Monthly Archives: April 2020

Back to the River

Posted on April 26, 2020 | 2 comments

It’s still too early to do much planting although I have onions, snow peas, lettuce and kale growing. The garden is tilled but we have to wait another couple of weeks before planting the whole thing.  We’ve done some trimming and tidying of the flowerbeds.  The spring flowering shrubs are next.

Plein air painting along the Blue River in Southern Indiana. As you can see, my easel is actually sitting in the water. What we artists won’t do for our work!

Monday was beautiful and balmy.  A perfect day to return to the Blue River for some more adventures.  This time my husband brought his fishing gear and I brought my painting kit.  It was so peaceful and quiet.  A week since our last visit but I noticed changes.  The redbuds are waning and the dogwoods are coming out.

Blue River, plein air painting. Acrylic, 11 x 14. That spring green will only last for a few weeks.

Bridge over the Blue River. Watercolor / pen and ink. Kit Miracle Created from photos taken on our previous visit last week.

As you can see, I had to set my easel in the water to get the view that I wanted.  I nearly tipped in myself but this is the price an artist pays for the adventure of plein air painting.  My husband got his line wet but not much luck until right at the end when he caught a nice bass.  (He returned it to the river, of course.)

Fishing on the Blue River. My husband actually caught a nice bass but he released it. We peeled off our sweatshirts as the temps warmed up quickly. Spring is here!

Another wandering drive on the way home took us past a little greenhouse.  Of course we stopped.  Although we have some tomatoes and peppers started, I had to buy a few more.  Hey, it’s that time of year.  All you gardeners understand what I mean.  (BTW, I was the only one at the greenhouse wearing a mask!) Later in the week the mice in the greenhouse started nibbling the plants.  Dirty rottens!  I wouldn’t have thought they would like nightshade plants but now I know they do.

So, that’s pretty much my week.  Finished the plein air painting in the studio and did a watercolor/pen and ink of the bridge over the Blue.  Some gardening.  Reading.  Oh, and cleaning the attic of my studio but that’s another story.

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Posted in art, country living, plein air, plein air painting

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A drive through the country

Posted on April 19, 2020 | 3 comments

Bridge over the Blue River. We crossed the river several times and followed it quite a way.

We opted for a change of scenery this week and went for a drive in the country, mostly in our own county.  I love the spring greens, you know, that yellow-green color in your box of Crayolas.  It doesn’t last for long so you have to catch it while you can.  The redbuds were out adding a bright touch of color but the dogwoods were a little behind.  It was an in and out spring day with sun and clouds.  Towards the end of the afternoon, rain showers moved in.

If you’re not familiar with Southern Indiana, I should tell you that it’s quite hilly and beautiful.  Our county borders the Ohio River and has several other rivers.  Especially notable are the Blue River and the Little Blue River.  They get their names from the color of the water which is a bluey-green.  They’re also very popular with kayakers and canoeists in warmer weather. It was a perfect spring day for a picnic beside the river.

So taking 62 west out of Corydon, we just followed our noses.  This is what we saw. It was refreshing to get out of the house and turn our thoughts to more pleasant things. I’m sure I’ll be back soon for some painting adventures.

The road follows along the river for many miles. It is lined with redbuds this time of year. The dogwoods were just coming out.

Blue River with bluebells. The hole in that sycamore goes all the way through.

Looking north from the canoe ramp. I love the overhanging sycamores. They’re just as striking in the autumn with the fall colors.

Blue River looking south from the canoe ramp.

Blue River Chapel right on the Blue River.

This is Artists’ Point overlooking the Ohio River. Not exactly on the way to anywhere, it’s worth the trip to find it. I have actually seen eagles riding the thermals up from the river right in front of me. That is Kentucky across the river.

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Posted in country living, landscape

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A spring tour of the yard

Posted on April 12, 2020 | 6 comments

One of my favorite views is of the front yard and the old woodshed. The white patches are swaths of spring beauties, a delicate tiny white flower with faint pink stripes. The forsythia are past but the lilies of the valley are coming in as are the day lilies.

After an unseasonably warm early spring with temperatures in the 70s and even up to 80, the flowers and other signs of spring are nearly overwhelming.  I love spring!

This old house had an abundance of established trees and flowers when we moved here but we have added many ourselves over the years.  Plus, I’m a great one for digging things up and moving them.  I’ve also shared many plants over the years with friends and family.  Did I mention how much I love spring?

Come take a little walk around the yard with me to see what is happening.

The east field is a study in various shades of green. The yellow flowers are actually weeds but they’re pretty this time of year.

Crabapple from a start from another tree in the yard. Before is a white magnolia (not in bloom yet) with shiny leaves.

