Tag Archives: apples

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

Appletini – Something Different

Posted on November 26, 2017 | Comments Off

It was a busy week here on the farm with company and the big Thanksgiving feast. The weather has been pretty great, too – all sunshine and balmy temperatures. In November, this means more outdoor chores, such as, chopping firewood, cleaning gutters, etc.

Appletini, oil on canvas, 16 x 12, Kit Miracle

All of these activities mean that I only completed one painting this week. I call it Appletini since it features a big red apple in a martini glass with a silver shaker behind it. The reflections were what really attracted me. This is similar to previous paintings that I’ve posted on here, Apple Jack, and Two Lemons and a Martini Glass. I don’t know why but I like placing objects in unusual situations. Props courtesy of Goodwill thrift shop.

I’m not quite sure if I’m finished with the painting but I probably am. What do you think?

Of course, available on my Etsy shop and can be shipped in time for the holidays.

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Posted in art, contemporary impressionism, still life, Uncategorized

Tagged apples, art, contemporary impressionist, Etsy, impressionism, kit miracle, oil painting, still life

The Green Bowl Part 1

Posted on January 1, 2013 | Comments Off

Last Sunday, my friend Laura Pommier and I spent the afternoon painting a still life in my studio. It’s very interesting how two people can look at the same things and come up with entirely different paintings. Well, a little wine, some snacks and lots of good talk. It was an afternoon well spent. Then yesterday I worked on the painting some more, adding the final details.

This is painted on a panel, 12×24 and was toned a pinky-peach color. Notice in the detail images how I allowed that to shine through for an added glow.

The Green Bowl, 12×24, oil on panel

The Green Bowl detail 3

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Posted in art, oil painting, painting instruction, still life

Tagged apples, art, kit miracle, oil painting, painting instruction, still life, toned canvas

Frequency of plein air painting

Posted on August 14, 2012 | Comments Off

I’m often asked how I can find the time to paint, especially with a full-time job. My answer is that if it’s really important to you, you’ll make the time. In my case, summers are my less busy time but in the performing arts season, my weekends are usually busy.

Plein air oil painting of apples, 8 x 10

One of the good things about living on my 90 acres is that I can just walk out the door of my studio and find something paintable, nearly every season, any time of day. Sometimes I don’t have a great deal of time to pack up and drive to some scenic location so I start scouting around the farm for something interesting.

This past weekend I just walked behind my studio into my apple orchard to do a quick plein air sketch. The wind was blowing, the bugs were biting, but this little 8 x 10 oil painting only took about an hour. It’s not so much the finished product as the practice. Sargent used to paint daily, even when he was visiting friends, and then wipe off his canvases at the end of the day to start anew the next day. I won’t tell you how many layers of painting some of my canvases have. 😉