Tag Archives: Jasper Indiana

Two more weeks!

Posted on June 11, 2021 | Comments Off

Gallery view 1. Visitors are invited to examine the paintings up close or from afar. Photography IS permitted in this exhibit.

Only two more weeks to see my exhibit at the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center in Jasper, Indiana. It has been such an awesome and inspiring experience to show my contemporary impressionist paintings in this brand new facility.

Gallery view 2. Kit Miracle exhibit. You can see the other two galleries across the hall.

The number of visitors and the flattering comments made in the guest books are humbling. As my son told me, Mom, although these paintings are large, this gallery makes them look small. That is just how beautiful and large the gallery spaces are.

Gallery view 3. Kit Miracle, contemporary impressionism.

The show closes on Friday, June 25th. If you haven’t had a chance to drop by, please plan to do it soon. I’ve met many friends and guests at the gallery for a private tour, not only of my show, but the entire facility. Just let me know if you’re going to be in town and I’ll be happy to meet you there.

Jasper Community Arts / Thyen-Clark Cultural Center

100 Third Avenue

Jasper IN

Hours: M-F 9-5, Sa 10-2, Sun noon – 3. Free admission and plenty of free parking in the rear of the building.

Gallery view 4. More paintings in the exhibit.

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Posted in art, contemporary impressionism

Tagged acrylic, contemporary impressionist, gallery exhibit, indiana, Jasper Indiana, kit miracle, Thyen-Clark Cultural Center

The Cultural Center, Part II – The New Library Is Open!

Posted on February 7, 2021 | 2 comments

The new Thyen Clark Cultural Center is now open to the public.

Finally, the new library is open at the cultural center. And, boy, is it magnificent! Better than anything I could have imagined, even when I was working on the project!

As mentioned earlier, this is a joint project combining the Jasper-Dubois County Public Library and the Jasper Arts Department (excluding the performing arts center). I posted photos of the new galleries earlier. I’ll add the classrooms, studio spaces, and the black box theater later.

Cultural Center front, east wing holding the library.

Today’s photos feature the new library. After nearly two decades of planning, votes, fundraising, the doors were open this week. I took my granddaughter for our first visit afterschool on Tuesday. Then went back alone for a more thorough visit on Wednesday.

This is the beautiful atrium which separates the arts side from the library. It has a full catering kitchen for special events and will seat 150 at table. I think this will become very popular for families looking to get out of the house in the winter with the kids…once we’re allowed to get together again.

In speaking with the library director, she said that people have commented on all the new books. She’s replied, they haven’t added any new volumes; the old library was just that over-crowded. Now it has plenty of room for technology, including a maker space, a teen zone, genealogy room, lots of quiet nooks and meeting spaces. Plus…the books books books. It even has an outdoor balcony for those who like some fresh air while they read.

For now, the entire Cultural Center is open six days a week with plans to expand to seven days a week sometime later. If you come for a visit, don’t forget to save time to visit the nearby Schaeffer Barn, the old school house, the mill and the train depot, all set along the scenic Patoka River in downtown Jasper. Admission is free.

The view from the library entrance from the atrium.

Lots of current magazines and newspapers to read and plenty of reading nooks for everybody.

One of many work spaces for patrons. Most of the tables have charger stations, too.

The beautiful wall art by Romy and Clare Designs. The upper level holds offices, the genealogy room and an outdoor patio/balcony.

One of the little reading nooks in the children’s section. Each has its own reading light, too. Of course, I had to try one out.

A view of the children’s section with child-sized furniture, shelves and family-friendly activities.

Another inviting lounge area. The teen zone and maker space are in the glass-walled areas behind. Recorded books and digital media and music to the rear right.

The money shot from the balcony area. Such a beautiful design for all.

Parking at the rear of the center shows our neighbors, Schaeffer barn and a one-room school house which was recently moved in. To the rear of that is the famous Riverwalk. And across the street from the center is the Jasper Train Depot and the old restored mill. This will be a great place to bring kids for field trips.

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Posted in art, books, Uncategorized

Tagged cultural center, jasper community arts, Jasper Dubois County Public Library, Jasper Indiana, library, Thyen-Clark Cultural Center

Update on Jasper Cultural Center

Posted on January 24, 2021 | Comments Off

A few weeks ago I eagerly posted some preliminary photos of the new Jasper Cultural Center in Jasper, Indiana. Well, they weren’t quite ready for release yet so I took the post down. However, even though they’re still not quite ready, some of the portions of the Cultural Center are now open. So I’m giving you a preview of those parts.

The three galleries in the center are open to the public. These are really awesome galleries, very large with clearstory windows. They are located in the arts section of the Cultural Center. The idea is to have staggered two-month exhibits featuring local, regional and national artists. The first exhibits this year are John Mellencamp, Gerry Wubben, and a group show featuring local and regional artists. Let me just say, everything looks wonderful in these galleries and Emily Colluci-Peak, the Visual Arts Coordinator, has done a marvelous job of hanging the exhibits. If you have some time, take a drive out to see the exhibits.

John Mellencamp is well-known for his music but many people don’t realize that he’s also an accomplished painter, too. An Indiana native, he graciously agreed to help us kick off the arts part of the cultural center. We weren’t planning on a pandemic, but the show is amazing and inspiring to view. Worth the visit from wherever you are.

They’re still finalizing the classroom spaces. The atrium between the library and the arts section has no furniture yet but it looks ready to go. And the library is waiting for some shelving which is on back order. But the whole shebang will be open in another few weeks. I’ll be sure to post some more updates then.

Gerry Wubben’s enormous and awesome drawings. You can’t believe the details of these artworks until you see them in person.

Group show featuring local and regional artists.

