Montana Artworking by Cindy Betka

House Call 12" X 18" Oil This scene is from one of our journeys through England. I embellished it, of course. Turned the day into early evening after a rain, brought in the horse and turned a light on. The colors are predominately cool; greens and blues. I kept the warmest accents for contrast in the window light and the brown horse. Looking at it now, I am thinking of going back to darken the line of trees on the upper left. It seems that I am never done completely with a piece of art.

In the last MAC publication they mentioned this web site, CODAworx.  From their site: “ What is a collaborative project? A project demonstrates the successful integration of art into an interior or architectural space. It highlights the collaboration of the design + art team and may be submitted by any participant.” If you want to feast your eyes on some fabulous artwork integrated into architecture you will want to browse the projects. Here is the link;   https://www.codaworx.com/browse/projects I captured a very small sampling of photos below.

Going through 'Leonardo's Notebooks' , I came across this sketch of the nativity. In my search for a completed painting of the nativity by Leonardo Da Vinci, I found another sketch but no painting. Never-the-less, I found some wonderful nativity paintings by other master painters. So, all of that lead to this blog. Just thought of doing something to fit in with Christmas and what it is all about. Nativity by Caravaggio Holy Night by Correggio, 1528-1530 The Mystical Nativity by Sandro Botticelli, 1500 Nativity by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1732

Concept   1. A general notion or idea.   2. An idea of something formed by mentally combining all its characteristics or particulars; a construct.   3. A theme or image. The concept is the most important element in the art piece. Technique alone will not make the art piece. All of this was drilled into us in art school.   Sometime I begin a painting with what I think is a good idea/concept, only to get half way into it to find it is just not working. Is this because of the concept or the methods and procedure I am using to carry out the concept? The answer to that question varies which each piece. My technique is constantly evolving as I grow in art. Each artist is different in his or her methods and procedures in creating. Cheng-Khee Chee wrote in a recent article, (‘A Crinkle in The Works’, Artist’s Magazine, Nov 2013) “The differences between traditional Eastern and Western approaches to landscape painting go beyond materials and techniques. It’s been said...

My technique is changing to one using more layers and glazes. This is leading to a softer style. This way of working requires more patience to wait for the paint layer to dry before adding more. Consequently, I find myself working on 4 to 5 paintings at a time. Well, it also keeps me from getting too bored. My sketches are also softer as I concentrate on laying down the shapes in gray tones. Below are sketches for paintings I am working on. I have begun to place more animals in my works. Using my neighbor's farm animals as models. A closeup of the start of paint layering.

This is a newly published book, fresh off the press. It is an oversize book that richly catalogues Anders' life and work. The back section of the book is all colored plates, 85 of them. If you are into his artwork, it is the book to get. I scanned these paintings from the book. First is the smaller study and then the final piece. I find it interesting how he went with a lesser emphasis on the light reflecting off the water in the final. Study for ‘Summer Vacation’ 1886 Watercolor, 12 ¼" X 7 ⅜  " ‘Summer Vacation’ Watercolor 1886 28 ⅞" X 22 1/16"

Art is a progression from start to finish, layering color after color. The whole process tries my patience as I just think, is it ever going to come together. I build on self- discipline to keep going at it, not to give up too soon. Patience is key; I tell my dog the same thing. He looks up at me with those doe eyes trying to decipher what I am saying. ‘Blahh, blahh, blahh,’   then he cocks his head in confusion. ‘Wait!’ is the command he gets all too often and wait he does because ‘wait’ he understands. So, I wait for the various paint layers to dry. Perhaps I should slowly switch over to painting with acrylics. The painting you see below has gone through 3 renditions of finished. I did receive a good critique from a fabulous artist who lives in the Seattle area. Maybe it is finished, but when are you through with a painting? Some say when you sign it. I have not signed it as yet.  12" X 16" Oil