Welcome to my Art Blog! I paint or draw most weekdays and sometimes finish a painting a day. I fondly call them my "Postcards from Paradise" because it's such a beautiful place the Lord made here for us.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

May Painting Challenge: a Camera

The Challenge this month is courtesy of Suzanne Berry. She named a camera as our subject and I thought, "No problem".

Boy, was I ever surprised how difficult it is to paint a camera! I do like a good challenge, though, to push myself.

 
(left) 
"Study"
Original oil on canvas
5"x7"
©2011 Diana Moses Botkin

SOLD


And even though my painting is more a serious study of delicate light, I love everyone's playful take on our subject this month. They're all so fun.

(far left) "Photo Play" Oil on canvas 6"x6"
©2011 Ruth Andre


(left) "The Camera" Oil on canvas 20"x16"
©2011 Suzanne Berry
(left below) "Bite Me" Oil on canvas 8"x10" ©2011 Vicki Ross
(right below) “Sure Shot” Oil on board 5"x7” ©2011 Sharman Owings

 





11 comments:

Ruth Andre said...

Diana, If there is a winner to the May Challenge I think you win. I love your lady in the painting holding the camera. The wisps of hair are beautiful too.

VickiRossArt said...

Diana, you continue to amaze me with the detail you capture in such a small painting! Very nice.

Diana Moses Botkin said...

Haha, Ruth... shall we have a Viewers' Choice award from now on? Thank you for the thought; you've made my day!

Vicki: As I was working on this I thought to myself "Now WHY couldn't I have chosen something SIMPLE for this Challenge!?" It IS a bit crazy to work this detailed on this scale.

I suppose if the painting were larger though, I'd want to put in every wisp of hair! At least this way I can leave a little to the imagination... good training for me.

suzanneberry said...

no, smooth away! i love smoothing! your painting is just amazing!! i LOVE it!

Jane Hunt said...

I love yours. I can't believe you get that much punch into a 5 x 7 - beautiful!

Diana Moses Botkin said...

Suzanne: I love the texture of unsmoothed work, but yes, most of the time I want to make it so detailed an realistic like the Dutch painters that texture usually gets smoothed away. Is there therapy for me, do you think?

Jane: Thank you!

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

Diana, the therapy is....drum roll...step away from the painting :D
I think we all have this problem. These are great paintings and choosing these subjects really gets you thinking doesn't it?

Diana Moses Botkin said...

Good reminder, Mary! Thank you.

mary maxam said...

I love this challenge and yours is sooo beautiful. Great light!

shirley fachilla said...

The level of finish without being stiff or fussy in your small figurative paintings is amazing. I also love your dancer in red. She is exquisite.

Diana Moses Botkin said...

Mary and Shirley: Thank you for dropping by and leaving your good words of encouragement. Happy painting to you both!