Montana Artworking by Cindy Betka

Just north of Helena, MT is a most beautiful area called the ‘Gates of the Mountains’. From “The Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition”, (Volume 4, Gary E. Moulton, Editor) .   Lewis: (Friday July 19, 1805) - “ from the singular appearance of this place I called it the gates of the rocky mountains. http://www.gatesofthemountains.com/area-history/lewis-and-clark/ We took the boat tour, which is well worth it. Here are a few select photos from the area. Trip back we picked up a crew of fire fighters in training.

The notorious ‘Raven’ gang was caught on camera this morning as they vandalized our private property. One of the perpetrators tried to cover up the security cameras as the crime was being carried out. We had no idea that this was the work of the ‘Ravens’, or birds, no less, until caught. These guys are really ruthless. We had 3 signs that were on plastic or heavy waterproof paper. Two are in the left side on the gate posts. The third is on the right gate post. Watch  closely  on those 2 areas and see how the birds are tearing them down. Raven Habitat Broad range of habitats: boreal, conifer, and deciduous forests; tundra; prairies and grasslands; isolated settlements, towns, and cities; deserts; sea coasts and islands; agricultural fields; Arctic ice floes; and the highest mountains. It is one of the most widespread naturally occurring birds in the world (Boarman and Heinrich 1999). Birds descend into valleys in the wi...

What a nice surprise, I just received this email: Congratulations Cindy, You've been featured on Art Center Gallery . Our curatorial team features a small number of projects to appear on the front of our gallery each day. We only pick the best work that effectively promotes the Art Center Gallery community. The Art Center Gallery Curatorial Team Screen Shot of my work featured 'Close with Pink Curtain' 20" X 20" Oil (Available at the Pen Gallery Deer Lodge, MT)

It takes a lot of focus and concentration in creating a painting. There are so many things to keep in mind to get it right. The composition is the basic first step. Compose your painting with a strong value pattern. Keep it simple and have that pattern lead the viewer in and around the painting. Sounds easy enough but I for one need to take a breather from a painting to move on to the next to stay fresh. The painting benefits by being left alone for a while. James Gurney came up with the B.L.A.S.T. Rule , which I have taped to my easel. The B.L.A.S.T. Rule BIG BRUSHES - Use the biggest brush possible for a given passage LARGE TO SMALL - Paint large shapes first, followed by small shapes ACCENTS LAST - Save your tonal and chromatic accents until last SOFTEN EDGES - Try to soften any edge that doesn’t need to be sharp TAKE YOUR TIME - Take time to get the center of interest right  Works in Progress

My work has been selected to be part of the Radius Gallery summer exhibit, 'Scapes | Land-Sea-Mind.  Three committed jurors made the selections--Stephen Glueckert, curator for the Missoula Art Museum; Jennifer Luetzinger, Brink gallery owner; and Barb Schwarz Karst, retired art teacher and local Missoula artist.  Their process, facilitated by Jason Neal and Lisa Simon (Radius Gallery owners), involved evaluating over 300 works from 104 artists, with a target of about 80 works to fill the small gallery space in downtown Missoula. The high level of artistry made these decisions difficult; for each artwork accepted, three were declined.   I am  ecstatic that the jurors selected my work 'Flourishing'. Flourishing 9" X 12" Oil Radius Gallery 114 E Main Missoula, MT 406-541-7070 JUN 12  Opening Reception, 5-8 pm (bring your friends and celebrate with us! Prizes will be awarded at this event). AUG 8  Exhibit Closes

There are many patterns in nature. Mountain rivers/streams are usually clear and there is lots of turbulence. Water patterns are quite fascinating. Just observe the wave formations and eddies of water. Watch for a grid work of flow lines as water flows over a rough surface. Painting water is challenging as you learn to separate the transparent from the more opaque. As in this painting, a clear pool of transparent water breaks into more opaque of the moving water. Moving toward the background there is more reflection from the sky and surrounding objects hence for more opaque. The foreground calls for transparency as you peer into the depths and river bottom. Although these are not of mountain streams, I put up some Winslow Homer paintings.