Monthly Archives: September 2018

Busy, busy, busy. An artist’s work is never done! And that’s a good thing!

Posted on September 30, 2018 | 1 comment

This month and next month promise to be VERY busy.

The Jasper Arts annual juried show wrapped up on Friday. I had my painting Homage to a Dead Bird in it. Have to pick it up this week.

Solo exhibit at Oakland City University, Kit Miracle

And my solo exhibit at Oakland City University was supposed to end last Friday, too. However, I’ve been asked to extend it for a few more weeks so if you didn’t catch it, you still can through October 12^th. The fifty works in the show are a good example of what I’ve been creating the past few years and are pretty colorful.

Goldenrod – wildflower, watercolor pen and ink, Kit Miracle

My class on Flower Painting with Watercolor and Pen and Ink begins tomorrow. I’m a little nervous since I haven’t taught a class in years. But I’ve been painting watercolor for 35 years now and have painted hundreds of flowers so I’m sure I’ll relax. I hope the students have a good time and learn something.

Then on October 11^th, I’ve been asked to exhibit some of my work at one of the final Will Read and Sing for Food events. I’m so flattered to be asked. This is a very worthy group of volunteers who have been raising money for worthy causes for the past several years. Music, singing, comedy, humor, editorials. All in good fun. I’ll be sad to see them end their rein but understand exactly how much work is involved behind the scenes for a two hour show. Thanks, friends!

Invitation to Open Studio Sale

Example of previous open studio paintings for sale. Up to 50% off, many of them framed. Get extra 10% off if you bring the invitation card.

Good food and drink. Homemade soup, bread, and desserts.

Finally, I’m hosting an Open Studio Sale on October 20 and 21. I haven’t had an open studio sale for four years and have a LOT of paintings for sale at some really great prices just in time for the holidays. Two fun-filled days with art, music, food (homemade minestrone soup and homemade bread), and good friends. Plus it’s a great time to drive out in the country to see the fall colors.

In between all these activities, there’s company coming, fall gardening activities, a wedding and other events to attend, and so much more. Whew! I thought I retired!

If you’d like any more information about any or all of these events, please contact me. I sent out a bunch of invitations to the Open Studio Sale but if you didn’t receive one, just ask.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

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Tagged kit miracle, oakland city university, open studio sale, pen and ink, studio sale, WRSFF

State arts organizations

Posted on September 16, 2018 | 2 comments

Did you know that every state has a state arts organization? These arts organizations are on the front line to keep the arts alive and in the forefront for support and legislation. Each year they battle over the budgets, promote the arts, provide many services to artists as well as regional and local organizations. Often they provide grant monies for both individual arts and organizations.

City of Jasper Mayor Terry Seitz welcomes the IAC for their quarterly meeting.

The Indian Arts Commission held their quarterly meeting in Jasper on Friday, the city where I used to work. Jasper is the only city in the state with an arts department, on par with the parks department, the street department, fire, water, etc. The community really supports the arts.

Lewis Ricci (blue shirt), Director of the IAC, addresses the board.

I decided to attend since I’d worked with many of these people for the better part of two decades. It was good catch up with old friends and to find out what the current issues were and plans for the future.

Lauren Robel, IU Provost and Executive Vice President, addressed the commission on IU’s Center for Rural Engagement’s study on the activities of the arts in the less populated areas of the state.

My favorite part of the meeting was a presentation by Lauren Robel, IU Provost and Executive Vice President about Indiana University’s Center for Rural Engagement. Quality of life is a big part of their mission. They have held a years-long survey of arts organizations and activities in rural Indiana. So many times we imagine the arts as only being in cities but there is a whole lot going on in less populated areas; we just don’t always know what it is or how to find it. The IU group is trying to make those connections.

Several members of the public attended as well as staff from Jasper Community Arts and other regional organizations.

The meeting was held at the new pavilion on the grounds of the Parklands, Jasper’s newest city park.

The meeting was held at the new pavilion on the grounds of the Parklands, Jasper’s newest city park. I urge you all to do a little research for your own state to find out what is happening in the arts and how you can support it. Or, maybe they can support you!

Check this link to find national, regional, and state arts organizations.

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Posted in opinion

Tagged art, arts organization, Center for Rural Engagement, IAC, indiana, indiana arts commission, IU, parklands, state arts

Visiting the Falls of the Ohio

Posted on September 12, 2018 | Comments Off

Falls of the Ohio II, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20, Kit Miracle. This view is looking back towards the shore from the beds, where the puddles reflect the cloudy sky and trees.

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I took a day trip to the Falls of the Ohio in New Albany, Indiana. Although it’s only a short drive away, I had never been there.

The Falls of the Ohio is an Indiana state park set on the edge of the Ohio River. It features large fossil beds which visitors can climb over. You can view thousands of fossils right beneath your feet. As the level of the river drops, more layers of fossils are uncovered.

Falls of the Ohio I, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20, Kit Miracle. View from the treeline at the Falls, across the river towards Louisville. We saw a train crossing the bridge while we were there.

The day we visited was an in and out day, with showers alternating with sun. I particularly loved the setting along the river. The old trees, the puddles reflecting the trees, the skyline of Louisville across the river. We even saw a train crossing the old bridge.

There is an interpretive center which has a fee but the visit to the Falls is free. If you go there, it is a bit tricky to find but follow the signs. Obviously it’s on the river so you will be looking for River Road. Take a picnic lunch or travel along River Road to eat lunch at one of the many neat restaurants in the area. You can even follow the road east to Jeffersonville to the walking bridge over the Ohio.

All in all, an enjoyable day. It’s good to try something new.

