Tag Archives: plein air

Painting Main Street

Posted on June 3, 2014 | Comments Off

Main Street House #1, oil on canvas, 12x16, Kit Miracle

Main Street House #1, oil on canvas, 12×16, Kit Miracle

I went out painting this past Sunday morning in town. Sundays are usually pretty quiet if you’re painting an urban setting. There is a row of old houses on Main Street which have been renovated and provide some pretty interesting subject matter. The first house, with all the gingerbread and roses is almost too saccharine but I thought I’d give it a stab. I was actually planning to paint it from the other side (south) but since I arrived pretty early, I caught this morning light on the north side. There are some who would like to see every little detail but I believe that you should let the viewer’s eye fill in some of the details. If I tried to paint a photo-realist painting…what IS the point, eh? …then I think the painting would have lost a lot.

Main Street House #1 en plein air, Kit Miracle

Main Street House #2, oil on canvas, 12x16, Kit Miracle

Main Street House #2, oil on canvas, 12×16, Kit Miracle

A friend went with me this morning but she had other obligations and had to leave. I wasn’t ready to pack up so I turned around and then painted the neighboring house. I really like the light in both of them. I could probably find subject matter for several paintings in a few blocks of Main Street, especially if I come back at different times of day.

What does YOUR Main Street look like?

Main Street House #2, en plein air

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Posted in art, oil painting, painting instruction, plein air, plein air painting

Tagged art, kit miracle, oil painting, old house, painting instruction, plein air

Plein air painting from memory and from life

Posted on April 22, 2014 | 2 comments

I have a beautiful drive to work every day, through the gently rolling hills of southern Indiana. This is a valley that I frequently pass which changes throughout the seasons. About a week ago, I was so taken with the freshly washed sky after a rain and the glancing sunlight through the valley, that I had to paint it when I got home. This is totally from memory and was painted primarily with palette knife.

Kyana Bottoms from memory, oil on canvas, 12 x 16, Kit Miracle

Then this past weekend, I went out early on Saturday morning to paint it from life. Due to the severe winter, I haven’t been out plein air painting much this winter so I was aching to get outdoors. Plein air painting poses its own challenges – weather, changing sunlight, where to park. In this case the people who live back the lane stopped on their way out to town that morning, then later on their way back in. Also, as you can see, I was really close to the train tracks. And just when I was concentrating, I heard this noise behind me. Some neighbor had spotted me from her house but I hadn’t heard her drive up due to the earphones I was wearing to cancel out the traffic noise. I worked a couple of hours and then finished it up in the studio.

Kyana Bottoms, final, 16 x 20, oil on canvas, Kit Miracle

So…which do you like best? The painting from memory or the one that was done on site?

More of the steps below…including the train!

The valley as it looked early in the morning.

Working out of the back of my car, initial washes.

Uh oh, here comes the train!

And THIS is how close I was to it!

Last painting step before I packed up for the morning, The light had changed too much.

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Posted in art, oil painting, painting instruction, plein air painting

Tagged art, contemporary impressionist, kit miracle, Kyana Bottoms, oil painting, painting instruction, plein air, trains

new eyes

Posted on August 25, 2013 | 4 comments

Sometimes it takes a little nudge to get us out of our ruts. I’m currently traveling in the southwest with a bunch of canvases and paints. They say that travel is good for the soul. All I can add is that it makes me see the world with new eyes. I love the colors, the vistas, the entire flavor of this part of the world. This is a photo taken as I was perched on the edge of the Grand Canyon. I also spent several days painting the red rocks of Sedona. Now I’m in Santa Fe. I’ve discovered that it’s best not to look at the work of too many other artists as I lose focus on my own vision. I brought 19 canvases and intend to return with 19 paintings. Of more or less achievement. Stay tuned.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged art, grand canyon, kit miracle, oil painting, plein air, sedona, southwest

Improving a Painting

Posted on June 30, 2013 | 1 comment

Blessinger Farm revised. Oil on canvas, 16x20

Blessinger Farm revised. Oil on canvas, 16×20

The first pass at the Blessinger farm painting.

Sometimes when I finish a painting it seems OK, but….something is not quite right. That’s when I let it sit on the easel for a while. Such is the case with the one that I posted here a few weeks ago, Blessinger’s Farm. After examining it for several days, I realized that several improvements could be made.

First of all, the tree was right in the middle of the painting. This is very poor composition as it divides the canvas in half. It was also a weird looking tree but that may have more to do with the fact that a tornado blew through the farm a few years ago wiping out 80 year old maples. Nevertheless, I decided to move it closer to the barn (easy to do in paint, right?) and to juice up the colors. I also decided to push the background way back. Too much green. And to clarify some of the focal points. What do you think?

