"Evening Drama" Skyscape Daily Painting

Original small oil painting 4"x6"
Grey and glowing white clouds in a turquoise sky, above darker mountain landscape.

in Museum style gold frame $125.
Contact to purchase.

I had a lot of fun with this one. It is the sort of thing I love to paint and play around with a bit. Like mixing up cornbread, it's okay to go a little heavy on some ingredients and lighter on others. It still turns out

©2008 Diana Moses Botkin

"Backdoor Watchers" Daily Painting

Original oil painting 10"x8"
Figurative study of young woman and boy at doorway.©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
 
Contact to buy.

Recently I added color washes to this painting, which was previously only shades of greys and black. This piece was a value study to enter in a competition. Gambin Artist's Oil Colors holds their Torrit Grey Competition every year.

The idea is to paint a piece using only the Torrit Grey, plus black and white. You can see my entry on Gamblin's Torrit Grey gallery page on their website, along with other entries. Frankly, I don't know how Gamblin decided on the winners; so many fine paintings were entered.

Sold Daily Paintings

"Paints and Brushes" Oil 10" x 8"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Bright View" Oil 5" x 7"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Morning Silhouettes" Oil 5"x 3.5"
©2008 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Cloud Glow" Oil 5"x 7"
©2008 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Distant Radiance" Oil Mini
©2008 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Evening Outlines" Oil Mini
©2008 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Chocolates" Oil 3"x 3"
©2008 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Toast to Two" Oil 5"x7"
©2008 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Marble on Velvet" Oil Mini
©2008 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Little Lord Jesus" Christian Christmas Art

mmWishing all of you who visit this blog a wonderfully meaningful Christmas!
mmThis art is a drawing I did in 1976, as a fairly new Christian. At the time, I couldn't find anything with a thoughtful message for Christmas cards. Most of what I found was on the theme of Happy Christmas Tree. The Lord having changed my life, I wanted to share a more significant point.
mmSo, the Lord gave me this idea, which I had printed up as cards. I sent about 150 to family and friends. Later, I produced a line of Christian prints which I named Renaissance. Among them is this piece. You can see them at my website Inspirational page.

"Little Lord Jesus" Inspirational/Christmas
Reproduced from the original pencil drawing©1976 Diana Moses

Giclee Reproductions Now Available

"Backdoor Friend" Portrait/Figurative
©1993 Diana Moses Botkin
Oil, 10"x8"

This small painting was sold a long time ago. It's one that was rewarding to paint, and an image for which I get many comments.

I've been working off and on for weeks to get my online print gallery opened. Giclee repros of this image, and others, are now available at LifeImages. Please visit my gallery to order.

Sold Daily Paintings

"Bright Fall Colors" Oil 5"x7"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"October Radiance" Miniature Oil
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"October Glow" Miniature Oil
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Cobalt Salt Shaker "Oil 3"x3"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"The Traveler "Oil 4"x6"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"By the Window "Oil 8"x8"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Sunflower Glow"Oil 5"x5"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Sandcreek Reflections "Oil 4"x6"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"The Accident" Bird Study Oil 7"x5"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Fall Mirror" Oil 5"x3.5"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

Regarding completing a Painting a Day....

Today I checked the one Google discussion group in which I bother to participate. The format is for Daily Painters. A fellow artist relayed that a NY art critic and historian had asked him, "Why is making a painting a day better than painting daily?" This question got me to thinking about the whole Painting a Day movement, in which I've been participating for awhile now. Here's my take.

Personally, I don't think that completing a painting a day is necessarily better than painting every day. Both give me the practice and challenge to improve skills. I do think having that goal of making a painting a day is a good challenge, however. Perhaps it's like practice in other arts. The professional ballet dancer executes class (the barre and center floor work) almost every day, and usually rehearsal too. Additionally, performances are several times a week.

Class is not a performance... but rather a discipline of preparation. Years of it are vital to gain the skills needed to be part of the corps de ballet and more years or exceptional talent are required to be a solo artist. Talent is vital but can never get the dancer anywhere without that daily hard work.

So... I think for many of us the goal of a painting a day is good discipline. Perhaps most of my little daily paintings are not as "important" as my larger works that I've planned more carefully and worked on sometimes for weeks or months. But there is beauty there even in the little dailies, just as there is beauty in ballet class work.

Sold Daily Paintings

"The Garter" Oil 8"x6"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
NOW SOLD

"Summer Sunset" Oil 2"x3"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
NOW SOLD

"Color on a Grey Day" Oil 5"x3.5"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
NOW SOLD

"Tomato by Window" Oil 3"x3"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
NOW SOLD

"One Tomato, Two Halves" Oil 4"x6"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
NOW SOLD

"Saturday Nap" Oil 8"x10"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
NOW SOLD

A Portrait Sample for Today's Painting

"Portrait of Samuel" Figurative/Portrait
©2005 Diana Moses Botkin
Oil, 20"x16"

Commission inquiries welcome. You can see more portrait samples at my website.
I'm currently working on some other projects, so thought I'd post a piece I did a couple of years ago.

This double portrait shows a high school football player in developing manhood, contrasted with his childhood portrait on the wall. My son was the model for this painting and when he saw it, said, "You didn't make my arms big enough". They looked plenty huge to me... larger around than his whole body was when he was born. Now, a couple of years later (much more food and many workouts later) those arms are even bigger. Amazing.

Sold Paintings

"Michaela by the Lake" Oil 10"x8"©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD
"Lights and Shadows" Oil 5"x5"©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD
"Dalas in the Shade" Oil 7"x5"©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD
"Apricots on Blue" Oil 5"x7"©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Sunset at the Tracks" Oil Mini
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Dappled Woods" Oil 7"x5"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Loi Painting" Oil 8"x10"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

Plein air painting at our place

Local artist friends Bob Bissett, Loi Eberle and Dalas Klein came over today to paint at our place. Then we had a pot luck lunch out on the patio which included eatables everyone brought. My husband Greg also grilled vegies and I threw together pesto pasta. There were plans to pick apricots off our trees but we didn't get around to that. We did have an enjoyable time painting together, though, and sharing a meal.



©2007 Diana Moses Botkin

Sold Daily Paintings

"Jaime in the Light" Oil 7"x5"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Rosy Rain" Oil 2.5"x3.5"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Apricot Study" Oil 3"x3"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Cherries on Ice" Oil 5"x5"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Snowy Morning" Miniature Oil
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Evening Task" Oil 5"x5"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"July Eveniing" Miniature Oil
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Cherry, Reflections" Miniature Oil
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Dawm Blush" Oil 6"x4"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Pink Clouds at the Lake" Oil 5"x5"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Lake Clouds" Oil 5"x3.5"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Apricot on Granite" Oil Mini
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"August Blush" Oil 4"x6"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Loi Painting" Oil 8"x10"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD

"Fall Glow" Oil 3"x3"
©2007 Diana Moses Botkin
SOLD