Montana Artworking by Cindy Betka

Experimenting with new materials expands the possibilities. I have been wanting to try cold wax for awhile now so I bought a jar of it from DickBlick. No way was I going for the hot wax, sounds much too messy. First, I worked the cold wax into oil pigments layering my painting. This method was different from the transparent medium I have been using. The transparent medium is more fluid and doesn't add texture.  I also just waxed over a dried oil painting as a varnish. Both methods have their merits. For me, I found using the cold wax as a varnish to finish an oil painting is my choice. If you are using the wax as a varnish, the painting must be dry to the touch. Spread the wax evenly over the entire surface. I use a soft paper towel to spread it around in a circular fashion. After the layer of wax dries, which surprisingly only takes a few days, I buffed the surface with a soft cloth. This buffing really deepened the colors and made a rich overall even finish to the painting. ...

Color Shift, Oil, 20" X 20" While waiting for one thing, I must be busy doing something else. Not sure what I am waiting for at the moment other that motivation. I started another painting yesterday and got it to a point where I felt good about the under-painting. At that point I needed to stop for the day. Now I am procrastinating on getting back into the painting. Perhaps I am just a bit afraid I will ruin the good start. Well, when I feel that way I have learned that I just need to take a chance. Be bold and the painting is better for it. If I hesitate with trepidation the painting ends up looking timid and weak. The look of spontaneity is gone. So far in the past few weeks I began 3 different paintings for my fall series. Just one of those worked out. Another one I abandoned completely and the third I started over with a clean idea. In the mean time I dump it on a blog for all to read. Bravely, I am including in this blog one of the paintings that worked and a few...

Over the years of having a ‘yard’, I have resisted the desire to garden. Most of our property has been large areas of wild natural vegetation. I spent many a day wondering the forests and bush discovering the beauty in all species of plants and animals. Nature can be overwhelming and there is no taming it. However, I did find that I could control small plots and large pots close to the house. In these I would sow wild flowers suited to our zone. With a few successes, the next year I would plant more of the same. This has gone on for about the last six years. Last year in particular, I have gotten pulled into wanting more color around. Then, this growing season I find myself spending more time nurturing that color. Now I realize how I have actually learned what it takes to see results. Mostly you need planning, patience, persistence, and stamina. You must see the parallel here already to creating a work of art. Still not an avid gardener by any means, gardening does jump start my da...

For several years in a row my work has been accepted into The Square's Art Auctions. This year is no exception, I am happy to announce. Three of my pieces will be auctioned off as full donations at the museum starting Saturday, September 14, 2019. More information on the fundraiser can be had at their web site, https://www.the-square.org/.  Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art 1400 First Avenue North Great Falls, MT 59401 Dawn Awaits,   Oil,   16" X 20" End of Day,   Oil,  20" X 16" Pink Rings,  Oil,  9" X 12" Each painting tells a story and each viewer interprets that story differently. Most of all, I want each viewer to come away with an emotional impression from my works. Of course, I try very hard for those impressions to be joyful, as the joy I put into creating. Art does indeed reflect it's creator and that creator's state of mind in creating. Along with joy I feel a calm and sort of peace when focused in the paintin...

Bear Descent , digital photography Lately our landscaping has taken most of my time. Not that I am complaining, mind you. Really it is a sorry excuse. I am on a sabbatical from retirement. So far, my attempts at outdoor sculpting has been a 'FUBAR'. The gardening is just about the same. Try growing anything in this soil which is all rock. Rock is what we have a lot of, best to utilize it for rock gardens. The best bit is that they do not blow away in the relentless high winds coming off the mountains. I have turned to my old friend, photography for my creative musings. Here I am delving into photos I have taken in the past and having a blast. We have a large box of 35mm slides that I found with some good ones to scan and play around with. These creations may be on the surreal side, but what the heck.

