Big Skies in Small Formats

Spring has arrived in our area of Idaho, with flowers starting to bloom, and spring storms.

Here are a couple of new little oil studies showing my favorite sky colors with contrasted snowy landscape effects.

Mother's Day will be here soon, so please let me pay your shipping to help honor Mom.

(top) "Pink Feathers Above"
Unframed miniature oil painting with free mini display easel
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin


(left) “Spring Storm Colors”
Original oil painting, 4"x6"
Unframed
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

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Two New Cloud Paintings

If you follow this blog you probably know how much I love dramatic skies as a subject.

They offer constant challenges as well as plenty of interest, and promises of that certain something that gives a painting the "ooh-ah" factor.

(top painting) “Big Storm” 
Unframed oil 5”x7”
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin


(lower painting)
“Montana Storm”
Unframed oil 5”x7”
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

April Painting Challenge: Shopping

Group member Mary Maxam picked our Challenge subject this month and asked us to interpret "shopping" any way we wanted.

(left) "Shop 'til You Drop"
Original unframed oil 4"x6"
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

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Although several ideas presented themselves to me, and I set up a still life to explore one plan, nothing really clicked until this idea formed.

 These expressive legos jumped in to save the day and transformed my idea for Challenge from ho-hum to fun. Perhaps they had been missing the opportunity to take part as they did for my Challenge paintings in 2009.

The other members participating this month surprised and delighted me with their interpretations of our theme. I love them all!
 
(left) "Shopping Without A List" Oil 8"x8"
©2012 Mary Maxam

(below left)
"Petco with Poppy"
Oil on canvas 8x11" ©2012 Vicki Ross

(below right)
"Laissez les bons temps rouler" Oil on panel 8"x10" ©2012 Mark Adams

Two Recent Cat Studies

I'm working on a cat painting commission for a collector. It's larger than most of my "daily" paintings and some of the texture in the piece requires layering, so drying time takes awhile.
The piece is nearing completion and I'm trying not to ruin it or overwork it.During the drying times I've had a chance to paint a couple of smaller studies of my fascinating felines.

Our cats are outdoor pets and regularly leave us gifts of mice and other rodents on our doorstep.

They are very social creatures and often keep me company if I'm working outside. When I'm indoors I often see them sitting in the windows in the sun. It is interesting to see how they patiently watch the brush for movement.

Their own movement is graceful and purposeful whatever their interest.

(top painting)
"Fluid Movement" Original unframed oil 6"x4" ©2012 Diana Moses Botkin 



(painting at left)
"Cat Patterns"
Original unframed oil
8"x6"
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

Wishing you a blessed Resurrection Day!

With Easter and Passover this weekend, I thought I'd share this drawing I did years ago from studies of Michelangelo's sculptures. It shows the love of Christ Jesus by His sacrificial death.

This also portrays the love of one of Christ's secret disciples, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin and whose tomb Jesus borrowed for a few days after His crucifixion and before His resurrection.

The calligraphy on this piece is taken from John 15:13 in the New Testament and reads, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends".

You can find reproductions of this image and others at my website inspirational page.

"Dancing in the Spotlight" 3 Pose Figurative Art

Original oil
12"x24"
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin 

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This is one of the larger pieces I've been working on. The idea grew out of past motion studies and my work last year for The Festival piece with the dancers.

My model for this painting is a vibrant young woman, full of energy, joy, love for life and for the Lord. I wanted to show these attributes in the three poses turning and dancing.

This young woman remains anonymous (as are most of my models) to represent an ideal rather than one specific person. She could be the three graces: Love, Joy, and Beauty.

This type of painting could also be a happy portrait, especially if the focus was more on the woman's face.