Tag Archives: kit miracle

Trees at Alton, Indiana, on the Ohio River

Posted on November 4, 2018 | Comments Off on Trees at Alton, Indiana, on the Ohio River

Trees at Alton, Indiana, on the Ohio River. Plein air, 12 x 16, Kit Miracle

Yesterday I drove up to Indianapolis to drop off a couple of paintings at the Indiana Plein Art Painters Association annual member exhibit.  I haven’t entered this before, mostly because of the three hour drive.  But the day was a beautiful fall day, starting off with some fog in low-lying areas. The fall colors were breathtaking.  For those of you who think Indiana is represented by flat cornfields, nothing could be further from the truth.  The southern part consists of beautiful hills, rivers, and streams covered mostly by deciduous forests.  This time of year, the landscape is a panorama of golds and reds.  It was just a glorious day for a drive.

One of the two paintings I entered is Trees at Alton, Indiana, on the Ohio River.  I just painted this back in late September.  As you can see, the tall trees on the left are just beginning to show some color.  Alton is a tiny little collection of houses and has been flooded many times over the years. But the people who live here are passionate about living on the Ohio River so they always come back.  There is something mesmerizing about the big river with its barges and other river traffic.  I can just sit and watch the river for hours.

This scene is pretty classic.  Just some trees, a path leading into the picture, a river and some hills.  A very peaceful vista.

If you’re interested in seeing the whole exhibit, it is at the Hoosier Salon Gallery in Carmel, just north of Indianapolis.  The exhibit runs from November 10th  through  December 14th.  The reception is Saturday,, November 10th 5-9 pm.  There are many beautiful paintings of all parts of Indiana and most of the work is for sale. Take a gander at this exhibit and visit lovely downtown Carmel with its many arty and eclectic shops and eateries.  A great time for some holiday shopping.

Comments Off on Trees at Alton, Indiana, on the Ohio River

Posted in art, landscape, plein air, plein air painting

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

The Studio Sale

Posted on October 24, 2018 | 1 comment

The front of my blue door studio. This is an old summer kitchen and my commute is only 30 feet from my back door.

It was a beautiful weekend for my studio sale.  The weather was sunny and temperatures were in the 60s.  Fall colors are starting to appear on the trees.  Saturday was a bit breezy but Sunday was perfect.

I love to introduce people to my place of work and creativity.  It’s just my escape, a place to play and contemplate.

Initial set up in the front room during my studio sale. This lineup changed over the weekend as paintings were sold.

Initial set up in the back room.

Although setting up for the sale is a major endeavor, it looked really great by the time I was done.  Mostly from clearing out all the boxes which were moved to the greenhouse.

The wider view. Paintings on nearly every surface, bins of unframed paintings, more and more and more.

As I was pulling work from storage, bins and flat files, I came across many pieces that I’d totally forgotten about.

Good food and drink are always attractions. Homemade minestrone soup, herbed bread, cookies and biscotti, and plenty of other goodies. No one went home hungry.

And my many friends and supporters got some great deals, too.  All in all, I think everyone had a good time.

The fire pit. A perfect place to congregate on a beautiful fall day.

I’m still even getting some inquiries from the photos I posted on social media.  But, it will all be put away by the end of the week.

Time to make more paintings!  Until next year!

Look for the pink signs, I kept touting on social media.

1 Comment

Posted in art

Tagged , , , , ,

Busy busy busy – part 2

Posted on October 17, 2018 | Comments Off on Busy busy busy – part 2

Fall decorations on the farm. My husband’s old 1952 Allis-Chalmers tractor all gussied up for the studio sale this weekend. He even washed it! And this was his idea entirely.

I recently posted about all the arts activities I have going on lately so this is just a quick update.

My solo show at Oakland City University closed last Friday.  It was extended two more weeks which was fine with me.  We picked it up on Saturday.

Will Read and Sing for Food event. I expected about 15 people to show up on a Thursday night but they had about 60 people there!

Last week I was asked to exhibit some of my work at a Will Read and Sing for Food event.  This is a local group of volunteers who raise money for worthy causes and organizations.  This time they raised $650 for Mentors For Youth.  Singers, musicians, poets, and writers all donate their time and talent to the community.  How neat is that?!

Flower painting class. Students practicing making shades of green. Much more difficult than they thought.

