Monthly Archives: December 2018

Lucky Red #6 – White Elephants

Posted on December 30, 2018 | Comments Off

Lucky Red #6 – White Elephants, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20, Kit Miracle. This is another painting in the series which depicts many symbols of good luck.

This is the sixth painting in my Lucky Red series. There are more symbols of power and good fortune in this set up. The still life arrangement plays off the many shades of whites and reds with a little green for eye relief. I love the way it glows.

Lucky Red #6- detail 1. Here you can see the various treatments of white. White alabaster elephant, white satin background, white bone and pearl necklace. I also love the red pomegranate and apples for contrast.

Both of these white elephants are relatively new acquisitions. The alabaster elephant on the left has a creamy glow and its upraised trunk portends attracting good fortune. The white elephant on the right has a lowered trunk which symbolizes leaving good fortune. Elephants also symbolize strength and power (not a surprise) in addition to honor and stability. These all seem good qualities to me.

Lucky Red #6 – detail 2. More close-ups of the second elephant, pearls, and apples.

Again I have placed a pomegranate in the painting. This symbolizes fertility as do the apples in addition to knowledge. The martini glass is just for fun. Of course.

The pearls in the necklace also connote many positive meanings: sincerity, purity, good luck, wealth, integrity among others. Plus, they were fun to paint.

Lucky Red #6 – White Elephants. This is the set up as I had it in my studio. There’s a lot of eye/hand coordination when painting a still life, or anything from life actually. Mostly, it’s a matter of practice, practice, practice.

I can’t vouch for the veracity of the good fortune that any of these items will bring, but I love to create still lifes that are a little beyond just pretty pictures. This series of Lucky Red still lifes features good luck symbols and the color red at least somewhere in each painting.

This painting was a fun challenge to paint with so many shades of white and red, reflections and shadows.

Purchase painting here. https://www.etsy.com/shop/KitMiracleArt?ref=l2-shop-info-name

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Posted in contemporary impressionism, still life

Tagged acrylic, apples, contemporary impressionist, elephant, good luck, kit miracle, lucky red, pomegranate, toned canvas

High Noon, a street scene

Posted on December 23, 2018 | Comments Off

High Noon, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 36, Kit Miracle
cityscape, landscape

I had the idea for this painting rolling around in my head for some time. The middle of the day is not my favorite time to paint as the shadows are often small and the colors are too washed out. However, I wanted to try this back-lit village scene with the street, buildings and cars.

High Noon, detail 1, showing the contre jour lighting and impressionistic brush strokes, Kit Miracle

There weren’t really any people around at the time that I took the reference photos for this painting which is surprising considering all the cars that were there. I decided to add some people to the landscape to give it more life.

The challenge for a painting like this is, first, to get the perspective correct. Perspective can be conveyed not only from the actual drawing but distance is also indicated by the shading. The farther away the objects, the lighter the shading. The second challenge is to ensure that the colors are right, that enough details are included without being too focused on details. It’s all a matter of balance.

High Noon, detail 2. Adding people to a street scene makes it come alive but you don’t need to include every detail. Let the viewer’s eye fill in the story.

I added more color to the street to “lay it down”, that is, to make sure it didn’t appear floating. This is where having a lot of experience in plein air painting helps. Photos often make the darks too dark and the lights too light. Copying a photo exactly often gives unsatisfying results.

Overall, I liked the challenge of this painting. It has been on display at a local gallery and many people have recognized the scene and commented on it.

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Posted in art, contemporary impressionism, landscape

Tagged acrylic, art, cityscape, contemporary impressionist, contre jour light, Jasper Indiana, kit miracle, painting, street scene

Lucky Red #5 – Red Robe / Black Dragon

Posted on December 16, 2018 | Comments Off

Lucky Red #5, Red Robe / Black Dragon, acrylic on canvas, good luck symbols, 20 x 16, Kit Miracle

This is the fifth painting in my Lucky Red series. There are many symbols of power and good fortune in this set up. The still life arrangement is a little unusual but I’ve been wanting to work the red satin robe into a painting for quite some time. I love the way it glows. Red is the sign of strength and power.

An unusual composition, the red satin robe brings all the elements together in this Lucky Red still life.

I can’t recall where I acquired the black iron dragon but it usually guards my desk. Another symbol of strength and power, it can also represent danger. Hummm… The cluster of white/clear quartz crystals is a new acquisition from a neat rock shop that I visit sometimes. They’re all just so beautiful. This crystal is from the Arkansas quarry which apparently is in a vein of 170 miles long! Quartz is a very hard crystal and is supposed to amplify the powers of other crystals, especially healing. The mandarin oranges represent good fortune and the sun and are often given as gifts for the new year.

