Monthly Archives: August 2020

After School, 96th Hoosier Salon Exhibit

Posted on August 28, 2020 | 2 comments

After School, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30 Kit Miracle This painting is currently on exhibit at the 96th Annual Hoosier Salon show at the Indiana State Museum through October 25th, 2020.

I’m thrilled to have my painting After School on exhibit at the 96th Annual Hoosier Salon exhibit at the Indiana State Museum.

This painting depicts two girls having a snack after school. I assumed that they were in band or cheerleaders as they were dressed alike. I was attracted to the silhouette shape of the figures. Despite the high contrast of the figures against the light background, the painting itself actually has a lot of color. Notice the distinctive color outlines. These are painted before the rest of the painting, however, sometimes I go back and reemphasize the colors.

The background is painted very loosely and doesn’t really include any details except the umbrella. It’s always as important to know what to leave out as well as what to include. More details, parking lot, would not have added anything to the painting, just more distraction.

This is another painting in my Intimate Spaces: Breaking Bread series.

After School, detail 1. Acrylic on canvas.

After School, detail 2

The painting is currently on exhibit at the Indiana State Museum. The exhibit opens tomorrow, Saturday, August 29th with free admission. It runs through October 25th. You can find the Indiana State Museum at 650 W Washington St, Indianapolis. There is so much to see at the museum it’s certainly worth the trip. A great outing for kids and adults. And it’s right next door the the Eiteljorge Museum of Native American and Western Art, too!

If you can’t visit the museum in person, here is a link to the exhibit online. All the works are for sale, of course.

2 Comments

Posted in art, contemporary impressionism

Tagged acrylic, art, contemporary impressionist, Hoosier Salon, indiana, Indiana State Museum, kit miracle

Pet menagerie

Posted on August 9, 2020 | 3 comments

This post is about our menagerie of pets currently residing on the home place. We’ve had several dogs, a few cats, and now a feathered friend. Two of the pets arrived this year.

Cheeky the parakeet loves to have his cage rolled outdoors on nice days. In the shade, of course.

First there was the addition of Cheeky the parakeet. This is the first time that we’ve had an indoor bird so a bit different from the flocks of chickens we’ve had. Cheeky loves to have his cage rolled out onto the back porch where he can survey the yard. He gets excited when he sees other birds but otherwise seems happy. He particularly likes to have some grass and clover added to his feed. And when he gets going, he gives the most interesting concert of warbles and chirps.

Leo at a few weeks old. Ready for adventure.

Leo begging to sit in my lap while I paint. Not happening. But look at those eyes!

Leo taking a cat nap in my studio, right under my easel.

Leo the cat is our newest addition in June. I wasn’t prepared to have another cat after our old one died at the ripe old age of twenty-two. But, well, he was really cute. Leo has become a “mom” cat as he follows me wherever I go. He particularly likes hanging around in my studio. We initially had some disagreements on what he could climb on and what was off limits. Some firm scolding and a squirt bottle seems to have solved that problem.

Mikey the border collie. I can hardly take a picture outdoors without him photo bombing it. At least a tail or head or something.

Mikey in his favorite chair on the patio. Doesn’t look comfortable to me but he likes it.

Finally, there is Mikey the dog. Border collie to be more precise. This is our second border collie. They are very smart dogs but have really strong personalities. They like to herd everything, including when I push the wheelbarrow around the yard. He also photo bombs nearly every single outdoor photo that I take. How does he know? Mikey is a great guard dog. His job this time of year is keeping the raccoons out of the corn patch.

So, that’s our pet family. Not about art although I predict they will appear in some future paintings. Mikey already has.

3 Comments

Posted in animals, country living

Tagged border collie, cat, country living, dog, indiana, kitten, parakeet

Bread, a new painting

Posted on August 2, 2020 | 2 comments

Bread, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20. The Food We Eat Series. Kit Miracle This series is all about food. We’re all a little bit obsessed, I think. But what is better than fresh made bread, still warm from the oven? Ah, the aroma. The crunch of the crust when it is cut.

Who doesn’t love the aroma of fresh bread? The crunch of the crust and soft texture of the body?

This week as I was waiting for more canvases to be delivered for my latest series, I spent some time doing some smaller paintings. This is another painting for The Food We Eat series. I guess since we’re all isolated at present, my thoughts return to food. Must be an animal thing.

My husband makes this lovely, crusty bread. I’ve posted the recipe in a previous post. It is very easy and so so delicious. It makes great toast and bruschettas. I think he’s making French toast for breakfast this morning with the last of this loaf. https://my90acres.com/2018/03/28/crusty-artisan-bread/

Bread, detail. It is often difficult to convey in the pictures that I post the brushwork and the texture of the paint. Just click on the picture and expand it to see. You will notice that I actually use very loose brush strokes for much of the painting. Again, as mentioned in my last post, the viewer’s eye fills in many details.

As I was waiting for a frame to arrive for a painting which needed to be delivered this week, I painted this and three other smaller pieces. One plein air and two landscapes. The frame never arrived, due to delays at the factory due to COVID. So I had a good friend make a frame but that’s a story for another day.

Anyway, if you’re not doing anything today and you’d like to surprise your family, or just yourself, try your hand at some homemade bread. You won’t be sorry.