Then I wrapped up my flower painting class on Monday this week.  I think everyone enjoyed it.  I haven’t taught a class for a long time so it was good to try that again.

And now I’m working hard to prepare for my Open Studio Sale this weekend.  This consists of inviting people out to my studio for a couple of fun days of art, food and friends.  I haven’t had a sale for four years and, boy, do I have a lot of work!.  Some of the paintings are at fire-sale prices.  In addition to cleaning out the studio and setting up the displays and artwork, my husband and I feed everyone.  Homemade minestrone soup, homemade herbed breadsticks, biscotti and other refreshments, including some adult beverages.

So, next week I’ll need a rest, for sure.  And to get back to painting.  The 90 degree temps are gone, the fall colors are out, and it’s a beautiful time of year to get outside.

Comments Off on Busy busy busy – part 2

Posted in art

Tagged , , , , , ,

God’s Light

Posted on October 7, 2018 | Comments Off on God’s Light

God’s Light, beautiful cumulus nimbus clouds with rays of sun streaming down.

I went to Louisville yesterday to visit the St. James Art Fair.  I exhibited in the fair for many years but haven’t been back since I quit exhibiting. It was exciting to meet up with old friends and to see the new trends in art.  Quality art is always popular no matter the materials or subject.

The day was beautiful with temps near the 90s.  Unseasonably warm for October.  This heat can make some very unstable air and weather conditions.

On the trip home, I was admiring the beautiful cumulus nimbus cloud formations.  Gigantic fortresses of white against a brilliant blue sky.  Some of the clouds were dropping rain which was evaporating before it could hit the ground.

This is a photo of one of the clouds which I took out my window.  (Don’t try this at home, folks.)  Artists often call the rays of sunlight streaming through the clouds God’s Light. Easy to visualize but difficult to paint. I just love clouds and have painted many, so I guess this one will be on my to-do list of painting subjects in the future.

Comments Off on God’s Light

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Busy, busy, busy. An artist’s work is never done! And that’s a good thing!

Posted on September 30, 2018 | 1 comment

This month and next month promise to be VERY busy.

The Jasper Arts annual juried show wrapped up on Friday.  I had my painting Homage to a Dead Bird in it. Have to pick it up this week.

Solo exhibit at Oakland City University, Kit Miracle

And my solo exhibit at Oakland City University was supposed to end last Friday, too.  However, I’ve been asked to extend it for a few more weeks so if you didn’t catch it, you still can through October 12th.  The fifty works in the show are a good example of what I’ve been creating the past few years and are pretty colorful.

Goldenrod – wildflower, watercolor pen and ink, Kit Miracle

My class on Flower Painting with Watercolor and Pen and Ink begins tomorrow.  I’m a little nervous since I haven’t taught a class in years.  But I’ve been painting watercolor for 35 years now and have painted hundreds of flowers so I’m sure I’ll relax.  I hope the students have a good time and learn something.

 

Then on October 11th, I’ve been asked to exhibit some of my work at one of the final Will Read and Sing for Food events.  I’m so flattered to be asked.  This is a very worthy group of volunteers who have been raising money for worthy causes for the past several years.  Music, singing, comedy, humor, editorials.  All in good fun.  I’ll be sad to see them end their rein but understand exactly how much work is involved behind the scenes for a two hour show.  Thanks, friends!

Invitation to Open Studio Sale

Example of previous open studio paintings for sale. Up to 50% off, many of them framed. Get extra 10% off if you bring the invitation card.

Good food and drink. Homemade soup, bread, and desserts.

Finally, I’m hosting an Open Studio Sale on October 20 and 21.  I haven’t had an open studio sale for four years and have a LOT of paintings for sale at some really great prices just in time for the holidays.  Two fun-filled days with art, music, food (homemade minestrone soup and homemade bread), and good friends.  Plus it’s a great time to drive out in the country to see the fall colors.

In between all these activities, there’s company coming, fall gardening activities, a wedding and other events to attend, and so much more.  Whew! I thought I retired!

If you’d like any more information about any or all of these events, please contact me.  I sent out a bunch of invitations to the Open Studio Sale but if you didn’t receive one, just ask.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,

Visiting the Falls of the Ohio

Posted on September 12, 2018 | Comments Off on Visiting the Falls of the Ohio

Falls of the Ohio II, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20, Kit Miracle. This view is looking back towards the shore from the beds, where the puddles reflect the cloudy sky and trees.

