Spring Landscapes

"Evening Storms" Oil 5"x7" unframed
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

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Weather this time of year can be quite varied in northern Idaho. We might have a couple of warm sunny days that are perfect for working in the garden and then a week of overcast cooler days with storms. The rain clouds can be quite spectacular, like these in the painting above.
Sunny evenings like the one pictured below, with bright color on the green landscape, invite outdoor dining and giving of thanks for the Lord's many blessings.

"Late Afternoon Color"
Oil 3.5"x5" framed
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

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Remembering Omaha Beach in Normandy

"Normandy" Oil 5"x7"
©2005 Diana Moses Botkin

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In 2005 on Memorial Day, my family and I visited Omaha Beach in Normandy.

The thousands upon thousands of crosses and stars of David were a stark testimony to us of the blood spilled there on D-day and a reminder of the many many lives sacrificed in the cause of liberty.

Although most of the crosses and stars of David bore the names of soldiers and their home state, many of the markers simply read:

HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY

A COMRADE IN ARMS

KNOWN BUT TO GOD

At the Memorial, we met an old man and learned he was British and had been in the D-Day invasion. He told us he returns every year to remember... and lamented that so many young people don't care.

The bunkers on the beach still stand, another witness to the lives lost, and the ground fairly cries out with the blood spilled there, but the sea does not remember.

Two Recent Plein Air Paintings

Last week I did several pieces on location in the Palouse, even though the weather was somewhat grey. 

The challenge to make an interesting painting in various conditions is a good opportunity to learn something.

Not all the paintings I did are worth showing, or trying to save, but I tweaked these two small pieces a bit. A little more color and contrasts helped them work better.

(above) "Dawn Stirs" Oil 4"x6" unframed ©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

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(left) "Morning Blues"
Oil 5"x7" unframed
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

May Painting Challenge: Indigenous Trees

Our Challenge this month was named by Mary Maxam, who asked us to paint a tree from our area.

Although I have done this numerous times, I decided to paint an elongated vertical format painting for something a little different.

Near my house is this group of tall conifers. The Grand Fir on the right side of the painting is fascinating to me and I have painted it more than once. It's especially lovely with the late afternoon rosy light shining on it.

"Reaching for the Sky" 
Oil on hardboard
11.5"x6" 
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin


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(above left) "Palo Verde Sunset" Oil 14"x18" ©2012 Becky Joy
(above right) "West of Healing Springs" Oil on Linen Panel, 11x14" ©2012 Vicki Ross
(below ) "Dogwood" Oil on Ampersand panel, 8" x 10" ©2012 Mark Adams

 

"Fall Fashion", a Fetching Feline

It always feels good to have a special painting finished. I've been working on this commissioned piece awhile and it is ready to be shipped to my collector now. I'm celebrating a little!

This soft orange tabby cat in the leaves looked like he was attempting some autumn camouflage. I originally had more leaves in this painting, but wound up taking out a lot of them because there was not much compositional interest.

"Fall Fashion" Original oil 9"x12"
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

Please contact me if you'd like to commission a special painting. Cats, people and places are favorite subjects.

Shipping Article Finished

My article on how to pack and ship art is now with my editor, along with photos. The piece gives details on sending drawings and paintings using several methods. It also compares shipping companies and lists suppliers for packing materials.

My previous article on the subject dealt primarily with framed art. (I won a writing award for that one, which was a first for me.) This new piece expands that information and includes instructions on packing unframed works on paper, or unstretched paintings on canvas, rolled in tubes for mailing.

Look for it in the September issue of Professional Artist Magazine.

This technical article was not an easy write. Even gathering information was tricky, especially for shipper specifications. One important bit of insurance info that was not revealed anywhere, I had to find out the hard way myself, first-hand, when an overseas package was lost last year.

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.