Columbine. No work at all except that they spread everywhere. Such a beautiful, delicate flower.

These bluebells are so easy to grow and require no maintenance at all. They totally die back to come up again next year. I love the way they start out as pink and then the blossoms turn a beautiful sky blue. I’ve moved them all over the yard. The little white flowers are spring beauties, along with grape hyacinths, and some spent daffodils.

The lilacs were here when we bought the place. You can smell their perfume all across the yard.

Not a flower but the martin nest built on the porch of my studio. Yes, we have a martin house but the bluebirds live there. The martins usually build on top of their previous nest but it finally fell down last year. It took them about two weeks of bringing mud, weeds and moss to make this new home.

Narcissus take over after the daffodils are done.

Violets are wildflowers that some people think are weeds. But I love their beauty and variety of colors from blues to deep purples to variegated to cream.

The redbud is a delicate under-story tree which grows from central Indiana and south, throughout the Midwest and southern mountains. The flowers are directly on the branches. The heart-shaped leaves don’t come out until later. They pair well with dogwoods which are just starting to come out and the woods are loaded with them.

I love tulips but they’re difficult to grow around here. The deer think they’re candy and they often don’t make it to bloom.

We call this a tulip tree around here but it really is a variety of magnolia. It’s a new addition to the yard so we were surprised to see it bloom this year.

Azaleas. This color pairs great with the orangey/peach azalea next to it.

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Posted in country living, garden, landscape, old house

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NOTAN studies

Posted on April 5, 2020 | 2 comments

Like nearly everyone else, my mind has been distracted with the current state of affairs in our nation, indeed, in our world. But I’ve cut back listening to the endless stream of news broadcasts which has helped bring some peace to my mental world.  This has allowed me to get back to my next series of paintings.  The theme of the series, which I planned out late last year, is Breaking Bread.  A bit ironic since we can’t go out right now, and only share meals with our own families or pets.  In this case I searched through hundreds (thousands?) of my photos from the past decade or more.

Italian Eating Italian. Charcoal sketch 18 x 24. Kit Miracle Again, the strong lighting is emphasized based on the NOTAN study but some middle tones have been included.

Italian Eating Italian, NOTAN study. As you can see, I’m playing around with the size and shape of the composition, square or rectangle?

The photos are taken in color but to distill them to their essence, I convert them to black and white, and then push the contrast of the black and white.  You can do this in person by squinting at your subject or using the red gel trick that I have discussed before.  I usually make quick NOTAN sketches when I’m out doing some plein air painting.

Alone, NOTAN study. Although I don’t usually add middle tones to the NOTAN study, I did here to add more body to the image.

Alone. Charcoal sketch 24 x 18, Kit Miracle. Here I have added middle tones but it still keeps true to the basic NOTAN study.

The whole idea of the NOTAN sketch is to find the best pattern for your subject.  Definitely not meant for every style of painting but very helpful to establish the overall effect.  As a rule, you will not want to have exactly the same amount of black and white areas in the NOTAN subject.  Also, look for pleasing patterns.  Don’t worry about details at this stage.  As you can see, the NOTAN subjects that I’ve created here are about 5 x 7 inches, made with a Flair pen and a black art marker.

Old Man, NOTAN studies. I did two studies of this subject. The top one is more detailed with three tones – white, black, and middle. The bottom image is a more traditional NOTAN study and is very abstract.

Old Man, charcoal, 18 x 24. I will probably simplify the background of this painting to match the NOTAN study. There’s a lot going on but I like the contrast of the horizontal and vertical shapes.

After I have created the NOTAN sketches, I then do a larger (18 x 24) charcoal sketch of the subject.  The NOTAN study helps keep me on track for the composition, but the charcoal sketch allows me to add some middle tones. Most of the NOTAN sketches only take about five minutes or less.  The charcoal sketches usually take 30 to 60 minutes.  I sometimes do more charcoal sketches of details or to try different compositions.

Late Night NOTAN. This is an example of extreme abstract shapes created by the NOTAN drawing. There’s a rhythm of ovals and rectangles within the picture plane.

Late Night, charcoal sketch 18 x 24. Kit Miracle. Although the oval shape in the foreground (back of a chair) captures the eye first, it is then directed to the group of teens in the right rear of the picture plane. The dark window provides a perfect foil for their shapes.

After these steps, I may do some color sketches but I always keep referring back to these black and white pieces when I’m working on the final painting.

Here are some links to previous postings about using NOTAN sketches for your work.

https://my90acres.com/artwork/wings-beach-painting-step-by-step/

https://my90acres.com/2019/02/17/little-stone-church-provence-demonstration-painting-from-photographs/

https://my90acres.com/2019/04/14/the-importance-of-preliminary-work/

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