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Posted in art, painting instruction, plein air painting

Tagged art, kit miracle, oil painting, painting instruction, plein air

Plein Air Painting Demo

Posted on June 16, 2013 | 1 comment

Blessinger Farm, oil on canvas, 16 x 20

I went out early yesterday morning with a friend to do some plein air painting. We drove around and found a beautiful old farm. The air was humid and the day grew hot but I found a nice place in the shade. Memo to self: put on more bug spray. The flies were biting. The couple who own the farm were most welcoming and invited us to help ourselves to drinks in the fridge. More often than not, painters are welcomed into most places. Of course, being a good neighbor and picking up after ourselves is important and we never leave any trash or dump chemicals.

To see the demo of this painting, check out the full page. https://my90acres.com/artwork/plein-air-painting-demo/

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Posted in art, plein air painting

Tagged art, kit miracle, painting, plein air

House in springtime, plein air

Posted on April 21, 2013 | Comments Off

House in spring, final, oil on canvas 18 x 24

Plein air painting in the spring sunshine is one of my favorite things to do. I love the fresh colors. Check out my step-by-step page for a how to demonstration. https://my90acres.com/artwork/plein-air-painting-in-spring-time/

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Posted in art, country living, oil painting, old house, plein air painting, Uncategorized

Tagged art, house portrait, kit miracle, oil painting, old house, painting instruction, plein air

Choosing a painting subject

Posted on April 21, 2013 | Comments Off

A simple spring subject. Oil on canvas, 11x14

A simple spring subject. Oil on canvas, 11×14

I’ve often been asked how I decide what to paint. To me, the answer is obvious. Just as writers are advised to “paint what you know,” so, too, should painters. What interests you? Do you have a passion or special message? For me, just walking out the door will often suggest a subject. In fact, I once had an exhibit which was solely painted from “my 90 acres,” i.e., everything and everyone was from the home place. That was a little challenging as I do get out and about, but it was a good exhibit.

This painting that I completed yesterday is a scene just out my studio door. The dog and some spring bushes. Pretty simple. However, if you look back at some of the famous painters of the past century, regional artists or French Impressionists, some of their best work was of ordinary daily scenes. I don’t live near the ocean or the Rocky Mountains, so my usual subjects are the soft hills here in southern Indiana, small villages, flower gardens, vegetables, my favorite people and places. Try taking a look around your own home town with new eyes. You’ll be surprised at subjects which suggest themselves. Good luck!

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Posted in 100 dollar paintings, animals, country living, painting instruction

Tagged art, country living, kit miracle, oil painting, painting instruction, plein air

Plein air painting in winter

Posted on January 26, 2013 | 5 comments

OK, so I’m crazy. But I greatly admire the plein air painters who tromped through the woods, fields and villages in the winter to paint snow scenes. I will admit that I haven’t been too adventurous in this area but I actually went out into our woods a few weeks ago when we had our first real snow this season. It was actually great fun but I froze my feet off! Lesson: get some foot warmers before I go out in this kind of weather next time. I had three layers of socks but that didn’t help.

Painting in the snow. Oil on canvas, 11x14

Painting in the snow. Oil on canvas, 11×14

Woods in Winter, final painting, oil on canvas, 11x14

Woods in Winter, final painting, oil on canvas, 11×14

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Posted in oil painting, plein air painting

Tagged kit miracle, oil painting, plein air

Using a limited palette in oil painting

Posted on August 25, 2012 | Comments Off

Limited palette: Clockwise from Titanium White, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Cad Red Med, Burnt Sienna, Cad Lemon, Naples Yellow

If you have been tempted to load up on all the pretty colors when you visit the art supply store, don’t give in. You can create nearly any color from a limited palette. Most experienced artists find this gives their work greater cohesiveness. Learn more on my How To page by following the link. https://my90acres.com/artwork/using-a-limited-palette-in-oil-painting/

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Posted in art, oil painting, painting instruction, plein air painting

Tagged art, kit miracle, oil painting, painting instruction, plein air

Plein air painting at Monkey Hollow Winery today

Posted on August 18, 2012 | Comments Off

Monkey Hollow Winery, 11 x 14 oil

I went out to Monkey Hollow Winery today with the plein air group, Runaway Artists (www.runawayartists.com). If you’d like to see the painting demo, again on a toned canvas, click on the link to take you directly to the page.

https://my90acres.com/artwork/plein-air-at-monkey-hollow-winery/