"Glacier Melt" Miniature Abstract Daily Painting

I'm gathering up another handful of minis from the corners of my studio to keep you entertained while I'm busy with commissions.

Please tell me if you'd like to own any of them, or want information on ordering something similar in a large piece.

Original oil 3x3"
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

"Sugar Swing" Miniature Abstract Daily Painting

Original oil, 3"x2"

©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

The image and title came from somewhere beyond the recesses of my mind... or maybe I'm simply sleep deprived.

Whatever the case, these playful little thoughts keep me moving along to new ideas.

"September Evening" Miniature Daily Painting

Original Oil
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

Painting Demo at Art in the Garden

Last weekend was Sandpoint's Art in the Garden. It was an entertaining event by beautiful Lake Pend Oreille with live music, food, wine and art. I was on hand to demonstrate plein air painting, as I did last year. The Lord gave us a beautiful evening; not too cold, and a fun one to paint outdoors. Although sundown is my favorite time to work en plein air, it is always challenging to capture a scene in light that quickly changes and fades.

By the time I got enough down on the canvas to look like a painting, the light was pretty much gone and I couldn't really see what my work looked like.

(left)

This is as far as I got on the piece that night, which would not be bad if it was really small, but the canvas is 10"x10", so I felt it needed a little more development.

Participants in the outdoor event had the opportunity to win my painting that night and the recipient of the prize was excited about the piece. I wanted to see what my work looked like in the daylight, so promised to finish the painting and deliver it to the winner later.  

(at left, the finished piece)
"September Evening at the Lake"  Oil 10"x10"  
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

September Challenge: Paint it RED!

Challenge Group member Elizabeth Blaylock picked the idea for our September Challenge. She directed us to "do a painting with a red, red violet or red orange color dominance." For the past month I've been thinking about this simple idea and what to do with it. So many choices. I finally settled on painting a small enamel pitcher I bought awhile back (thinking I'd paint it one of these days).

So, Monday was the day. I set up the colorful still life on my patio table outdoors and worked away in the glorious sunshine.

We've had cool, overcast weather lately so to play with bright colors for several hours outside on a warm sunny day did my brain a big favor.

The reflections in the shiny surface of the vessel were especially fun to paint.. so many colors in addition to red.

(left) "Red Pitcher on Blue Cloth"
7"x7"
Oil on canvasboard
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin



(left) "Arrangement on Red" 6x6" Oil on Panel ©2010 Elizabeth Blaylock
(middle) "Red Dance" 8x8 Oil on Paper ©2010 Robin Cheers
(right) "La Basilique du Val de Grace illumine'e la nuit" 14x11" Oil on Panel ©2010 Vicki Ross

(left) "Sultry" 16x16" Oil on Canvas ©2010 Suzanne Berry
(right) "Red Brush" 6x8" Oil on Canvas ©2010 Aaron Cordell Johnson

"Explosion" Abstract Daily Painting

Acrylic on hardboard, 12"x12"
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

On my desk are a handful of tiny abstracts. They are ideas I've jotted down for larger paintings. But something happens whenever I try to develop one of those little ideas. The big piece seems to have a mind of its own and doesn't turn out to look like the little idea at all.

This is one such piece. It seems fitting that I would finish it on September eleventh.

"Fall Snack" Landscape Oil Daily Painting

Original oil on hardboard, 4"x6"
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

SOLD

"Evening Graze" Original Oil Landscape Daily Painting

Oil on hardboard 4"x4"
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

SOLD

This week I've been trying some looser painting for practice making a composition fairly quickly. Adding a few animals creates interest in this ethereal scene, which reminds me of our recent Oklahoma trip near the Wichita Wildlife Refuge.

“Radiant Evening" Daily Painting Original Oil

Original oil painting
6"x9", in frame
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin
 
This is another one I've finished and framed. 

NOW SOLD

"Afternoon at the Flats" Daily Painting Original Oil

"Afternoon at the Flats" 3.5"x 10"
Original oil, framed
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

NOW SOLD

This small long painting is one of my favorite little studies of the area in north Idaho, the Pack River Flats, off Lake Pend Oreille, near Sandpoint.

My Article on Burnout Now Published

"Creativity Fatigue: 11 Ways to Deal with Burnout" appears in the September issue of Art Calendar Magazine.

In researching this piece I ran across this quote from author and burnout researcher Ayala Pines: "In order to burn out a person needs to have been on fire at one time."

In my article I explain more about creativity fatigue and remind readers to take time to enjoy family and the fruits of their labors, to get rest, and to give thanks. This is not an original idea. The Lord thought of it first and made the Sabbath for such.

August Painting Challenge: Yellow

Our August Challenge is to use only a yellow, plus black and white, to make a painting.

It was my turn to choose what we'd paint this month and since I'd been thinking a lot lately about that limited palette we used in the May Challenge, I wanted to take it a step further and see if I could make an interesting painting using only a yellow pigment plus black and white.

I chose a transparent warm yellow (Gamblin's Indian Yellow), Titanium White and Gamblin's Chromatic Black. I thought long about the possibilities for subject matter and how much I could push the color range and contrasts. I also considered painting on a toned board (such as light blue, or red) and letting some of that show through. Although that would've given me more color variety, I decided to simply use the limited paint colours on a white board and see if I could make it interesting.

And what to paint... a winter scene with mostly greys? I recognized that a bumblebee would be an excellent choice but finally landed on a sunny landscape for subject matter.

(left) "Sunny Back Light"
5"x7" Original oil on hardboard
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

The very limited palette gives this piece an interesting vintage lookwhich reminds me of duotones. In my commercial artist days, I often employed duotones to add photo emphasis in a layout using only one extra color. The greys have to stand for the cool tones and do look a bit blue compared with the warmer yellows. I did miss using a little ultramarine, though.... and a little red too.

It looks like the other Challenge Group members were able to get quite a range of hues. I am so impressed with everyone's work! I'm especially impressed that our new member, Elizabeth Blaylock, jumped right in with this month's challenge after she accepted my invitation to join and produced the lovely piece below, shown with the rest of the group's beautiful paintings.



(left above) "Yellow Man" (indian yellow, ivory black and titanium white)
12"x12" Oil on panel ©2010 Robin Cheers

(right above) "Grisaille in Yellow Ochre, Ivory Black & White"
11"x14" Oil on panel ©2010 Vicki Ross



(left above) "Behind This!" (indian yellow, ivory black and titanium white)
12"x12" Oil on canvas ©2010 Suzanne Berry

(center above) "Rose in Yellow Solo" (pale cad yellow, lamp black and titanium white)
5"x7" Oil on Raymar Panel ©2010 Elizabeth Blaylock (right above) "Waterlily in Evening Pond" 6"x6" Oil on panel ©2010 Jeanne Illenye