Tag Archives: kit miracle

Sunflowers in blue bowl

Posted on August 21, 2016 | Comments Off

Sunflowers in blue bowl, 16 x 20, oil on canvas, Kit Miracle

This is another example of a slow painting. If you’ve followed my blog, you know that I like to paint en plein air. The challenge of turning out a speedy painting in a couple of hours is fun. However, some of my best work is when I create a studio painting which may take weeks or more.

This blue bowl of sunflower and zinnias presented its own challenges. If you’ve ever painted live sunflowers, then you know that they keep up their rhythm of turning towards the sun. This means every time you return to the studio, the darn flowers have rearranged themselves!

This is an oil on a toned canvas. I spent about a week and a half on this painting. I don’t know if the painting is actually done but I’m finished working on it. The flowers were in pretty sad shape by the time I finished. I like the careful attention to detail but it is a real trick to not overwork a painting. It should look effortless for best effect. In my opinion.

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Posted in art, oil painting, still life

Tagged kit miracle, oil painting, sunflowers, toned canvas, weller pottery

How long does it take?

Posted on July 31, 2016 | Comments Off

I have frequently posted paintings on here that are quick sketches, plein air or otherwise. These usually only take an hour or two. I have friends who can knock out four paintings a day, and darn good ones, too.

But…sometimes it is good to spend some time studying a subject. These two paintings that I completed this month are examples of that philosophy.

Ginko, watercolor on paper. 19.5 x 27, Kit Miracle

Ginko is one that I’ve been rolling around in my head for a couple of years. It is a full-size watercolor. I haven’t done a watercolor of this size for several years so it was good to try my hand in it again. (I painted watercolor for 25 years before switching to oils several years ago.) Ginko is a study of the ordinary. What is below your feet. I saw this one day as I was leaving the post office. The Postmaster later told me that many post offices in Indiana have ginko trees planted outside (males only). I think he said it was some kind of Girl Scout project but I’m not sure about that. I just loved the soothing shapes and colors. The painting itself was a lesson in patience. Why did I choose to paint all those rocks!?!

Generosity, oil on canvas, 20 x 16, Kit Miracle

The second painting is an oil that I call Generosity. It is from an very old black and white photo of a family member. She was always so generous; you never left her house empty-handed. I actually worked on the prep for this for several months, doing countless studies in pencil, charcoal, etc. This painting may actually end up being a preliminary study itself as I was planning to do a much larger work.

So, the lesson here is to enjoy the fast painting, dashing off a sketch or plein air piece. But sometimes you can be rewarded by taking your time and creating something really worthwhile.

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Posted in oil painting, watercolor

Tagged art, kit miracle, oil painting, painting instruction, watercolor

Plein air painting, old buildings

Posted on July 10, 2016 | Comments Off

Hoosier Desk Building, Final. Watercolor / pen and ink, 11 x 14, Kit Miracle

Today I decided to paint this old factory building. It has undergone so many renovations and additions over the years. Very interesting from many aspects. I selected this broad scene (and it really could have been a panorama if I had brought larger paper with me). I may end up doing some close-ups of the interesting architecture over the coming months.

Today’s challenge was to work with some speed in order to beat the changing position of the sun and the shadows. This is why so many artists like to paint on cloudy days. I don’t so I just have to paint quickly or remember where I want to keep the sun and shadows even as they move.

Plein air painting, Hoosier Desk Building. Beginning

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Posted in pen and ink, plein air, plein air painting

Tagged art, kit miracle, painting, pen and ink, watercolor

Painting the Ordinary

Posted on July 4, 2016 | 3 comments

Old Oak on College Avenue, watercolor, pen and ink, 11 x 14

I have a lovely long drive to work every day, about 20 miles through fields, woods, and small villages. This is a great time for taking stock of my thoughts, listening to recorded books, and looking for future painting subjects. One place that I pass every day is this field with the giant old oak tree. The past week the field in front of it has been showcasing an abundance of Black-eyed Susans. I couldn’t resist heading to town on Saturday to paint this scene. It was so serene. Cooler weather, mocking bird singing, a doe and her fawn stopped to peer at me across the field. The occasional jogger and walker.

The point here is that sometimes when you’re searching for a subject to paint, you don’t have to go very far. Look around you. Beauty is everywhere.

Preparing to paint the old oak tree and field of Black-eyed Susans

3 Comments

Posted in pen and ink, plein air

Tagged art, kit miracle, pen and ink, plein air, watercolor

Sometimes you’ve just got to paint

Posted on June 26, 2016 | Comments Off

When pigs fly. Watercolor / pen and ink, 12 x 16. Kit Miracle

We’ve all heard the admonishment that you need to create art every day. But…life gets in the way. Jobs, family, gardening, etc. Sometimes I find all my have-t0′s overwhelming my urge to create. This weekend I just had to paint.

Yesterday, before I could get overly involved in the rest of the home tasks, I trucked my painting gear out to the front yard and painted this flowerbed which has been calling me for weeks. It seems to be a symphony of purples, mauves, and yellows this time of year. The heat was oppressive. The humidity was drenching. But I had a great time.

