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.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Sandpoint Solo Show Starts Sunday

(left)
"Pensive"
Original oil, 10"x8"
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

This Sunday from 11 to 1, I'll be on hand at Monarch Mountain Coffee Company in Sandpoint, Idaho for a reception to open "Figurative Statements", an exhibit of my paintings and drawings.

(second painting at left)
"Reflective"
Original oil, 10"x8" 
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

SOLD

In the show are images fitting the theme, derived from realistic human figures or abstract form.

A Sunday opening is a first in my experience, but the coffee company owner suggested the time frame for a relaxed gathering. She had told me she wanted more paintings after my ArtWalk show of portraits and still life paintings. She suggested "something more edgy, like nudes".

 In addition to the bath drawings, I'll be showing other nudes including large framed studies on paper and small original oil paintings, like these two at left.

(third painting at left)
"Fiery Flight" 
Original oil, 18"x24"
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

Along with the figurative pieces, I'm exhibiting some abstract work, which makes an interesting contrast to the familiar forms of the figure paintings and drawings.

Although I paint a variety of subjects, I regularly return to the figure. It's a lot like comfort food to me on a cold rainy day. The figure itself can be simple or complex, depending on the pose and lighting.

And abstract work can be similar, although for me it is more about experimentation and exploration than comforting familiarity with beautiful form.

What's your take on nudes and abstracts?

10 comments:

Marcia said...

Beautiful paintings, Diana! The nudes are exceptional - I love the play of light. About how many colors do you use to get the flesh tones?

Celeste Bergin said...

I love Nudes/figures. People who do both figures and landscape seem more accomplished to me than those who just one or the other! Nice work here and great abstract too. Have fun at your opening...a Sunday sounds like a good day for a reception. :)

Diana Moses Botkin said...

Marcia, the pigments I use to mix skin colors are the same as I use for landscape or still life paintings, except I usually add some mars colours to my palette for painting people.

It depends on the lighting on the model, too, for what colours I'll use, and the model's skin color.

See "The Painting and Teaching of Philip Pearlstein" for mixing flesh colors. I've loved his work since I first saw it in Wichita in the early 70s. At the time I was the closet realist at OU's painting department. Abstract was the ruling influence, and although there were aspects I enjoyed about it, I really wanted to do figurative work.

Celeste, thank you for the kudos. I'm thinking the reception will be a nice little distraction from this grey weather we're having!

juliefordoliver.blogspot.com said...

Good luck at your opening. Your work is at a very professional level and really beautiful so the viewers will be very fortunate. I know I wish I could be there.

Susan said...

Wonderful nudes, Diana - so much beauty captured in your sof skin tones and sensuous compositions.

Diana Moses Botkin said...

Julie, thank you very much for dropping by to encourage me with your kind words. I wish you could be here, too!

Susan, I appreciate your kind observations. Your kudos have made my day.

mary maxam said...

These are beautiful and you always have a wonderful surface where you show a kind of glow to the skin. Always perfect and bathed in light!

Diana Moses Botkin said...

Thank you for saying so, Mary, and for dropping by to encourage me. Happy painting!

Gerald Schwartz said...

Diana, I love this. The power you have going on with color and the composition is outstanding..
Tho this is a departure from the nudes, each supports the other..
All are stunning...

Diana Moses Botkin said...

Thanks, Gerald, for dropping by and for your observations.

I so agree that different subjects, even as varied as realistic nudes and non-representational abstracts, can support each other for the artist's creativity.