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Posted in landscape, Uncategorized

Tagged acrylic, contemporary impressionist, falls of the ohio, fossils, indiana, Jeffersonville, Kentucky, kit miracle, landscape, Louisville, Louisville skyline, New Albany, Ohio River, train bridge

Reception at Oakland City University

Posted on September 9, 2018 | 1 comment

Gallery exhibit at the J. Michael Dunn Gallery at Oakland City University in Oakland City, Indiana. The paintings always look so nice when the lights are set. As you can see, I really love color!

As I mentioned earlier, I have an exhibit at Oakland City University last month and through September 28th. We had a reception today.

Friends who made it to the reception. Even with the leftover remnants of the hurricane rain, some people still made it out. Thanks so much!

I was so delighted that some new and old friends were able to make it as we have had some real rainy weather with the remnant of the hurricane coming up from the Gulf. (We had over seven inches of rain yesterday!) It would have been real embarrassing if no one had shown up.

My son and his girlfriend speaking with a long-time acquaintance LaVonne Tisdale.

My friend Roger Willis and his helpers put out some nice refreshments. People hung around for my gallery talk. Difficult to squeeze thirty-five years into twenty minutes but I hope they enjoyed it.

The artist posing with a self portrait with still life. A bit ironic, I think.

Thanks so much for coming out. The show runs through September 28th. If you’re in the neighborhood, please try to stop by. Check out the hours and address at the J. Michael Dunn Gallery on campus.

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Tagged contemporary impressionist, gallery reception, kit miracle, oakland city university

Pen and ink, a test

Posted on September 5, 2018 | Comments Off

I’m teaching a class next month for flower painting with watercolor and pen and ink. I’ve been using this technique for about 35 years now so I might have learned a thing or two about the subject.

A few of the pens that I used in the most recent test. Top to bottom, India ink and a #4 quill dip pen, my favorite Platinum Carbon Ink pen, a Uniball Vision Elite, Lamy Safari, Shaeffer calligraphy, and a brush pen with ink.

In preparation for the class, I dragged out all of the accumulated pens that I’ve used over the years. I first started with the old fashioned dip pens and India ink. This is still a tried and true favorite. I use a #4 quill and used to buy them by the dozen as I tend to wear them down. (Or a #102 crow quill.) I like the feel of the quill pen and the slight variance of the lines as I draw. However, there’s often the problem of an errant drop of ink on the paper, which, being India ink, cannot be removed and is difficult to cover up. Also, when I was doing house portraits and using a ruler for some straight lines, the ink would sometimes wick under the ruler, again, spoiling the painting.

Several years ago, I began exploring other pens. I’ve tried many of the mechanical drawing pens but they were too difficult to clean. Some commercial pens were nice but the ink faded over time. I’ve actually done some tests in the south-facing window of my studio and some of the inks faded totally away!

My current favorite is the Platinum Carbon ink pen. These are wonderful pens with cartridges, never seem to clog, and are very affordable.

Several others that I tested in this sample are the Lamy Safari, Faber Castell, a brush pen, and whatever else I had.

Samples of various pens and inks. The blurred samples are where I dragged a brush loaded with clear water to test the fastness of the ink. As you can see, they’re not all the same.

After drawing the test sections, I let them dry completely, and then passed a brush with clear water over the lines. As you can see, some of the inks are not waterproof at all. This could be a problem for artists who do the ink drawing first before they add the watercolor. In my case, it wouldn’t matter too much as I always start with a quick pencil sketch, paint the watercolor, then add the details loosely with the pen and ink.

This test paper has been in my window for 16 years. On the inside of this piece, I tested several commercially available pens as well as the standard India ink. Some faded totally away while some others held up surprisingly well.

Anyway, if you’re interested in the class, there are still some openings but it’s filling quickly Here is the link for the signup. Flower Painting Class.

search my blog for more posts about using pen and ink.

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Posted in art, painting instruction, pen and ink

Tagged art, kit miracle, painting instruction, pen and ink

Flowers from the garden

Posted on September 2, 2018 | Comments Off

Here you see Beebalm, onion, and a beautiful Magnolia. Watercolor, pen and ink, Kit Miracle

After the painting blitz of landscapes the past few weeks, I jumped back to painting flowers again. I’m teaching a flower painting class in October, watercolor / pen and ink, so I wanted to have some more work for the class.

All of the flowers I depict pretty much come from my own property. Even though they’re seasonal, it seems as if we always have something in bloom, either cultivated plants or wildflowers. One has to be pretty quick sometimes because the blooming season passes quickly and some plants I’ve missed.

Zinnias and red day lilies, watercolor, pen and ink, Kit Miracle

I needed to catch up on photographing paintings today. In the old days of film cameras, I used to have to order special film from New York, special lights and filters, then set everything up in my studio with total black-out curtains. The lights were hot and it was a real pain.

These days, with digital cameras, I just hang the paintings on the side of my studio, either on overcast days, in the shade, or on the north side. As long as it’s in focus and square to the camera plane, photo editing programs will take care of the rest.

For the flower paintings, I divide a full sheet of watercolor paper (22 x 30) into quarters. Each quarter is then divided into smaller sections, either four, three or two. I tape these down to a board and work on them that way from the actual flowers.

Orange cosmos and a mixed bunch of purple and lavender cosmos. Watercolor, pen and ink, Kit Miracle. The orange cosmos is topping seven feet now! Can’t believe it.

The style is a very loose, not botanical studies, but lively, colorful depictions of the flowers. My whole aim is to capture the spirit of the flower, its uniqueness and what makes it special and different.

I’ll have some of these up on my Etsy shops soon so if you’re interested, check them out.

Etsy: my90acres for the small paintings and KitMiracleArt for the larger ones.