Moses Botkin Monthly Challenge

Our challenge: Paint it Red! We were to use red, red violet or red orange to dominate our paintings. I took it literally and used nothing but those colors, with a little sap green mixed with alizarin for the darkest darks and a little white mixed with orange for highlights. My palette was really just a big splotch of varying reds. I wanted to try to abstract the figures and almost lose them in the brush work. Its harder to do than you might think. But fun to try!


"Red Dance"
8x8 oil on paper
©2010 Robin Cheers



From Jerome's Paris Window
aka "La Basilique du Val de Grace illumine'e la nuit"
14x11 oil on panel

©2010 Vicki Ross

"Sultry"
16x16 oil on canvas
©2010 Suzanne Berry



"Red Brush"
6x8 oil on canvas
©2010 Aaron Cordell Johnson




"Red Pitcher on Blue Cloth"
8x10 oil on canvasboard
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

"Arrangement on Red"
6x6 oil on panel
©2010 Elizabeth Blaylock

Blue Dancer

10x10 oil on panel

I am going to do another triptych of ballet dancers and began to work out ideas today. This will be available once I've decided on the larger work. Making blue flesh is crazy fun. Always good to push aside "what should be" and paint what is in my mind.

I'm off for Calvert now to enjoy their historic weekend events and to meet some artist friends whom I've known only in email. Saturday will be a full day. My traveling companion, V....Vaughan will be teaching an early workshop and I am sure she'll goad me into rising before dawn to paint with her.
Later in the day we will be at the Victorian Tea (V painting, me drinking heavily) and then Saturday night I'll be painting the gala event. I'm picturing "Moulin Rouge."
Our works from the tea and ball will be auctioned at the ball midway through the evening. Exciting stuff!

Ballet Triptych

I had to share the beautiful frame made by Mountains Edge again. The overall dimensions are 35 1/2" x 24". Its quite commanding!
Once again, its hand made and hand finished. They do beautiful work!

Dancer - 30 Minute Study

12x6 oil on paper - sold

This is a study I did before painting the triptych shown on Friday's post. As you can see, I actually reversed her for the larger painting.
I love these little quick studies done in oils. And in the coming days, it might be all I can do with the holidays ramping up! Yesterday, I went and bought some good sketching materials to do some more pencil sketches and washes.
I love the simplicity of such work. I am an admirer of "brevity." The artwork that I admire the most leaves a lot to the imagination. A bold gesture, no details, and broken line - the "less is more" approach.

Rehearsal - Triptych

16 x 28 oil on three panels

I am so excited about this painting. I've wanted to do a multi panel painting for a long time, but didn't know what subject. The dancers just seemed so right. The only trouble I see now is that the woman's hand on the left panel lines up with the window frame in the center panel. That might be acceptable once its framed and less noticeable. It might even be good. The framing is the tricky part.

I am talking with Deborah Paris at Mountains Edge Frames about framing it. They have some beautiful mouldings and hopefully they can build me something.

As a note to those in Fort Wayne, Indiana area, Castle Gallery is hosting its Holiday Show with a reception featuring several of the galleries artists. I regret I could not be there, because they have really nice parties and its such a lovely gallery. Go and check it out tonight from 5-10 pm.

Harmony In Green

12x12 oil on panel

After a couple of warm up paint sketches, I did this pair of dancers, the Snow King and Queen at rehearsal. I'm really pleased with the color harmony, but the photo does not do justice to the brushwork, especially the gesture of her hands. (I'll try to get a better shot later.)

As you know, I have been setting my timer and doing many 30 minute studies. I can't tell you how invaluable this practice is. I am able to turn off my left brain entirely and just let the paint flow. I don't stop and check details or all will be lost. The first thing I do is make some marks with my brush indicating the forms, measure quickly and then I am off. I mass things in, start varying color for light/shadow changes and let the brush do its own thing. There is harmony on the palette too painting this way because I frequently just pick up and blend what is there so I am not fussing with color. I refer to my source material but don't focus on contour or outlines, just shapes of color. There is always time to fix the mistakes later, once I have the foundation down.

Frequently I stop when my digital kitchen timer goes off. Today, I started my painting this way, and when the timer went off, I stepped back and was able to return to finish with those details and background I skipped. There wasn't much to do because I had painted so passionately from the start and I wanted to retain that spontaneity. I lost track of time then, but it was delicious work.

This is the painting at the 30 minute break.



This panel has a coat of gray acrylic house paint on it ala Ken Auster and Miro Sinovic. Both like this surface a lot and I see why. The paint lays on it nicely. Its very smooth and doesn't absorb the paint at all, like gesso tends to. I believe I will use it some more.