What is your favorite art museum? If you can't go there in person to spend hours absorbing the magnificent artworks, go to their website. Chances are it will put a lift in your day browsing collections and discovering masterpieces. My favorite is The Art Institute of Chicago. My mother would take us on visits first making a bee line to the Impressionists. These were some of many pieces to fall in love with. To stand in front of a master piece just takes my breath away. Words can not describe how I feel. One piece at the Institute has been etched into my brain is, https://www.artic.edu/artworks/20684/paris-street-rainy-day .  Paris Street; Rainy Day 1877 Gustave Caillebotte (French, 1848-1894) Click on the museum's link to read about it's restoration, history, provenance, etc.

'On Angel Wings',  oil, 16" X 20" 'South Falls',  oil,  20" X 20" These 2 paintings will be on display at Montana WILD Outdoor Education Center, Helena, MT. to June 1st. Their website is http://fwp.mt.gov/education/ . It is a wonderful center with displays on the wildlife and fish of Montana. They are also a rehab center for injured birds and wildlife that they reintroduce back into the wild. If interested in purchasing one of these paintings please contact me via email; cindy@crbart.com

The subject matter of my paintings almost always include water and sky in some composition. Birds have been more an important part of my paintings mainly because they seems to natural fit so well. They are such a wonderful species. So fascinating to observe. They have such beautiful feather colors and patterns. I can’t say that I am an ornithologist but, I find myself picking up the binoculars and snapping photos on a more regular basis. 'Rest',  Oil,  24" X 20" Here is a bit about the subjects of this latest painting, Sandhill Cranes.They mate for life, after going through an elaborate dancing display of stretched wings with pumping heads and leaping into the air. They usually nest in wetlands, feeding on the vegetation growing in standing water. The clutch size is 1-3 eggs, usually only one nestling typically survives to fledged. The crane is a symbol in Japan of longevity and good luck because it was thought to have a life span of a thousand years. ...

Cloud study, 9" X 12", oil What are you studying lately? For me it is clouds and scenes with water. I look at the light and how it plays on the various shapes in the scene. I work with in a warm or cool color palette. The small studies are the next step after sketches. By the 'study step', I have worked out the composition and colors to a point where I can make fairly quick work of the study. These studies then, end up looking fairly spontaneous. They can be a lot of fun. If they go well, these small pieces are transformed into larger pieces. My goal is to keep that same spontaneity in the large piece. I aim for the emotional qualities to be in the final artwork. Settling, 16" X 20", oil

I am very pleased to announce that, the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, MT has accepted these two paintings into their Annual Art Auction 51 for 2019. More details of this event go to https://www.artmuseum.org/exhibition/art-auction-51/ January 25, 2019 - March 9, 2019 Every year, the Yellowstone Art Auction raises crucial support for the exhibitions and educational programs that the Yellowstone Art Museum presents to the community year-round. This year, the YAM is proud to offer three wonderful and distinct events, all in conjunction with the Yellowstone Art Auction. January 25th will kick off the festivities with Cocktails & Quick Finish and Special One-Night-Only Silent Auction. That evening will feature 10 quick-draw artists, a one-night-only silent auction of approximately 40 works, entertainment and hors d’oeuvres. Sparkle,  16" X 12" Oil Depths, 18" X 18", Oil

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year

South Falls, oil, 20" X 20" As artists we are constantly evolving in our work. The more I am feeling experimental and work with different media or subject matter the bigger changes I see. Somethings turn out satisfactory and some not so much. But what the heck. So far, when working in oils my main themes are still water and sky, lately, adding a third element which is waterfowl. The water element is the most important because it symbolizes life. It is a must for all living things. Sky is the spiritual element, looking into heaven and God reigning over all his creations. God being the alpha and the omega. The birds are the free element bringing the whole together, making a cohesive composition most figuratively. 'The things that we love tell us what we are.'  St. Thomas Aquinas  

Starting out, I was going for a triptych. Well, plans changed as I went along. In essence it wasn’t a true triptych, but all the same, each painting stands on it’s own. Along with using my sketches and photos for reference I find that my imagination comes into play more and more. I will get this sort of dreamy image in my head and I start to sketch up that idea. These current paintings are a product of my methods and dreams. Mag Cloud, 24" X 20", oil Blue Moon, 24" X 20", oil

