Tag Archives: sunflowers

A month of art

Posted on August 30, 2022 | Comments Off

August has been scorching here this summer. Too hot for outdoor work. So I spent much of the month in the studio just being an artist. This was a great respite from all the other chaos of the summer.

However, we did have a couple of days of lovely cool temperatures, in the low 80s. Fling open the windows! I took advantage of the cooler weather to clean out my studio. This meant dragging nearly everything outdoors, rewrapping and packing many of the paintings, vacuuming, debris clean out. Just making an inviting space to work again.

Our garden was in name only this summer. And I only gave cursory attention to the weeds and flowerbeds. This meant that I had plenty of time to devote to creating some art.

I began with building up some inventory, especially of sunflowers, some of my favorites. Although I usually grow several different varieties from the mammoth giants to the multi-stemmed, to all the colors that are available, this year I only had a few to work with. I planted them but they just didn’t want to make an appearance. So I used some of the many photographs that I’ve taken over the years.

I did several sheets of minis. I can get four 4 x 6 on a quarter sheet of watercolor paper. Although I often repeat a theme, they never turn out the same. I buy mats and backs in bulk so it’s pretty easy to prepare them for display or shipping.

Four mini sunflower paintings on quarter sheet of watercolor paper. Although the top two are the same subject, they’re not exactly alike.

Then I did a few larger ones. After that, I created duplicates of two local scenes. These are not standard sizes so I have to cut the mats to size for framing. More time and money involved.

Two paintings of the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center on quarter sheet of watercolor paper

Finally, the last half of the month, I was really missing our usual vacation. This was probably prompted by selling some previous western scenes so I dove into that subject. These paintings were larger and more complex, the smallest being 9 x 12 and up to 12 x 16. I have some pretty extensive photo files from some of our western vacations so plenty of subject matter to choose from. The most difficult part with these paintings is canvas prep. And trying to come up with new titles. Grand Canyon Vista #1, Grand Canyon Vista #2, etc. But it’s so satisfying to just put on some music or recorded books and zone out. Due to the many years of plein air painting, I can generally produce a painting a day, maybe two. But I did discover that I had duplicated two scenes from previous years. They came out similar but not exactly the same.

Overall production for the month of August was twenty-five. Not all are shown in the multi-image above as several were duplicates. And I didn’t work every day. It’s very rewarding to spend time alone with my thoughts and just create. To build inventory for online shops, the holidays, or local and regional shops.

Most of these paintings will be up on my Etsy shops soon. https://www.etsy.com/shop/KitMiracleArt?ref=l2-shop-info-name or https://www.etsy.com/shop/My90Acres

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Posted in art, contemporary impressionism, country living, impressionism

Tagged art, contemporary impressionist, gardening, kit miracle, painting instruction, painting multiples, sunflowers

How to improve your art skills

Posted on March 7, 2021 | Comments Off

One of Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings. Many artists explore a subject in a series of paintings of the same subject. Van Gogh did at least twelve paintings of sunflowers.

I’m often asked, “How do I get better at my art?” Hummmm….well, I have several suggestions. They aren’t anything new but maybe they’re new to you. In no particular order.

Make a LOT of art! Studies have shown that students who create a lot of art eventually get better, especially compared to those who seek to create one perfect painting or poem or story or pot. Like almost anything else, the more you do, the better you get. This is the time to explore. Try new things, new styles, new subjects, new mediums. Just make a whole lot of it. Don’t worry if it’s any good yet. Just do it. The old adage that practice makes perfect applies here. While you are testing new things, your mind will begin to make connections and build on what you have done before.

Make it easy. Make it easy to make art. Do you have to clear the children’s homework from the dining table? Drag out all your equipment and easel every time you want to paint? Find a space where you can keep your materials at hand. Set up a corner in the bedroom to work. Use a portable screen if the clutter annoys you. Keep a sketchbook next to your TV chair. Or in your purse or pocket. I’ve often drawn mini-sketches while waiting for dinner or in the theater. If your materials are nearby, you’ll be more likely to use them.