If you’re feeling housebound these days and looking for a place to go for a drive, I highly recommend that you plan a trip to Jasper in southern Indiana. The new cultural center is at 100 Third Avenue right in downtown Jasper, near the river and many other interesting places to visit. Plenty of parking in the rear of the building (turn north on Mill Street, then east on Fourth Street). And many fine restaurants and shopping areas to visit. Admission is free.

Jasper is a small Midwestern town of only about 15,000. But the whole town came together to build this wonderful site…after many years of planning. Initiated by a major challenge grant from some significant local donors, local businesses and private donors jumped in to help. A decade-long community project has been finally realized.

If you are an artist looking to exhibit in such a fine space, contact Emily Colluci-Peak at Jasper Arts Center. The submission deadline for 2022 is February 12th of this year. Check out this link here. Click here to take a virtual tour of the three exhibits.

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Posted in art

Tagged galleries, group exhibit, jasper community arts, Jasper Indiana, mellencamp, new gallery, wubben

Cultural Center Update

Posted on February 23, 2020 | Comments Off

The latest view of the atrium in February. It’s really starting to take shape.

Last year I posted about the ground breaking for our new cultural center. (April 3, 2019) It has been so exciting to watch the huge building going up this past year. I’ve been stopping about once a month to take photos of this process.

Just to bring you up to date in case you haven’t been following this story, the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center is located in the center of Jasper, Indiana. Jasper is a prosperous little German town in southern Indiana. Although it only has about 15,000 citizens, in a county of only about 40,000 people, it boasts one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state. Many businesses are located here – Kimball, MasterBrand, OFS, Jasper Engines and Transmissions, and others.

The expansion of the arts began as a nugget of an idea back in 2006 when I first became Director of Jasper Community Arts. We already had a decades long history of the arts and a very nice performing arts center. Unfortunately, the economic crisis of 2008 set everything back for years but in the end, we came up with a much better idea.

The new cultural center is a partnership of the arts and the library and will boast over 63,000 square feet of space, part arts, part library, and a central atrium for community events. After many years of planning, public meetings, many design changes, getting a library referendum passed, our dream is finally coming to fruition. With an amazing challenge grant from Jim and Pat Thyen, support from the city and the state, the local businesses jumped on board, seeing this as a wonderful recruiting tool, and private citizens have dug deep to help fund the project.

Although we were not able to save the old Hoosier Desk Building – it would have cost more to refurbish it than to build new – other old factory buildings in the area along the river have become apartments and condos. A new hotel has been erected and other businesses are moving in. All in all, a wonderful development for a small town where people work together.

As my husband often reminds me when I say “we”, I don’t work for Jasper Arts any more. But I’m still proud of all the hard work that has gone into making this dream a reality and will be so excited when it’s open to the public at the end of this year.

If you’d like to see the plans for the building, follow this link. Or Google Jasper

Cultural Center photos for more images.

Jasper Cultural Center building progress, November 2019. In the background, most of the arts wing is framed in on the west and north sides.

Cultural center December 2019. The large part in the middle is the atrium and the part to the right is the new library wing.

Showing more of the library wing framing on the south side of the building.

The atrium of the cultural center is pretty much up except for the windows. It will be able to host special events with table seating up to 150.

View of the arts wing from the northwest corner. This will host three galleries, a small event space, classrooms and private studios. Plus offices for the staff and a sculpture garden.

Another view of the arts wing classroom space. Here it is being bricked already.

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Posted in art

Tagged cultural center, indiana, Jasper Indiana, Thyen-Clark Cultural Center

Alley View, Plein Air Painting, Jasper, Indiana

Posted on August 4, 2019 | 4 comments

Alley View, Plein Air Painting, final, 16 x 20, acrylic, Kit Miracle. This shows the final view of the scene. I might tweak it sometime later after I live with it for awhile, but so far, I’m satisfied.

Although I do a fair amount of plein air painting, I don’t do too many competitions. Today I participated in a local event which is always fun. I’m familiar with the area so it’s always a challenge to find new and interesting things to paint. Yesterday I scouted out a few locations. I don’t like to do what everyone else is doing but seek to highlight a vista that might make people see their own space in a new way.

Alley view, initial scene, very early in the morning.

So this morning found me sitting in an alley. I was drawn to this blue garage and the alternating light and shadows as I looked up the alley. It was very peaceful on a Saturday morning at daybreak.

Alley View, 1st step. Using a red-toned canvas, I painted in the basic shadows and main shapes.

Alley View, second level. Here you can see more added colors. This is the point in a painting that everything looks like a real mess. But I’ve learned to just keep pressing on and it will come together.

As you can see, I started with a red-toned canvas, 16 x 20. First I blocked in the main shapes and the darks. Then I started to lay in the markers for the greens. The last colors to go in were the lightest colors – whites, off whites, and the sky. I don’t always work in this order but usually.

Alley View after two hours. Notice how the shadows have changed. Usually 2 – 3 hours is the most time I have for a plein air painting.

Despite the heat and humidity, my acrylic paints kept drying out quickly. I didn’t bring a retarder with me so I kept having to spray the paint and add layer after layer.

But I enjoyed the peace of the scene. A few dog walkers, a couple of interested passersby, the occasional bunny rabbit, and inevitably, the Saturday morning lawn mowers all created the peaceful atmosphere.

I might review the painting later to see if I need to tighten it up, but actually, I like the feel of a warm summer morning. How about you?

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Posted in contemporary impressionism, painting instruction, plein air, plein air painting

Tagged acrylic, alley view, art, contemporary impressionist, indiana, Jasper Indiana, kit miracle, landscape, painting instruction, plein air painting, 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.