Paintings by Kim Testone
banner
kimtestone.bsky.social
Paintings by Kim Testone
@kimtestone.bsky.social
Still life painter of whimsical food. Rep. By Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, NC. New Cookie Landscape paintings in progress, solo show March 2026. Website: https://kimtestone.com
Blog: https://makinghappyart.com
Pinned
Reposted by Paintings by Kim Testone
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 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."
makinghappyart.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:13 PM
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 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."
makinghappyart.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:13 PM
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…
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.
makinghappyart.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:32 PM
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…
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.
makinghappyart.com
February 4, 2026 at 6:25 PM
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
February 3, 2026 at 10:25 PM
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…
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.
makinghappyart.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Reposted by Paintings by Kim Testone
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.
makinghappyart.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:24 PM
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.
makinghappyart.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by Paintings by Kim Testone
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
January 18, 2026 at 5:36 PM
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
January 18, 2026 at 5:36 PM
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
January 17, 2026 at 7:07 PM
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
January 17, 2026 at 5:31 AM
Reposted by Paintings by Kim Testone
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
November 25, 2025 at 1:54 AM
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
November 25, 2025 at 1:54 AM
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
October 31, 2025 at 11:10 PM
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
October 25, 2025 at 11:25 PM
October 15, 2025 at 2:49 PM
So I kind of went viral on TikTok with my latest video of one of my paintings - approaching 180,000 views and 39,000 likes. Crazy. But there’s some very kind people there. www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8ABJjjx/

#art #artprocess #realisticart #realism #acrylic #acrylicpainting #painting #hyperrealism #artist
October 8, 2025 at 4:33 AM
If you were wondering…Butterflies in the Sky, 24”x24”, acrylic on panel is flat. It took more than 200 hours to paint plus three days to build the cookie model. Hope it makes you smile! #painting #realism #paint #acrylic #acrylicpaint #artist #artists #blueskyart #blueskyartists #modernpainting
October 4, 2025 at 2:23 AM
October 2, 2025 at 3:49 PM
My weird humor. Been an artist of sorts for many years. Next gallery solo show coming March 2026. Featured here: Butterflies in the Sky, acrylic on panel, 24”x24”. #art #artists #bskyart #realisticart #artistslife #artonbluesky #hyperrealism #modernart #modernpainting #artlover #traditionalart
September 30, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Last day to sign up for my new mini monthly ice cream Art print club if you want Strawberry Scoops! Signed mini print, sent in a protective sleeve, in a snail mail envelope. How fun is that? #snailmail #art #artlove #artprints #artcollector #foodart #foodpainting #artistsofbluesky #supportartists
September 30, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Painting process…this one has taken me over 200 hours so far. Hoping that im making things that give people some #hope . That makes it worth it. #art #artprocess #painting #paintingprocess #acrylicpainying #realism #modernart #traditionalpainting #creative #artsy #artlover #hyperrealism #artlife
September 27, 2025 at 2:42 AM