Tag Archives: landscape

Great Smoky Mountains in Autumn

Posted on October 1, 2023 | Comments Off

A watercolor / pen and ink sketch from our cabin.

We were able to get away to visit the Great Smoky Mountains this past week and meet up with some old friends. The cabin we rented had an unbelievable view but the park itself was well worth the trip. I haven’t visited it for years. Of course, the towns outside the park had grown a bit (A LOT!) but the natural beauty of the park is still impressive.

Morning view of the mountains from our cabin.

As the most visited National Park in the country, it’s amazing how well-maintained it is. We took a ride through two parts of the park during the week and were able to get out to enjoy the views and visit some historical buildings. I would have loved to just park and paint the scenery but I’m sure our friends wouldn’t appreciate watching me paint for a couple of hours. Well, maybe next time.

The Ephraim Bales cabin (and other buildings).

We took the Newfound Gap Road tour first and had a picnic lunch by the river. Since we had plenty of time, we then drove down to Cades Cove. That was an adventure. Although we avoided the weekend crowd of leaf-lookers, we got stuck in a miles-long traffic jam of cars inching forward. The road is one lane and one way. There was no indication of what was causing the delay. People were getting out of their cars and walking past us. We came to find out that there were supposedly some bears in a tree up ahead. Although we didn’t see any of those bears, we did see a mama and cub run across the road in front of us before we got to the traffic jam. There was also a plein air painting event going on, too. Added to the people who were trying to spot the bears in the tree, it was a little chaotic.

Cades Cove, Smoky Mountains. We had plenty of time to view the scenery since we were stuck in a traffic jam.

Anyway, it was a beautiful day for a drive and a picnic.

Although not the oldest national park, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, admission is free and there are plenty of activities for people of all ages. But I wouldn’t recommend approaching any wild bears. They’re not pets and they can move very quickly. As my granddaughter remarked when we told her about the crowds of bear watchers, are you kidding me?!

All these people thought there were bears up in the tree but we didn’t see any.

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Posted in landscape, travel

Tagged autumn, black bears, great smoky mountains, kit miracle, landscape, mountains, national park, pen and ink, rivers, travel, watercolor

July flowers in the garden

Posted on July 12, 2020 | Comments Off

One of the smaller sunflowers. I think it is Ring of Fire but am not positive.

The heat has arrived and the humidity has never left. I’ve been occupied with painting in the studio but the yard and garden are never far from my mind. A quick tour around this week reminded me that I need to get out there and weed again. Didn’t I just weed that? Well, time to go around again.

Zinnias which I use for casual arrangements.

The garden is going well and starting to produce. Green beans, squash, peppers. The snow peas are nearly past and the lettuce and asparagus are long gone. We had to replant the corn as the first plantings weren’t doing too well. I think probably due to some wascally wabbits. Anyway, the next crops of corn are coming along nicely.

The hostas are almost over. These are actually light purple.

So far, only some cherry tomatoes but the other varieties are heavy with fruit. Won’t be too long. And the eggplant has survived the flea beetles and are looking healthy.

I love the shape of the budding sunflowers. They are such interesting flowers with lots of geometric shapes.

But I always have a passion for flowers. They grow all over the yard. Many perennials and some are very old as they were here when we moved here decades ago. But the garden will always have zinnias and cosmos for cutting. This year I have six kinds of sunflowers in two long rows.

The new sunflower patch. I’m so anxious to see the whole patch in bloom.

Plus!….I added a new 30 x 30 foot patch to plant sunflowers. This is just below the spring garden. And, I planted it with the birdseed sunflowers, probably oiled sunflower seeds, as I felt they probably didn’t have any chemicals on them since they were for the birds. By the time I got to this area, I was flagging after all the other gardening work. I just sowed the seeds, scratched them in with the rake and called it a day. I thought the birds and the rabbits would have them all. But, to my surprise, they took off and are now blooming. Yes, there are some weeds in there but plenty of flowers. It’s always fun to experiment with new gardening ideas.

All the sunflowers feed the birds (or whomever).

