No High Heels for me for Awhile

Yesterday I broke my ankle. My bike bucked me off and I landed wrong. I have an appointment with the orthopedist this afternoon, and probably surgery today.

So... looks like no high heels for me anytime soon. Maybe no paintings either for awhile. I'll get back here in a few days with an update if I'm not too doped up. Thank you for your prayers.

"Black Suede Heels" Shoes Daily Painting

Original oil painting, 5"x7" in gold frame.
Still life of women's high heeled shoes.
©2009 Diana Moses Botkin

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These cuties came in a close second for my favorite shoes that I considered for our April Challenge. They make me feel very tall, and are fun to wear... for about an hour. Then I have to sit down or take them off.

"Pointe Shoes on Black Satin" Shoes Daily Painting

Pink ballet toe shoes still life, 7"x5"
in museum style gold frame.
©2009 Diana Moses Botkin

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This was the painting I did first for our Challenge group's April subject, "Favorite Shoes" before I decided to paint the one with the legos. It was really fun to find these old pointe shoes in my stash of ballet gear in my closet and remember all the happy hours spent dancing.

My Challenge Group; Shoe Paintings Unveiled!

I debated with myself about which device of torture I should paint for this month's challenge "Favorite Shoes", chosen by Silvina Day.

Even though I haven't been to ballet class since we moved out here to the edge of the earth, I decided my pointe shoes are my first choice for favorites, and I found a couple of old pairs stuck in a bag in my closet with my leg warmers, bandaides and a roll of athletic tape.

I was never a big Moody Blues fan, but I heard their songs in the 70s and the title intruded on my thoughts as I was considering my still life set-up, which seemed rather plain with the shoes alone. Those legos just begged to be part of my Challenge idea again. So, here is my contribution to our April Challenge, "Knights in Pink Satin".


7 x 5", Oil on board, in decorative gold frame
©2009 Diana Moses Botkin

SOLD

And here are the fun paintings from the rest of our Challenge Group. Looks like almost everyone loves red shoes!











(left) “Red Slippers” 6 x 6", Pastel on Canson paper
©2009 Mike Beeman
$100 plus S&H

(center) "The Red Shoes" 12 x 12", Oil on canvas
©2009 Marie Fox

(right) "Decisions" 8 x 9", Oil on paper board
©2009 Robin Cheers

(left)
"Baby Shoes"
6 x 6", Oil on board
©2009 Michael Naples

(right)
"Shoo-Fly"
8 x 10", Oil on panel
©2009 Vicki Ross

"Red Silk Espadrilles"
11 x 14"
Oil on canvas"
©2009 Silvina Day

"Sunset Pinks" Daily Painting and Challenge Soon!

Original miniature oil painting, 1.75"x2.75". Colorful sunset landscape, unframed, with free mini display easel.
©2009 Diana Moses Botkin

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Last week we drove to Oregon to see our son who is in college. We didn't leave our house until noon, which put us in the Columbia River area at sunset... a wonderful feast for the eyes.

None of the photos I snapped really caught the color and glow I remember from the actual scene. This is a typical problem with photography and the limits of the camera. So this tiny study is mostly painted from memory, which is always a challenge for me.

I've been working on another challenge too; our monthly Challenge Group painting. Watch tomorrow for all the interpretations of our subject, chosen this month by Silvina Day.

The idea of our Challenge is for the members of our little group to take turns picking a subject that we wouldn't normally paint. We each then create our own plan for the subject without communicating with the others about our idea. It's really a fun surprise for each of us on the day we reveal what we have each been scheming for the past few weeks! I hope you'll have fun with it too.

Wishing you a blessed Resurrection Day!

This being Easter weekend, I thought I'd share this drawing I did years ago from studies of Michelangelo's sculptures. It shows the love of Christ Jesus by His sacrificial death.

This also portrays the love of one of Christ's secret disciples, Joseph of Arimathea who was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin and whose tomb Jesus borrowed for a few days.

John MacArthur has written an insightful study of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection.

The calligraphy on this piece is taken from John 15:13 in the New Testament and reads, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends".

You can find reproductions of this image and others at my website inspirational page.

"Soul" Maple Seed Still Life Daily Painting

Original oil, painted from life 2.25"x3.25"
framed in decorative gold frame.
©2009 Diana Moses Botkin

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Just when I thought I was finished with this series, I noticed another aspect of these little miracles. I've uncovered thousands of these from my gardens in the last couple of weeks and today I was struck by the hidden life that resides inside the seed. That green growing thing looks nothing like the brown seed and when it cracks open to reveal something altogether new, it is an amazing picture to me of the new life in the soul.

"Transformation" Maple Seed Still Life Daily Painting

Original miniature oil, 2.25"x3.25"
in gold frame.
© 2009 Diana Moses Botkin

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The maple seeds are still trying to take over my gardens. I plug away at removal and marvel at their heartiness and tenacity. This one had cast off that old dried brown seedpod and shows something of its character as a living thing with those first leaves.

There are so many good spiritual lessons in the garden: There needs to be good soil. Water. Sun. Weeds will choke out the desirable plants. Let the weeds grow awhile and they are really difficult to remove. Seeds grow into plants and bear fruit (and make more seeds that transform into plants like themselves).

Seeds must first be watered, then they crack open (and die) to grow into a live plant. That dried up brown seedpod just blows away in the wind and the live green tree looks nothing like that cracked brown seed. This gives me a glimpse of eternity and I believe it is no coincidence that Christ's resurrection happened in the spring. Reminders of God's great love for us are everywhere always, but they seem especially graphic at this time of year.

"Retirement" Still Life Daily Painting

Original unframed oil painting, 5"x7".
Still life of black bear skull
with aviator style sunglasses.
©2009 Diana Moses Botkin

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We've had this black bear skull on our window sill since we picked it up on a hike awhile back. He's missing a few teeth and reminds me of some old guy sitting in the sun just taking life easy in his twilight years.