Paint your Blankie! Moses Botkin Challenge June

Suzanne Berry chose our challenge topic this month: a bed sheet or a favorite blanket, shawl or baby blanket.

I have a beautiful silk scarf with gold metallic weaving that caught my eye when I was exploring ideas. Yeah it is really that green, can just hear Tim telling me to 'kill the chroma'! I coupled it with a book I purchased at the weekly market in rural France and a pair of reading glasses. I carried that book all the way home because my luggage was overweight. Surprised I didn't lose it in Minneapolis!


Drapery is a real challenge. Thanks Suzanne!

"Le drapé"

©2010 Vicki Ross

9x12 oil on panel

Study for "Saturday Chores"

6x6 oil on panel

(c) 2010 Robin Cheers

"Lily-of-the-Valley with Lace Tablescarf on Williamsburg Tea Caddy"

©2010 jeanne illenye

12x12 inches / oil on panel

"Pillowcase"

© Suzanne Berry

18x18" oil on canvas

“Waiting for Chloë”  

            ©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

Oil on hardboard  8”x10”  unframed $325

Purple/Yellow Moses-Botkin Challenge May 2010

We never quit amazing me! Artists, that is. This month's challenge was the brainwave of Robin Cheers...Do a painting with only two complementary pigments, in this case, purple and yellow (white allowed but no black).

I used Cobalt Violet (Grumbacher Artist's Quality) and Cadmium Lemon (WinsorNewton Artist's). In retrospect, I wish I had used a stronger purple because my darks were limited. BUT, it was a great exercise to know my dark purple was as dark as it could be, so to get more value range I had to use more yellow and white. And, WHY didn't I think to MIX my purple. So typical of me...must have been my left analytical brain in control!

Hmmm. wonder if my cohorts kept their purple mixtures constant...? And if so, fully mixed...? Otherwise, you could go to the red side or to the blue side and still be 'purple', but would yield a few more 'tones'. Of course, most tubes are 'admixtures' in the first place.  My chosen purple contains a cobalt (Pv14) and a Manganese (PB16). It is always interesting to be aware of what is in your tube although I am not a chemist and don't have a clue where the red is coming from!

"PY Study"
©2010 Vicki Ross
9x12 oil on panel 

with Cobalt Violet and Cadmium Lemon + White

"Sliced Plum on Wood Block"
©2010 Jeanne Illenye

5x5 inches / oil on panel 

YELLOW:  cadmium yellow

PURPLE:  cadmium red + french ultramarine blue

"Study in Complements"
8x10 oil on panel
©2010 Robin Cheers

 Purple: Ultramarine Blue and Quinacridone Red
And Hansa Yellow / white

"Sofia" 

© 2010 Suzanne Berry

16x20" oil on canvas

"Dancer at the Bar"
©2010 Diana Moses Botkin

Oil on hardboard 7"x5"