Purple cone flowers.

The last of the lilies.

Mystery flower. These flowers started coming up in my peonies a few years ago. I let them stay as the butterflies seem to like them. But I really don’t know what they are? Any help out there would be appreciated.

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Posted in country living, garden, old house

Tagged country living, flowers, gardening, indiana, landscape, sunflowers

Back to the River

Posted on April 26, 2020 | 2 comments

It’s still too early to do much planting although I have onions, snow peas, lettuce and kale growing. The garden is tilled but we have to wait another couple of weeks before planting the whole thing. We’ve done some trimming and tidying of the flowerbeds. The spring flowering shrubs are next.

Plein air painting along the Blue River in Southern Indiana. As you can see, my easel is actually sitting in the water. What we artists won’t do for our work!

Monday was beautiful and balmy. A perfect day to return to the Blue River for some more adventures. This time my husband brought his fishing gear and I brought my painting kit. It was so peaceful and quiet. A week since our last visit but I noticed changes. The redbuds are waning and the dogwoods are coming out.

Blue River, plein air painting. Acrylic, 11 x 14. That spring green will only last for a few weeks.

Bridge over the Blue River. Watercolor / pen and ink. Kit Miracle Created from photos taken on our previous visit last week.

As you can see, I had to set my easel in the water to get the view that I wanted. I nearly tipped in myself but this is the price an artist pays for the adventure of plein air painting. My husband got his line wet but not much luck until right at the end when he caught a nice bass. (He returned it to the river, of course.)

Fishing on the Blue River. My husband actually caught a nice bass but he released it. We peeled off our sweatshirts as the temps warmed up quickly. Spring is here!

Another wandering drive on the way home took us past a little greenhouse. Of course we stopped. Although we have some tomatoes and peppers started, I had to buy a few more. Hey, it’s that time of year. All you gardeners understand what I mean. (BTW, I was the only one at the greenhouse wearing a mask!) Later in the week the mice in the greenhouse started nibbling the plants. Dirty rottens! I wouldn’t have thought they would like nightshade plants but now I know they do.

So, that’s pretty much my week. Finished the plein air painting in the studio and did a watercolor/pen and ink of the bridge over the Blue. Some gardening. Reading. Oh, and cleaning the attic of my studio but that’s another story.

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Posted in art, country living, plein air, plein air painting

Tagged acrylic, art, blue river, contemporary impressionist, country living, indiana, kit miracle, landscape, pen and ink, watercolor

A drive through the country

Posted on April 19, 2020 | 3 comments

Bridge over the Blue River. We crossed the river several times and followed it quite a way.

We opted for a change of scenery this week and went for a drive in the country, mostly in our own county. I love the spring greens, you know, that yellow-green color in your box of Crayolas. It doesn’t last for long so you have to catch it while you can. The redbuds were out adding a bright touch of color but the dogwoods were a little behind. It was an in and out spring day with sun and clouds. Towards the end of the afternoon, rain showers moved in.

If you’re not familiar with Southern Indiana, I should tell you that it’s quite hilly and beautiful. Our county borders the Ohio River and has several other rivers. Especially notable are the Blue River and the Little Blue River. They get their names from the color of the water which is a bluey-green. They’re also very popular with kayakers and canoeists in warmer weather. It was a perfect spring day for a picnic beside the river.

So taking 62 west out of Corydon, we just followed our noses. This is what we saw. It was refreshing to get out of the house and turn our thoughts to more pleasant things. I’m sure I’ll be back soon for some painting adventures.

The road follows along the river for many miles. It is lined with redbuds this time of year. The dogwoods were just coming out.

Blue River with bluebells. The hole in that sycamore goes all the way through.

Looking north from the canoe ramp. I love the overhanging sycamores. They’re just as striking in the autumn with the fall colors.

Blue River looking south from the canoe ramp.

Blue River Chapel right on the Blue River.

This is Artists’ Point overlooking the Ohio River. Not exactly on the way to anywhere, it’s worth the trip to find it. I have actually seen eagles riding the thermals up from the river right in front of me. That is Kentucky across the river.