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I took a day trip to the Falls of the Ohio in New Albany, Indiana.  Although it’s only a short drive away, I had never been there.

The Falls of the Ohio is an Indiana state park set on the edge of the Ohio River.  It features large fossil beds which visitors can climb over.  You can view thousands of fossils right beneath your feet.  As the level of the river drops, more layers of fossils are uncovered.

Falls of the Ohio I, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20, Kit Miracle. View from the treeline at the Falls, across the river towards Louisville. We saw a train crossing the bridge while we were there.

The day we visited was an in and out day, with showers alternating with sun.  I particularly loved the setting along the river.  The old trees, the puddles reflecting the trees, the skyline of Louisville across the river.  We even saw a train crossing the old bridge.

There is an interpretive center which has a fee but the visit to the Falls is free.  If you go there, it is a bit tricky to find but follow the signs.  Obviously it’s on the river so you will be looking for River Road.  Take a picnic lunch or travel along River Road to eat lunch at one of the many neat restaurants in the area.  You can even follow the road east to Jeffersonville to the walking bridge over the Ohio.

All in all, an enjoyable day. It’s good to try something new.

Comments Off on Visiting the Falls of the Ohio

Posted in landscape, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Reception at Oakland City University

Posted on September 9, 2018 | 1 comment

Gallery exhibit at the J. Michael Dunn Gallery at Oakland City University in Oakland City, Indiana. The paintings always look so nice when the lights are set. As you can see, I really love color!

As I mentioned earlier, I have an exhibit at Oakland City University last month and through September 28th.  We had a reception today.

Friends who made it to the reception. Even with the leftover remnants of the hurricane rain, some people still made it out. Thanks so much!

I was so delighted that some new and old friends were able to make it as we have had some real rainy weather with the remnant of the hurricane coming up from the Gulf. (We had over seven inches of rain yesterday!)  It would have been real embarrassing if no one had shown up.

My son and his girlfriend speaking with a long-time acquaintance LaVonne Tisdale.

My friend Roger Willis and his helpers put out some nice refreshments.  People hung around for my gallery talk.  Difficult to squeeze thirty-five years into twenty minutes but I hope they enjoyed it.

The artist posing with a self portrait with still life. A bit ironic, I think.

Thanks so much for coming out.  The show runs through September 28th.  If you’re in the neighborhood, please try to stop by.  Check out the hours and address at the J. Michael Dunn Gallery on campus.

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , ,

Pen and ink, a test

Posted on September 5, 2018 | Comments Off on Pen and ink, a test

I’m teaching a class next month for flower painting with watercolor and pen and ink.  I’ve been using this technique for about 35 years now so I might have learned a thing or two about the subject.

A few of the pens that I used in the most recent test. Top to bottom, India ink and a #4 quill dip pen, my favorite Platinum Carbon Ink pen, a Uniball Vision Elite, Lamy Safari, Shaeffer calligraphy, and a brush pen with ink.

In preparation for the class, I dragged out all of the accumulated pens that I’ve used over the years.  I first started with the old fashioned dip pens and India ink.  This is still a tried and true favorite.  I use a #4 quill and used to buy them by the dozen as I tend to wear them down. (Or a #102 crow quill.) I like the feel of the quill pen and the slight variance of the lines as I draw.  However, there’s often the problem of an errant drop of ink on the paper, which, being India ink, cannot be removed and is difficult to cover up.  Also, when I was doing house portraits and using a ruler for some straight lines, the ink would sometimes wick under the ruler, again, spoiling the painting.

Several years ago, I began exploring other pens.  I’ve tried many of the mechanical drawing pens but they were too difficult to clean.  Some commercial pens were nice but the ink faded over time.  I’ve actually done some tests in the south-facing window of my studio and some of the inks faded totally away!

My current favorite is the Platinum Carbon ink pen.  These are wonderful pens with cartridges, never seem to clog, and are very affordable.

Several others that I tested in this sample are the Lamy Safari, Faber Castell, a brush pen, and whatever else I had.

Samples of various pens and inks. The blurred samples are where I dragged a brush loaded with clear water to test the fastness of the ink. As you can see, they’re not all the same.

