This is Number 30 of 30 Pieces This Month!

"Carrying the Ball" 
Charcoal/chalk on matt board
Unframed, approximately 10"x5” 
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin

It's been an interesting excursion doing the challenge of 30 pieces in 30 days! A number of tasks were set aside this month as I made sure to create something new for each day.

Today I had a very difficult time trying to come up with a final piece. I had originally thought I would finish a small oil I started last week but realized today that I would need more time to bring it to completion.

So I went on a hunt for an interesting reference and finally found one that seemed just right since Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend.

Twenty-nine = One to Go!

"Insight" Charcoal/chalk
on charcoal paper
Unframed, approx. 8"x10” 
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin

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You may have noticed I've done several dark shadowy pieces lately. I am enjoying the way the faintly perceptible images create an interesting mood. They seem somewhat dreamlike, or perhaps like waking from a dream state.

Have you ever arisen from sleep with insight about something that's been on your mind?

Twenty-eight

"Morning Prayer”
Oil, 9"x7” unframed
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin

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I originally wanted to put a sky in with this figure but when I tried it, the painting lost the air of mystery I saw in the pose. It just looked contrived, even corny. So, something simple and subdued for a background seemed best.

This is Twenty-seven. Three to Go!

"Soothing Sunshine"
Original pastel on Canson
6.25"x10.25", unframed
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin

I'm craving sunshine and we've had a little but I sure would like some more!

Thinking of how nice the warm sun would feel on my pale skin, this was a fun one to paint with the warm and cool colors and that bright green grass.

Twenty-six

"Sleek Lines” 
7"x14”
Oil on canvas with
black painted sides
can hang unframed
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin

I was pleased with the way this one went, and felt like I got the feel of the pose without painting in too much detail. Maybe fading eyesight has some advantages.

Twenty-five

"Dawn Stretch" 
Charcoal/chalk on Canson paper
Unframed, approximately 8.5"x8.5” 
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin

This is a small quick study of more chiaroscuro lighting. It is very dramatic and I like the way it expresses form.

Twenty-four

"Awake, Sleeper”
Oil, 10"x8” unframed
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin

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I've been working on a couple of other paintings but am not ready to show them to you just yet.

One is a larger piece and the other is similar to this one and the same size.

This dark technique does not photograph well and much of the subtle detail gets lost. This is much nicer, viewed in person, but I hope you can get an idea of what it looks like.

Twenty-three Means a Week to Go!

"Hands Behind" 
Charcoal/chalk on grey cotton paper
Unframed, approximately 11"x8” 
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin

Hands can be tricky. Sometimes the position makes it hard to see how many fingers are there. The mind wants to put them in whether they can be seen or not. So, ideally, the brain fills in what the eyes can't see.

Here is Number Twenty-two

"Snuggling Roses”
Oil on linen 4"x3”
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin

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Twenty-one

"Watching Drama" 
Charcoal/chalk on brown art paper
Unframed, approximately 15"x11” 
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin

You can contact me if you'd like charcoal studies or oil paintings of your family members.

This one was done from life, which is my preference, but I can also work from photos if they have good directional light to show features. At rest poses work best with a relaxed expression rather than an open smile.

This young man was watching a movie while I sketched his features. The overhead light worked surprisingly well for capturing the bone structure, especially when I added the white chalk.

Twenty is Two-thirds

"Perchance to Dream" 
Charcoal/chalk
on grey charcoal paper
8.5"x12.5” unframed  
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin 

SOLD

I have only ten more to go in this thirty day challenge doing thirty pieces! As you've probably guessed, the paintings, even though small, take more time than the drawings. I've enjoyed doing both and each medium presents advantages or limitations.

The drawings are especially good for focusing on ideas and composition. Mentally, they seem less intimidating.That's a good thing as I'm trying to come up with something new and interesting every day.

Number Nineteen of Thirty

"Muse”
Charcoal and chalk on
grey Canson paper
8"x11” unframed
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin

SOLD