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Posted in country living, landscape

Tagged blue river, country living, crawford county, indiana, landscape, Ohio River, spring landscape, travel

A spring tour of the yard

Posted on April 12, 2020 | 6 comments

One of my favorite views is of the front yard and the old woodshed. The white patches are swaths of spring beauties, a delicate tiny white flower with faint pink stripes. The forsythia are past but the lilies of the valley are coming in as are the day lilies.

After an unseasonably warm early spring with temperatures in the 70s and even up to 80, the flowers and other signs of spring are nearly overwhelming. I love spring!

This old house had an abundance of established trees and flowers when we moved here but we have added many ourselves over the years. Plus, I’m a great one for digging things up and moving them. I’ve also shared many plants over the years with friends and family. Did I mention how much I love spring?

Come take a little walk around the yard with me to see what is happening.

The east field is a study in various shades of green. The yellow flowers are actually weeds but they’re pretty this time of year.

Crabapple from a start from another tree in the yard. Before is a white magnolia (not in bloom yet) with shiny leaves.

Columbine. No work at all except that they spread everywhere. Such a beautiful, delicate flower.

These bluebells are so easy to grow and require no maintenance at all. They totally die back to come up again next year. I love the way they start out as pink and then the blossoms turn a beautiful sky blue. I’ve moved them all over the yard. The little white flowers are spring beauties, along with grape hyacinths, and some spent daffodils.

The lilacs were here when we bought the place. You can smell their perfume all across the yard.

Not a flower but the martin nest built on the porch of my studio. Yes, we have a martin house but the bluebirds live there. The martins usually build on top of their previous nest but it finally fell down last year. It took them about two weeks of bringing mud, weeds and moss to make this new home.

Narcissus take over after the daffodils are done.

Violets are wildflowers that some people think are weeds. But I love their beauty and variety of colors from blues to deep purples to variegated to cream.

The redbud is a delicate under-story tree which grows from central Indiana and south, throughout the Midwest and southern mountains. The flowers are directly on the branches. The heart-shaped leaves don’t come out until later. They pair well with dogwoods which are just starting to come out and the woods are loaded with them.

I love tulips but they’re difficult to grow around here. The deer think they’re candy and they often don’t make it to bloom.

We call this a tulip tree around here but it really is a variety of magnolia. It’s a new addition to the yard so we were surprised to see it bloom this year.

Azaleas. This color pairs great with the orangey/peach azalea next to it.

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Posted in country living, garden, landscape, old house

Tagged country living, crawford county, deer, flowers, gardening, indiana, landscape, spring

A week of new and old

Posted on March 22, 2020 | Comments Off

A typical country road with a little stream, one of many that we saw on our drive.

Well, how has your week been going? Have you been a dynamo, rushing about getting all those long put off projects done or tackling spring cleaning? (I hate you.) Or have you been sitting around in your pajamas all day watching game shows and reruns of golf?

I’ll admit, I’m somewhere in the middle. Certainly not accomplishing all I had laid out a week ago. (I always make a weekly plan.) Spending way too much time on social media and watching official news conferences. But I find they just make me anxious and there really isn’t much I can do about the current crisis but what I’m doing already. I have enjoyed, however, the many creative ways that friends are entertaining their children at home. One guy created a Hogwarts School, complete with costumes and characters, and posted daily videos. (He was exhausted by the end of the week.) Others are tackling nature in the backyard or nearby parks. Wonderfully creative art projects abound with photos to prove all the fun people are having. Some moms may be hitting the wine bottle a little earlier than normal but, hey, wine is a food, is it not?

St. Patrick’s day was celebrated by my little leprechaun friends going outside to see the spring flowers.

I did get some spring yard work done. Being outdoors improves my spirits. And spent some time in the studio but not as much as I should have or usually do. I’ve talked by phone to my family and friends more than normally. It just feels right to keep in touch, especially since so many people are isolated right now.

I’ve got several books started but only finished one. Well, there’s always next week.