After drawing the test sections, I let them dry completely, and then passed a brush with clear water over the lines. As you can see, some of the inks are not waterproof at all.  This could be a problem for artists who do the ink drawing first before they add the watercolor.  In my case, it wouldn’t matter too much as I always start with a quick pencil sketch, paint the watercolor, then add the details loosely with the pen and ink.

This test paper has been in my window for 16 years. On the inside of this piece, I tested several commercially available pens as well as the standard India ink. Some faded totally away while some others held up surprisingly well.

Anyway, if you’re interested in the class, there are still some openings but it’s filling quickly  Here is the link for the signup. Flower Painting Class.

search my blog for more posts about using pen and ink.

Comments Off on Pen and ink, a test

Posted in art, painting instruction, pen and ink

Tagged , , ,

Flowers from the garden

Posted on September 2, 2018 | Comments Off on Flowers from the garden

Here you see Beebalm, onion, and a beautiful Magnolia. Watercolor, pen and ink, Kit Miracle

After the painting blitz of landscapes the past few weeks, I jumped back to painting flowers again.  I’m teaching a flower painting class in October, watercolor / pen and ink, so I wanted to have some more work for the class.

All of the flowers I depict pretty much come from my own property.  Even though they’re seasonal, it seems as if we always have something in bloom, either cultivated plants or wildflowers.  One has to be pretty quick sometimes because the blooming season passes quickly and some plants I’ve missed.

Zinnias and red day lilies, watercolor, pen and ink, Kit Miracle

I needed to catch up on photographing paintings today.  In the old days of film cameras, I used to have to order special film from New York, special lights and filters, then set everything up in my studio with total black-out curtains.  The lights were hot and it was a real pain.

These days, with digital cameras, I just hang the paintings on the side of my studio, either on overcast days, in the shade, or on the north side.  As long as it’s in focus and square to the camera plane, photo editing programs will take care of the rest.

For the flower paintings, I divide a full sheet of watercolor paper (22 x 30) into quarters.  Each quarter is then divided into smaller sections, either four, three or two.  I tape these down to a board and work on them that way from the actual flowers.

Orange cosmos and a mixed bunch of purple and lavender cosmos. Watercolor, pen and ink, Kit Miracle. The orange cosmos is topping seven feet now! Can’t believe it.

The style is a very loose, not botanical studies, but lively, colorful depictions of the flowers. My whole aim is to capture the spirit of the flower, its uniqueness and what makes it special and different.

I’ll have some of these up on my Etsy shops soon so if you’re interested, check them out.

Etsy:  my90acres for the small paintings and KitMiracleArt for the larger ones.

Comments Off on Flowers from the garden

Posted in pen and ink, watercolor

Tagged , , ,

What’s in a name?

Posted on August 26, 2018 | 2 comments

East Field in Evening, tetraptych, acrylic on canvas, Kit Miracle

This week I created a set of paintings but I’m not quite sure what to call them.  They are of our east field in the evening, showing the stretching shadows.

I started with one painting, the one on the far right, and that just lead to another and another and another.  Four in all…so far.  I’m actually working on a fifth one.

Since these are all painted from the same vantage point, it’s not quite a series which I consider to be more of the same subject but not necessarily from the same view.  This set of paintings creates one broad vista, each overlapping by a quarter to a third.  They don’t exactly match as far as horizon and it wasn’t my intention to do so.  But I did want to convey the same feel.  Although they work well together as a connected work of art, the individual paintings each stands alone as far as composition and technique.

My question is, what does one call four (soon to be five) paintings of the same larger subject but from the same vantage point?  If a diptych is two paintings, and a triptych is three, what is four or five?

The best information I can find is a polyptych or maybe a tetraptych or soon to be a pentaptych.  Doesn’t exactly fall off the tongue, does it?

What is your opinion?

East Field in Evening 1, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20, Kit Miracle

East Field in Evening 2, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20, Kit Miracle

East Field in Evening 3, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20, Kit Miracle

East Field in Evening 4, acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20, Kit Miracle

 

“Whatever you eye falls on – for it will fall on what you love – will lead you to the questions of your life, the questions that are incumbent upon you to answer, because that is how the mind works in concert with the eye. The things of this world draw us where we need to go.” 
― Mary Rose O’Reilley, The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd

2 Comments

Posted in art, contemporary impressionism, country living, landscape

Tagged , , ,