Online

My next in-person solo show will be March 6-27, 2026, at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. When I tell people that my paintings, especially my new Cookie Landscape trompe l'oeil paintings, take dozens to…

Sharing my magical trompe l’oeil paintings (all flat, acrylic) to #BlueSky and my blog MakingHappyArt.com more. Here are the seven new paintings that will be in my March show at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, NC. Enjoy! #art #painting #acrylic #artist #bskyart #bskyartist #realism #realisticart

Three Videos of My Paintings that Recently Went Viral on TikTok First, let me state that I believe the definition of "viral" in terms of social media is relative, both to the person sharing a post and with regard to the niche of the post. Early on when I was posting to TikTok, I had a video of me painting a giant ice cream sundae near 10,000 views. For me, at that time, that was viral.

Three Videos of My Paintings that Recently Went Viral on TikTok

First, let me state that I believe the definition of "viral" in terms of social media is relative, both to the person sharing a post and with regard to the niche of the post. Early on when I was posting to TikTok, I had a video of me…

I launched two mini art print clubs. Here are 8 reasons why you should consider joining… What you'll get in my March 2026 Sweet Escapes Art Print Club: Signed 5" x 5" heavy-weight fine art print of my recent painting Butterflies in the Sky, in an archival sleeve, mini folding card with envelope, the secret Apricot Bars recipe, plus a letter from me, all packed up in a super cute "escapes" envelope. I do all printing, including the envelope, in my studio.

I launched two mini art print clubs. Here are 8 reasons why you should consider joining…

What you'll get in my March 2026 Sweet Escapes Art Print Club: Signed 5" x 5" heavy-weight fine art print of my recent painting Butterflies in the Sky, in an archival sleeve, mini folding card with envelope,…

I launched two mini art print clubs. Here are 8 reasons why you should consider joining… What you'll get in my March 2026 Sweet Escapes Art Print Club: Signed 5" x 5" heavy-weight fine art print of my recent painting Butterflies in the Sky, in an archival sleeve, mini folding card with envelope, the secret Apricot Bars recipe, plus a letter from me, all packed up in a super cute "escapes" envelope. I do all printing, including the envelope, in my studio.

I launched two mini art print clubs. Here are 8 reasons why you should consider joining…

What you'll get in my March 2026 Sweet Escapes Art Print Club: Signed 5" x 5" heavy-weight fine art print of my recent painting Butterflies in the Sky, in an archival sleeve, mini folding card with envelope,…

The gingerbread/frosting model is about three feet long, the painting is four feet long and is totally flat. It is super-detailed and took me hundreds of hours to paint. Baking and decorating a real-life model is very time-consuming, but it’s necessary and gives my painting a much more human quality, I think. Hope it made you smile!

Baked a giant gingerbread neighborhood so I could paint a giant-er gingerbread neighborhood…”Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” acrylic on panel, 48”x36”…soon available at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, NC. #art #painting #artprocess #paintingprocess #artist #artlove #acrylic #realism #noai

Need positivity? Try my new Sweet Escapes Art Print Club. You’ll get a real signed mini fine print of one of my whimsical food paintings, not a postcard, plus a note and a few extras each month in your mailbox! kimtestone.com/products/swe...

#art #snailmail #printclub #mailclub #bskyart #artist

Happy to do a soft launch of my new Sweet Escapes Art Print Club, featuring mini fine art prints of my whimsical food landscape paintings and some extra fun goodies! Because really, don’t we all feel like we need an escape right now? kimtestone.com/products/swe...

#art #positivevibes #artist #artsy

I bake, then paint…no AI. Nothing but imagination and a lot of long hours. Hope the work makes you smile! #art #artist #painting #paintings #paintingprocess #artistslife #baker #artlover #artnerd #creative #trompeloeil #realism #realisticpainting #noai #realisticart #whimsical #newrealism

I bake, then paint…no AI. Nothing but imagination and a lot of long hours. Hope the work makes you smile! #art #artist #painting #paintings #paintingprocess #artistslife #baker #artlover #artnerd #creative #trompeloeil #realism #realisticpainting #noai #realisticart #whimsical #newrealism

Because real art made by real people is important… #realart #noai #art #artprocess #painting #acrylicpainting #supportart #supportartists #womenartists #traditionalart #modernart #modernpainting #traditionalpainting #shareart #artlover #realism #realisticart #realisticpainting #artist #artonbsky

Because real art made by real people is important… #realart #noai #art #artprocess #painting #acrylicpainting #supportart #supportartists #womenartists #traditionalart #modernart #modernpainting #traditionalpainting #shareart #artlover #realism #realisticart #realisticpainting #artist #artonbsky

Happy Halloween! “Chasing Butterflies,” acrylic on panel, 24”x18”. Will be part of my March 2026 Cookie Landscapes show at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, NC. This piece is flat but painted to look dimensional. #art #painting #modernart #traditionalpainting #realism #artlover #realisticpainting

Thanks so much! I appreciate it!

Feels like Autumn today, so here’s a little fall painting in progress…Chasing Butterflies, acrylic on panel, 24”x18”. Aiming for a Halloween completion! #art #painting #paintinginprogress #wip #workinprogress #paintingprocess #halloween #autumn #acrylic #acrylicpainting #modernart #artonbsky #artsy