We discovered this quaint little foot bridge over a small stream. I am sure I’ll have to go back to paint this scene.

After a few days of rain, my husband and I took a nice drive on country roads to look at spring emerging in little corners here and there. Then we went over to the lake; he fished and I sketched. And then picked up take-out dinner at a nearby restaurant. Nice to eat someone else’s cooking for a change.

A quiet cove at the lake. This was a good place to sit out of the wind while I sketched.

Since the stores in this area seem to be out of bread, I reposted the link to the Crusty Artisan Bread recipe that I posted on my blog a couple of years ago. Several people have tried it and found it surprisingly easy and yummy.

Anyway, whatever your situation is, I hope you are safe and healthy. I’d love to hear what you’re doing with your days. May we all look back on this trying time in years to come and say, “remember when….”

Pine tree. One of several sketches I made while at the lake.

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Posted in country living, Uncategorized

Tagged country living, indiana, landscape, spring drive

Painting the Snake River

Posted on November 3, 2019 | Comments Off

Final, Snake River painting. The final step is to use some pen and ink to add some details but be careful not to add too much. I suggest that you zoom in on the image so you can get a better idea of what I’ve done. It’s really just a lot of scribbling and very loose calligraphy.

I mentioned last week that I’m teaching a watercolor landscape painting class. I let the class choose which subject they wanted to paint and they selected the colorful sunset. Well, it seemed easy but was a little more difficult than they thought. I’ve painted that scene three times and none of them have turned out exactly the same.

So, I thought I would try to find something a little easier for the class. One of my selections is this scene from a trip we took out West several years ago. This is the Snake River in Idaho near Palisades Reservoir. Such beautiful country out there.

Snake River, original photo upon which the painting was based. As you can see, I eliminated many of the shrubs in the foreground to better draw attention to the river and the mountain.

This is a classic landscape valley with pretty clouds and blue sky, a nice piney mountain, a river, and some trees up front leading us into the scene. I only used eight colors for this painting, three brushes, and my fade-proof ink pen. The paper is Arches, French-made of 100% cotton rag. The painting time was about two hours.

To see a step-by-step view of the process, click here or go to Artworks and scroll down to Snake River Landscape.

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Posted in landscape, painting instruction, travel, Uncategorized

Tagged art, Idaho, kit miracle, landscape, painting instruction, pen and ink, Snake River, watercolor

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?

4 Comments

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

Western Landscape Paintings

Posted on July 7, 2019 | Comments Off

Arches Vista II, watercolor, pen and ink, 13.5 x 9.5 inches, Kit Miracle

Since we returned from our big adventure out west a few weeks ago, I have been taking a break from the beach series of paintings that I’ve been working on. It has been fun painting several landscape impressions in watercolor with pen and ink overlay. I just can’t get away from this subject.

These paintings are very loose with bright colors. I have probably done more paintings in this medium than any other over my artistic lifetime. And I still find them fun as well as challenging. Of course, they’re all for sale in my Etsy shop.

Arches Vista I, watercolor, pen and ink, 13.5 x 9.5 inches, Kit Miracle

Zion Vista II, watercolor, pen and ink, 13.5 x 9.5 inches, Kit Miracle

Zion Vista I, watercolor, pen and ink, 13.5 x 9.5 inches, Kit Miracle

Grand Canyon Vista III, watercolor, pen and ink, 13.5 x 9.5, Kit Miracle

Zion Vista III with Virgin River, watercolor, pen and ink, 13.5 x 9.5 inches, Kit Miracle

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Posted in art, pen and ink, watercolor

Tagged Arches, Arizona, art, contemporary impressionist, grand canyon, kit miracle, landscape, pen and ink, southwest, travel, Utah, watercolor, Zion

Part II, Western vacation

Posted on June 30, 2019 | Comments Off

10 States, 4,435 miles, 4 National Parks, 16 days

Grand Canyon Vista, plein air sketch, acrylic 12 x 16, Kit Miracle

After spending several days at the canyon – with elk roaming right outside our window – we were ready to head on down the road for the next park. I will say right now that I could actually stay at the Grand Canyon for a year and still not run out of things to paint, but it was, after all, a family vacation.

