Stuart Botten, better know just as Stu, understood watercolor magic. Up in the port city of Duluth, he takes on a subject of frozen winter on the edge of Lake Superior, the shore's edge holds the ice. His overlapping tugboats provide a foreshortening of this crowded composition. In the composition, he determines what is important and not important, using color value, placement and proportion, all designed to create his final interpretation of the harbor.
Botten uses brush splatters to create a frozen sky, that adds a richness and nuance to the image. I am not sure there are colors called, rusted iron, gray snow, bright boat white and frozen sky, yet these are the values and hues from his color palette wheel. His color spectrum demonstrates his artistic skills. He served as the first President of the Northstar Watermedia Society, the oldest watercolor society in Minnesota, located in the Twin Cities area.
A close friend, Rory Mattson wrote, " I called him Mr. Slop because of his loose wet in wet approach. The truth is I never met a more creative, natural painter and colorist than Botten". Mattson, went on to quote Botten: “Paper is cheap, you have to mess some up to get the one you want”. Others joked that Botten spent little time or money on presentation. He expected that most of his work would be reframed after purchase. Again, Mattson, once heard him tell a woman that if she had the good taste to buy his work, she should have enough sense to reframe it. Botten did it his way and way better than most of the noted and published water-colorists.
 |
| "Duluth Tugboats" Watercolor on Paper Approx: 24" X 18" Signed LRC: Stu Botten in Pencil |
A close friend, Rory Mattson wrote, " I called him Mr. Slop because of his loose wet in wet approach. The truth is I never met a more creative, natural painter and colorist than Botten". Mattson, went on to quote Botten: “Paper is cheap, you have to mess some up to get the one you want”. Others joked that Botten spent little time or money on presentation. He expected that most of his work would be reframed after purchase. Again, Mattson, once heard him tell a woman that if she had the good taste to buy his work, she should have enough sense to reframe it. Botten did it his way and way better than most of the noted and published water-colorists.
 |
| Stu Botten, with his winning watercolor Photo from NorthStar WaterMedia Society |
Botten was from Mahtomedi, MN, born in North Dakota in 1927, and served in the Navy during the Second World War. He was a graduate of the University of Minnesota. After a successful career, he retired in the 1970s, and became a full time artist. His works were exhibited frequently, and shown at Albert Lea Art Center. Additionally, he was a staunch supporter of Art in the Park within the Twin Cities area. Stu died at age 75, at the St. Paul Veterans Home on September 20, 2002.
Signature:
___________________________________
Please Note: If you have additional information on Stu Botten that you would like to add to this blog, please contact us. We would love to hear from you, as we can not find any of his works online.
©2020. Waller-Yoblonsky Fine Art is a research collaborative, working to track artists that got lost and overlooked due to time, changing styles, race, gender and/or sexual orientation. Our frequent blogs highlight artists and art movements that need renewed attention with improved information for the researcher and art collectors. The photos in this blog were created by Mr. Waller and all written materials were obtained by the Fair Use Section 107, of The Copyright Act. #waller-yoblonskyblogspot #Stuartbotten #Stubotten #Albertleaartcenter #Northstarwatermediasociety
Hello, I have a Stu Botton watercolor painting. I believe my mother bought it from the London Square Mall in Eau Claire, Wisconsin back in the 1980s. If you give me an email address I could send you a picture of it.
ReplyDeleteYes Sheri, I would be interested: tonywaller.va@gmail.com
Delete