For you gardeners out there, you’re looking at purple cone flower, bee balm, weigela, daylilies, lambs ear, and a giant yucca. The flying pig is a bit difficult to make out but he’s one of my favorite yard statues, as he bounces on his spring in a strong breeze. Symbol of not-quite-lost causes.

Giant Moth Mullen Watercolor/ pen and ink, 16 x 12 Kit Miracle

Then, this morning I decided to capture this weed, Giant Moth Mullen. It is already 5 feet tall and will probably top 6 or 7 feet. It has fuzzy leaves, similar to lambs ear and the most interesting curly-type leaves and stalk. It will eventually have a tall spike of yellow flowers which in turn, will produce seeds that the goldfinches love. Probably how it came to be growing near my cellar door. Majestic!

BTW, I was inspired by a blog challenge by James Gurney, who held a recent competition of people who paint weeds. This painting is not entered as it is past date, but I thought it was a perfect subject.

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Posted in art, country living, pen and ink, plein air painting, Uncategorized

Tagged art, country living, gardening, kit miracle, painting, pen and ink, plein air

Peonies en Plein Air

Posted on May 28, 2016 | 2 comments

Peonies at the end of the season. Watercolor / pen and ink. Plein air. Kit Miracle

I had a little time today after doing the heavy gardening to do this watercolor / pen and ink of our peonies. I love them in the spring but it seems their season is always too short. They’re gone before I really get to enjoy them. The weather was warm but breezy with a few spritzes of rain. I tried to capture the blowseyness of the blossoms but I’m afraid that this painting makes them look better than they are.

2 Comments

Posted in pen and ink, Uncategorized

Tagged gardening, kit miracle, pen and ink, peonies, plein air

Plein air painting

Posted on May 21, 2016 | 2 comments

Irises by the Woodshed

May is a very busy time here in the country. Cleaning up winter debris and preparing and planting summer crops. However, I have managed to find some time for some plein air painting, mostly sketching really.

The first three paintings are just around the yard. I try to catch the spring flowers before they’re gone. I particularly like watercolor with pen and ink overlay. These were all painted in a Pentalic Aqua Journal, 5 x 8, landscape format. The double pages really are challenging but, as you know, artists always like trying new things. The watercolor is actually a small travel set that I’ve had for years (decades?). And the pens are Micron in various sizes .01 to .05, mostly black but I am experimenting with red and burgundy.

Azaleas and Hostas by the Woodshed

On the Patio, watercolor / pen and ink, Kit Miracle

At the Riverwalk, Jasper IN, watercolor / pen and ink, Kit Miracle

Riverwalk, brown ink, Kit Miracle

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Posted in plein air, Uncategorized

Tagged art, country living, kit miracle, painting instruction, pen and ink, plein air, watercolor

Self-Portrait with Still Life

Posted on May 6, 2016 | Comments Off

Self-Portrait with Still Life, 24 x 30, oil on canvas, Kit Miracle

Most artists create a self-portrait every few years so I painted this one last month. I had recently purchased this old mirror and thought it would be interesting to set it up as a still life. My portrait isn’t really the first thing the viewer notices (I hope). The challenges with this painting is that there are two light sources: one on the still life in the foreground and one me as I paint. An additional challenge was to prevent other light sources so I had to black out the windows. This meant I was literally painting in the dark. Check out the step-by-step view of the painting process at this link. Self-portrait with Still Life – step by step

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

Tagged art, contemporary impressionist, kit miracle, painting instruction, still life

Gardening with Scottie

Posted on February 10, 2016 | Comments Off

Gardening with Scottie, 20 x 20, oil on canvas, Kit Miracle

I recently completed this winter still life painting. That is, when it’s cold outside, I usually paint inside. The theme for this painting is planning my spring garden. There were many challenges, especially all the circles and ellipticals as well as that dang ceramic dog. I’m not sure I’m done with this yet as I keep tweaking it every time I walk past it in my studio. Check out the demo for Gardening with Scottie.

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

Tagged art, books, country living, gardening, kit miracle, oil painting, painting, painting instruction, still life

Challenge Painting

Posted on January 5, 2016 | Comments Off

Hiking in Crawford County, 30 x 30, oil on canvas, Kit Miracle

Last year I decided to participate in a challenge art competition. This was a local county exhibit with the county plus the eight surrounding counties. The requirements were: a box, fabric, a living or formerly living thing, a map and something representing my county.

This is the painting I finally came up with. The box is the L.L.Bean shoe box. Fabric background and tablecloth. A deer skull and some bittersweet. A map of a local park. And some postcards of local scenes. It sounds simple but it actually took me an entire day to set up the still life.

Many of the entrants created collage or 3-D sculptures. Only two of us did paintings. I was shooting for something that met the conditions of the challenge and also created a good painting. Adding the lamp to the still life created its own special challenges as I had to paint much of the painting in a nearly dark studio. I repainted that lamp four times and I’m still not totally happy with it but the judge really liked the way it seemed to glow on the canvas. I won second place so I guess it was a success. What do you think?