Category Archives: other artists

125th Annual Juried Show – Richmond Art Museum

McGuire Hall, Richmond Art Museum, Richmond, Indiana.

I mentioned in a post a few years ago (October 2019) that my high school alma mater is in Richmond, Indiana. It is a beautiful and stately old school with many new additions over the years. What most people don’t realize is that it is one of the few public high schools in the country that has it’s own art museum attached.

As a student there, I walked past famous paintings every day on my way to class in the arts wing. I thought that every high school had an art museum. I didn’t learn until much later how unusual this situation was. I’m sure that walking through beautiful McGuire Hall had a definite impact on my eventual career path. It was very inspiring seeing real paintings by William Merritt Chase and T.C. Steele on a daily basis.

Richmond Art Museum still receives enormous community support. They are currently celebrating their 125th annual juried exhibition for artists living in Indiana and Ohio. I am very pleased to report that I had both of my entries accepted into this prestigious show. The two paintings are The Golden Marble and Leo’s Muse which I’ve discussed in earlier posts.

Leo’s Muse, final, acrylic on canvas, 23K gold leaf, sterling silver leaf, 16 x 16, Kit Miracle
The Golden Marble, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24. 23K gold leaf and sterling silver leaf. Kit Miracle

If you’d like to see the paintings in person and many other beautiful works, the exhibit runs through January 6th, 2024. The museum is located on the north end of Richmond High School on Hub Etchinson Parkway where there is public parking. Admission is free. Feel free to stop in, see the exhibit and some of the artwork on display in the other galleries. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 to 5; closed Sunday, Monday and major holidays. Call 765-996-0256 for more information.

Happy Birthday, Charlie Brown

Early books by Charles Schultz

Today we celebrate the birthday of Charles M. Schultz.  Few people of any age have never heard of him.  I came across these old Peanuts books in my collection.  I must have had them for about fifty years!  Yikes!  Few kids grew up without drawing a Peanuts cartoon, some simple drawings.  Even today, A Charlie Brown Christmas is still one of the most popular holiday shows there is.  I love the music and the sentiment.

Anyway, it’s a bit silly to wish a dead person happy birthday, but today I honor Charles Schultz and all the inspiration he’s given me and many others throughout the years.  Hope you all get to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas this season.

Reading other blogs

I always enjoy reading other blogs.  Some I check daily, some are just weekly.  Many are about or by other artists.  It always makes the artist seem so approachable when I read what they have to say in their own words.  Plus, there is so much to learn!

Dinotopia by James Gurney

One of my favorite artists and blogger is James Gurney.  He is the author of the famous Dinotopia series of books.  His own artwork is wonderful.  He works in plein air much of the time but not always.  His plein air paintings are usually done in smallish art notebooks (5 x 8) and are usually in gouache.

Color and Light by James Gurney

I was first introduced to his work through his book Color and Light.  Later I ordered a used copy of his drawing book The Artist’s Guide to Sketching where he and his college roommate, Thomas Kinkade, bummed across America in the 80s.  Wow!  What company!  They also both worked at a movie studio for a time doing background cells for space animations.  And, he’s just seems to be a really nice person.

The Artist’s Guide to Sketching by James Gurney and Thomas Kinkade

Gurney also includes videos of his work, reviews favorite books, museum exhibits and many other artists.  Certainly work checking out.

http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/

http://jamesgurney.com/site/