I can’t vouch for the veracity of the good fortune that any of these items will bring, but I love to create still lifes that are a little beyond just pretty pictures. This series of Lucky Red still lifes all feature good luck symbols and the color red at least somewhere in the painting.

This painting is a vertical view, the first such arrangement in the series. Painted in a contemporary impressionistic style, it brings peaceful contemplation to the viewer.

Lucky Red #5 detail 2, showing the various shades of orangey-red in the robe. Very difficult to capture on the computer monitor.

Lucky Red #5 detail showing the black iron dragon, quartz crystals and mandarin oranges

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Posted in art, contemporary impressionism, still life

Tagged art, contemporary impressionist, crystal, dragon, good lucky, good lucky symbols, kit miracle, mandarin orange, quartz, red satin, still life

Buddha and Pomegranates Still life

Posted on December 9, 2018 | 2 comments

Buddha and Pomegranates, still life, Lucky Red series, good luck symbols, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20, Kit Miracle,Vitarka Mudra

This is the fourth painting in my Lucky Red series.

Detail of Buddha and Pomegranates painting, acrylic on canvas, Vitarka Mudra

The sitting Buddha represents Vitarka Mudra or the teaching Buddha. The circle made in the right hand stands for never-ending flow of energy. The pomegranates stand for fertility, abundance and marriage.

Pomegranates, lucky red symbol, fruit, symbol of fertility, abundance, marriage

I like the slight smile on Buddha’s face along with the contrasting colors of the fruit and plant. Painted in an impressionistic style, this painting brings a quiet, reflective mood to any setting.

Yes, of course this is for sale. Click here.

2 Comments

Posted in art, contemporary impressionism, still life, Uncategorized

Tagged acrylic, art, asian art, buddha, contemporary impressionist, good lucky symbols, kit miracle, long life, pomegranate, still life, wisdom

Alley 3- Belegravia Court, Louisville, Kentucky

Posted on December 5, 2018 | Comments Off

Alley 3, Belgravia Court, Louisville, Kentucky, Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16, Kit Miracle

Here is another alley painting. Guess this is starting to be a series.

Alley 3 – detail, acrylic on canvas, couple sitting on stoop

This painting is contre-jour, painted against the light. Here I’ve added a few figures. A couple sitting on the stoop and a figure in the distance. Also, the car in the alley with the tail lights as it is waiting to pull out.

Keep tuned. I might be doing some more alley scenes in the future.

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Posted in art, contemporary impressionism

Tagged acrylic, alley, cityscape, contemporary impressionist, kit miracle, Louisville

The drudgery work behind the scenes of being an artist. Packing, framing and shipping.

Posted on December 2, 2018 | Comments Off

This is the time of year which finds me packing, framing, and shipping. My paintings travel from coast to coast, and even overseas! It’s important to make sure they arrive safely.

Shipping unframed paintings in these shiny pink envelopes gives the customer a nice surprise. The painting is inserted in a clear plastic bag (to prevent water damage), secured between between two pieces of cardboard to give added support and inserted into the bubble envelope for even more protection.

My flat pieces generally are packed in my signature shiny pink envelopes. I put them in a clear plastic bag, add the shipping information, secure them between stiff cardboard, and insert the whole deal into the envelope. Larger paintings are wrapped similarly but put in boxes.

Framing a 16 x 20 into a standard size frame. Using Z-clips makes it very easy. I actually took another painting out of this frame which demonstrates the benefit of using standard sizes.

This is also the time of year to prepare paintings for exhibits. One advantage of painting standard sizes is that I usually have standard sized frames available. If not, I might slip another painting out of a frame to use. This is also the benefit of using neutral frames. In my case, usually black, white or gold with very simple profiles. It’s been a long time since I’ve selected special frames for each painting as it gets very expensive.

Alley, Belgravia Court, Louisville. Acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20, Kit Miracle This is the painting I showed a few weeks ago. The simple frame is versatile and will suit many painting subjects.

Beginning arts professionals often don’t realize that they may spend about half of their time doing the mundane tasks behind the scenes – framing, preparing canvases, paperwork, shipping, delivery – than actually spent in front of the easel. The final exhibit or sale is the icing on the cake. I think this is probably true for any arts professional, not just visual artists. Being a successful artist also means being a good business person. Paying attention to procedures, cutting costs where you can, and making your customer happy it what it really takes to make a living in the arts.