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

SOLD

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

SOLD

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 

SOLD

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.

"Snowy Groove" Small Landscape, Winter Painting

Original oil, 4"x6"
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

We are still having snow in our part of the world, but it comes and goes. Spring is peeking up through the ground in scanty displays, most of them unpretentious and humble. One has to look for the signs closely, but they're there.

Under melting snow are the millions of maple seeds that have fallen from last fall's seed crop. Most of them are trying to take root anywhere and everywhere. Although I fight them in my gardens every year, I marvel at their capacity and productiveness.

This little oil painting is one of those passing scenes I couldn't help but notice: the snowy blanket covering the landscape and that silent channel cutting through the fields that will be a chattering stream very soon.

Two Minis and Why I Like Oil Paints

I've been asked why I choose oil paints as a medium for most of my paintings. Although there are times when I use pastel or charcoal, most of my art, currently, is done in oil. I've used acrylics and found the fast drying time to be an advantage for some techniques and a disadvantage for others. Although I appreciate the spontaneity of watercolors and the happy accidents, the unpredictable nature of the medium does not suit me.

Oils have many advantages. The slower drying time allows for blending, which is useful whether I'm portraying skies or skin. Acrylics have their advantages but blending wet-in-wet is not one of them. The slower drying of oils makes them very forgiving. If I decide I don't like a passage I painted, I can wipe it off, even hours later.

I'm currently working on a commission piece in which the background is mostly green grass, which can be difficult. The subject is fairly close, so grass texture is important. I'm wanting to show some of that detail without laboring over each blade of grass.

I've built up several layers and let them dry and today added a lighter texture against darker greens. My first efforts with this layer were just too light, and too stark, so even though I'd been working awhile on it, I was thankful I could simply wipe it down to the previous layer and start over.I'll show it to you later. For now, here are a couple of little warm-up miniatures I hope you will enjoy. The light and contrast of each scene was the inspiration for these little 'uns. I can paint large commissions, too. Let me know if you'd like these, or something bigger.

(first painting)
"Gold Smolder"
Oil, 2"x3"
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

SOLD

 
(second painting)
"Vapor Tower" Oil
2.25"x3.25" 
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

March Painting Challenge: The Zorn Palette

"Pensive" 
(painting updated since original post)
Oil sketch on canvas
10"x8"
©2012 Diana Moses Botkin

This month's puzzler, named by Vicki, was to paint with the limited palette attributed to Anders Zorn. Vicki suggested those colours are: cadmium red light, yellow ochre, ivory black, and titanium white. 

Looking online to validate this produced a few alterations to those specific colors.

It appears that the exact colours which Zorn used are not actually known. Most references I found referred to his limited palette as vermillion, yellow ochre, ivory black and titanium white.

However, considering Zorn died before a suitable titanium white was manufactured for use in oil paints, it is my guess that Zorn used lead white, which is somewhat warmer than titanium, or perhaps zinc white.

And since vermillion is not widely available these days, most references for Zorn's palette substitute a cad red medium. Once source used alizarin.I used titanium white, ivory black, yellow ochre and cadmium red scarlet (since I had no cad red light on hand). If I do this again, I may try the alizarin to take advantage of its somewhat cooler and darker properties, or the cad red medium.

I really missed having a blue pigment. I decided on a figurative subject because most of my landscapes need blue. From looking at Zorn's work, I concluded the limited palette would work well for portraits and nudes, as much of his work was.

Those in the group who did landscapes were especially brave, I think! Becky's and Mary's pieces worked amazingly well. Mary reports that she used Paynes Grey as her black, so since that colour is a mix of lamp black and utramarine pigments, that explains how she got the bluer background greys.

This was such an interesting challenge. I'd like to do more of these limited palette pieces. All of these paintings are so delightful and I truly love each one!

(above left) "Isabelle" Oil on Linen Panel 14"x11" ©2012 Vicki Ross
(above right) "Laura and Vincent" Oil on panel, 8"x10" ©2012 Mark Adams
(below left) "Water" Oil 6"x6" ©2012 Becky Joy
(below right) "Travelers" Oil 9"x7" ©2012 Mary Maxam

New Still Life Art Available as Giclées

These three images of my work are now available, reproduced by the exacting and beautiful giclée process on art paper or canvas, in several sizes.

The steaming hot drinks paintings are part of my coffee and tea series I started doing a few years ago.

I'm still fascinated by steam, smoke and clouds of all kinds and continue to explore these ideas as painting subjects.

I also love detail, as you may have noticed if you've followed my work. The Dutch realists are some of my favorite artists and I admire the rich detail they've painted in their evocative paintings.

Although not all my paintings are this detailed. Some pieces demand it, though, which is why I've put in all the hours it takes to paint work like this.

Please visit my giclée still life reproductions gallery to order these and additional artworks.

Selection of Figurative Works Available as Giclées

Because I've had requests for reproductions of some of my lovely lady paintings, I've added a new figurative/portrait section to my giclée reproductions gallery.

These pieces (and others) are now available on canvas or art paper, in several sizes, unframed or framed.

I'm offering a special selection of five popular images to purchase.


Ordering from the website gallery is user-friendly, service is prompt, and the reproduction quality is lovely.

I've mentioned a few advantages of the giclée process in my last post.

I hope you'll give it a go next time you're looking for a gift or something new and inspiring for your walls.

New Landscape Giclée Reproductions of my Art

I've added several new images to my reproductions gallery.

These three landscapes (and others) are available as giclée reproductions on canvas or art paper, in several sizes, unframed or framed.

There is quite a nice selection of framing options and prices are reasonable. Orders are packed carefully for shipping, too.

The giclée process uses pigmented inks and produces colors very much like my original paintings.

Of course, no reproduction can be quite as beautiful as the original art with the subtle light plays on the brushstrokes, or capture the varying depth, sheen and transparency of the oil paint.

But since the original oil paintings have each been sold to individual collectors, I'm glad a larger audience can enjoy these works as reproductions. It is also an advantage that the giclées can be offered for a fraction of the cost of an original painting.

This makes them affordable for almost anyone who loves art.

They are also ideal for high-traffic areas in settings where irreplaceable original art could be damaged or stolen. I've sold giclées for homes and offices. I think my favorite setting for my art in this application, though, has been a large hospital who placed a group of my landscape reproductions in various locations for patients, staff, and visitors to enjoy.