“Radiant Evening" Daily Painting Original Oil

Original oil painting
6"x9", in frame
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin
 
This is another one I've finished and framed. 

NOW SOLD

"Afternoon at the Flats" Daily Painting Original Oil

"Afternoon at the Flats" 3.5"x 10"
Original oil, framed
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

NOW SOLD

This small long painting is one of my favorite little studies of the area in north Idaho, the Pack River Flats, off Lake Pend Oreille, near Sandpoint.

My Article on Burnout Now Published

"Creativity Fatigue: 11 Ways to Deal with Burnout" appears in the September issue of Art Calendar Magazine.

In researching this piece I ran across this quote from author and burnout researcher Ayala Pines: "In order to burn out a person needs to have been on fire at one time."

In my article I explain more about creativity fatigue and remind readers to take time to enjoy family and the fruits of their labors, to get rest, and to give thanks. This is not an original idea. The Lord thought of it first and made the Sabbath for such.

August Painting Challenge: Yellow

Our August Challenge is to use only a yellow, plus black and white, to make a painting.

It was my turn to choose what we'd paint this month and since I'd been thinking a lot lately about that limited palette we used in the May Challenge, I wanted to take it a step further and see if I could make an interesting painting using only a yellow pigment plus black and white.

I chose a transparent warm yellow (Gamblin's Indian Yellow), Titanium White and Gamblin's Chromatic Black. I thought long about the possibilities for subject matter and how much I could push the color range and contrasts. I also considered painting on a toned board (such as light blue, or red) and letting some of that show through. Although that would've given me more color variety, I decided to simply use the limited paint colours on a white board and see if I could make it interesting.

And what to paint... a winter scene with mostly greys? I recognized that a bumblebee would be an excellent choice but finally landed on a sunny landscape for subject matter.

(left) "Sunny Back Light"
5"x7" Original oil on hardboard
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

The very limited palette gives this piece an interesting vintage lookwhich reminds me of duotones. In my commercial artist days, I often employed duotones to add photo emphasis in a layout using only one extra color. The greys have to stand for the cool tones and do look a bit blue compared with the warmer yellows. I did miss using a little ultramarine, though.... and a little red too.

It looks like the other Challenge Group members were able to get quite a range of hues. I am so impressed with everyone's work! I'm especially impressed that our new member, Elizabeth Blaylock, jumped right in with this month's challenge after she accepted my invitation to join and produced the lovely piece below, shown with the rest of the group's beautiful paintings.



(left above) "Yellow Man" (indian yellow, ivory black and titanium white)
12"x12" Oil on panel ©2010 Robin Cheers

(right above) "Grisaille in Yellow Ochre, Ivory Black & White"
11"x14" Oil on panel ©2010 Vicki Ross



(left above) "Behind This!" (indian yellow, ivory black and titanium white)
12"x12" Oil on canvas ©2010 Suzanne Berry

(center above) "Rose in Yellow Solo" (pale cad yellow, lamp black and titanium white)
5"x7" Oil on Raymar Panel ©2010 Elizabeth Blaylock (right above) "Waterlily in Evening Pond" 6"x6" Oil on panel ©2010 Jeanne Illenye