Don’t worry if it’s any good. So many people worry about if their work is any good. Stop that right now! Refer to the first suggestion. Just do it. Do a lot of it. ALL artists make some really bad paintings. That’s Okay! That is what preliminary work is for. Try it out. Maybe it will be brilliant. Maybe it won’t. But you will have learned what works and what doesn’t.

Copy other artists. Yes, I recommend studying other artists, your favorites perhaps. Go to the museums or the library or even review their work online. What do you like about their work? What don’t you like? Try making a few copies in the style of the artist. How does that feel to you? Does it feel natural or awkward? Look at what attracts you most. Their subject matter? Style? Brushwork? But do NOT EVER try to pass off someone else’s work as your own. That is dishonest and plagerism. You won’t feel comfortable about it and you’ll be found out eventually.

Do a series. A series is a group of artwork of, perhaps, the same subject or style or theme. This helps you to dig deeper. Find out what attracts you to this subject. Van Gogh painted twelve sunflower paintings. I’ll bet that he got better at them towards the end. Monet painted thirty haystacks, 250 waterlillies, and over thirty of the Rouen Cathedral. Different angles, different times of day.

My concluding advice is just keep at it. Don’t let anyone discourage you. Only you know what you are learning. If you have tried it before, try it again. You’re in a different place and time. Perhaps you have more skills and knowledge now. Just keep moving forward. Good luck!

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Posted in art, painting instruction, Uncategorized

Tagged how to improve, Monet, sketches, sunflowers, van gogh

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

Summer garden

Posted on July 28, 2019 | 2 comments

Giant tomato, Park Whopper My husband ate the entire tomato for lunch. Yummmm.

You haven’t heard me bragging about the garden this summer because, well, in a word, it’s been awful. We usually plant a big garden (25 x 40) and a small spring garden which holds spring crops, such as, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, etc.

Tomatoes ready for canning.

Everything was looking good before we went out west last month on vacation. Although we enjoyed wonderful weather on our trip, apparently the Midwest received buckets of rain the entire time. We returned to a garden full of weeds, at least, that which was not drowned. I could watch them grow on the deer cam.

Multi-stemmed sunflowers just came out this week. They’re already being eyed by the goldfinches.

Red sunflower being strangled with a morning glory. The bees are loving this.

Then with a couple of weeks of extreme heat, there were some crops that we just gave up on. The peas blew past, the kale, lettuce and spinach bolted. The beans, corn, and squash in the big garden looked anemic.

New bean crop. The red line gives you an indication of location.

This past month we have spent hoeing and weeding, feeding and trimming. Some things we’ve just given up on. I planted new beans a couple of weeks ago and they’re up now, doing nicely. The sweet corn has recovered but we’re trying to keep the varmints out of it until we can pick it. The raccoons have already cleaned out the apple trees and devastated my seckle pear.

Swallowtail on some volunteer flowers.

Butterfly and zinnias

A bouquet of zinnias just for me. I love cut flowers in the garden.

The sunflowers are out, the butterflies are loving the zinnias, and we’ll still probably end up with way too many tomatoes.

Anyway, that’s life in the country.

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Posted in country living, garden

Tagged country living, flowers, gardening, indiana, raccoons, sunflowers, tomatoes, zinnias

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

Ode to Van Gogh

Posted on July 20, 2015 | Comments Off

Sunflower, 12 x 12, oil, Kit Miracle $175

Ode to Van Gogh, 12 x 16, oil $225

We have a very large garden and I always plant flowers in it for cutting. Each year, I also plant a variety of sunflowers. The tall Mammoth grow to 12 feet or more. We save their large heads for the birds. I also plant multi-stemmed and many colors ranging from orangey red to deep maroon.

Needless to say, I’m drawn to painting their cheerful faces and usually tackle a few sunflower paintings each summer. Here are two of my recent works. I will probably paint several more which I’ll show on my website. KGMiracle.com Check them out.