The center of interest in a painting is what draws one into the scene. Think about the early days of advertising when the shop keeper used some sort of figure outside their shop. The wooden Indian is what comes to mind. One of my art professors would always push the idea of using a ‘wooden Indian’ in one’s ad campaign. Just something to draw attention and to say what you are selling. I still see barber shops still using their barber pole in front. In painting, isn't there one main area that got your attention in a scene to drive you to paint it in the first place? For me, I need to start with that bit in the painting. Once I get it right, the rest of the painting begins to fall into place. I haven’t completed any of the 4 paintings I am working on yet. However, I felt the need to blog and show a detail of 'Blue Moon'. 'Blue Moon', 24" X 20" (detail), oil

Nothing stands still; everything changes. Some things never seem to change although we would like them to. We made a change and that leads to more changes and so on. I find myself motivated to make a big change in my artwork. I haven’t quite figured it all out yet but will once I start to get back into the process. Step 1 are the black and white sketches, playing with composition/design. Then a few color scheme ideas. The real grit comes at technique. Maybe a lean towards more simplification and abstraction. I do like the element of surprise as well. Lighting is always the main consideration, then mood follows. These are the ingredients for the emotional outcome. The refresh button for my brain will have to be push a few times until the artwork comes together, that goes without saying. ‘The Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows’ James 1:17

Andrew Wyeth’s career spanned seven decades. He painted the people and landscapes of his birthplace, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and his summer house in mid-coast Maine. These were the subjects he knew well and this was his world. I have grown to know my beautiful mountainous surroundings and made them my world. Even though I have not spent my entire career of life here, I feel as though I have. Out Back Window, oil, 16" X 20"  What could be better on a cold snowy day to paint ‘en plein air’ from your window. Here I sit nice and cozy inside viewing the scene under different lighting conditions as the day and seasons change. This painting caught the winter sun as it was about to start setting low in the southwestern sky. The sun’s ray were shinning unobstructed through a path in the trees to land on the tops of the smaller pines at the end of that corridor.

Snowy Creek,  oil, 20' X 20" Just a few minutes ago I went outside into the beautiful falling snow. It is the wet heavy consistency which is good for building snow sculptures. Since I did not have the ambition to build snow sculptures, I came back inside. Yesterday I decided that this painting was finished. It is a scene from a creek just down the road from us. The lighting was best as the sun was rising with a yellow glow, shining through a blowing snowy mist.

Monet made water lilies famous. What artist that is enamored by his series can’t help but try a water lily piece. Well, here is my take on the scene. These are Montana water lilies with my technique coming to the surface. The first stage I kept more of the contrasting warm colors in the under painting. Next I worked on the designing of the shapes for the composition. With each layer, I worked on bringing out the values. Slowly I worked in the edges. It was a fun piece despite the challenge. No comparison to Monet and it wasn’t meant to be, but I just had to include some of his. Water-Lilies (detail), By Claude Monet, ~1920 Water-Lilies (detail), By Claude Monet, Water-Lily Pond, By Claude Monet, Water-Lilies (detail), By Claude Monet,

I kept looking at this painting from time to time. Finally, I decided what it needed, ducks. Wood ducks are the most colorful ducks I have seen and they fit well into my composition. These life mates are so charming. That also was a title, 'Life Mates', but I went with beachcombing instead. 'Beachcombing',  16" X 20", Oil on wood panel

There has been an outbreak of cabin fever. It’s an epidemic. My symptoms are the doldrums, boredom and listlessness. Any artwork I create reflects this. Regretfully, I even posted the last painting I created where one can clearly see the transference of my moods. The painting was blahhhhhhhh. No longer is it posted; delete, delete. N C Wyeth’s number one rule to his young artist son Andrew was to, ‘keep alive to everything’. I am not adhering to that rule as of late. So, it will be awhile until I am back to ‘alive’ paintings. Meanwhile, my sub-conscience will be incubating creativity. The way I will keep my hand into it is through sketches and capturing wonderful impressions on camera, those ‘alive’ moments.