Early Morning at the Canyon, plein air sketch, acrylic 12 x 16, Kit Miracle

We headed back out the east entrance and north on 89 towards Zion national park. Saw some amazing scenery that actually reminded us of the Badlands in South Dakota. Crossed the tip of Lake Powell and entered Utah.

This was very different scenery. The valleys were so lush and surrounded with red cliffs. We picked up Utah 9 at Mt. Carmel which took us into Zion national park on our way to Springdale. Spectacular scenery, even with a lot of traffic due to some road work.

Zion National Park, sketch, Miracle

The town of Springdale reminded me a lot of Sedona, Arizona, as you’re looking up at the red rocks instead of down into a big hole as at the Grand Canyon. Luckily, they have free buses (like the GC) which take you up and down the main road and back to the park. There you get out, go into the park, and get on the free park buses. All so organized.

The Virgin River runs right through the park and behind our hotel. Pretty fast river and wouldn’t want to hang around during monsoon season. The ride through the park was informative with many stops to get off and on. The first day we just rode through but the second day we got off and did some hiking. The dry air and lower altitude made for a very pleasant visit.

Utah scenery, sketch, Kit Miracle

After a few days, we headed up the road towards Moab and our last stop at Arches National Park. On the way, we had a huge breakfast in Hurricane, Utah at The Stagecoach Inn. Then a little more shopping at the favorite big box store.

The scenery along the way was once again beautiful with many landscape features. I kept running down the battery in my camera and phone.

I must say that we were not impressed with Moab. It just seemed another tourist town with overpriced everything. The motel we stayed at which touted scenic view rooms was rustic to be kind. The view was of a chain link fence three feet from our window and the room was minuscule. Just goes to show you not to believe everything you read on the internet when you’re making reservations. In fact, we decided to leave a day early (they, of course, never refunded the second night).

After a quick breakfast the next morning, we left to auto-tour Arches. Again, fantastic scenery. However, the granddaughter by that time was getting restless. When we urged her to look at the views, she complained, “ just more rocks.” Ha ha. So glad that we got a very early start for the park that day as by the time we left, the line of cars to get into it was very long.

Snow covered Rockies in Colorado, sketch, Kit Miracle

Then home again, home again. A long ride home on I-70. Left Utah and started climbing the Rockies in Colorado. Still snow in Vail and beyond. The temperature dropped to 45 degrees. Bumper to bumper traffic for miles. Just people who had gone to the mountains for the weekend and were heading home on Sunday afternoon. Our hotel room never felt so good.

Wind farm, Kansas, sketch, Kit Miracle

Left early the next morning and ended up in Lawrence, Kansas. Miles and miles of giant wind farms. And the final day home where we caught I-64 in St. Louis. Crossed the swollen Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.

Interestingly enough, we had no rain at all until we reached the Indiana border.

It’s great to be home but we haven’t caught up with things on the farm. Taming the garden, the lawn and weeds. Repairing the drive which was in danger of washing away due to the torrential rains while we were gone. But we are left with many great memories to last a lifetime.

These are the stats.

Books read:

Colin Fletcher The Man Who Walked Through Time
John Steinbeck Travels with Charlie. I read this years ago so it was wonderful to revisit.
Edward Abbey Desert Solitare: A Season in the Wilderness. This gave me a different perspective on the national park, especially Arches.
Plus a few Kindle downloads for good measure.
Granddaughter read at least a dozen books. And husband was into westerns.

Best roads: Utah and eastern Colorado.

Worst roads: Oil fields of Texas and New Mexico

Best food: just about everywhere but especially Sprindale, Utah.

Best parks: ALL of them! So great to see this wonderful country and what belongs to the American people.

Photos taken: 1500+, two phones and a camera

That’s it for now. I may take a short break from my beach series of paintings and work on some Western paintings, while the scenery is still fresh.