Montana Artworking by Cindy Betka

Treats! Gourmet treats. These cookies are to die for. I just had to take a break from painting to bake some. Yummmmmmm

These 4 small oil paintings (8" X 8") will be shipped off Oct. 27 to the Lewistown Art Center. They are available with a few other paintings in their shop. Lewistown Art Center 406-535-8278 Seeing Red Cloud Barn Twilight Reflex White Red Morning 'You are the God that does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples.' Psalm 77:14

  Sometimes when experimenting, I am surprised at where the painting is taking me. Bits of surrealism surfaced in these two small 'still life-scapes'. Not sure what to call these, but they are a bit tangent from what I usually paint. The green apple reminded me of Rene Magritte (1898-1967) a Belgian surrealist artist. There was a recent exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago (June 24 - Oct. 13), 'Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary 1926-1938'. I was not fortunate to see it. Magritte's more well known painting is: "Magritte TheSonOfMan" 1964 About the painting, Magritte said: At least it hides the face partly. Well, so you have the apparent face, the apple, hiding the visible but hidden, the face of the person. It's something that happens constantly. Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see. There is an interest in that which is hidden and which the visible does not show us. T...

From Webster's Dictionary: Abstraction - 2. the act of considering something in terms of general qualities, apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances. I find myself skirting the edges of abstractionism in painting. Pushing those boundaries between representational art and abstraction is freeing up my soulful expression. 24" X 30" Oil The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:9

First you observe the changing fall colors turning quickly after each frost. Then you smell the decomposing leaves and organic matter melting into natures compost and rich soil. A gentle breeze stirs  starting the clapping aspen leaves applauding their colors. This is fall in all its God made glory. Patchwork of colors on the mountain sides After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19:12

As you know by now, I am really into skies and clouds. Last night was one of those very unusual cloud formations. I stepped out our front door every few minutes to take photos of the sky's changing colors. The clouds to the East stayed in this sculptured mass. The full moon was rising on the move through the sky. The Western sky moved faster in shape and color. I just had to share some of the photos.

There are somethings in life you have to find a way to rise above. For me I find strength, solace, power and refuge in my Christian faith. I dip into my soul through my passion for art. The act of painting becomes a conversation with God. The painting below I just completed and before it was finished I came up with the title. Rise Above 18" X 36" Oil