yellow

many artists' refer to yellow as being the most difficult color to work with. some of this difficulty they say is the physical lower strength/intensity of the pigments in the yellow range.  

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow

"The word "yellow" comes from the Old English geolu, or geolwe which derived from the Proto-Germanic word gelwaz.^[3]According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the oldest known use of this word in English is from The Epinal Glossary in the year 700.^[4]

In the English language, yellow has traditionally been associated with jaundice and cowardice.^[5] Yellow is associated with the word "caution" and is the second light on stop lights. The color is associated with aging as well, for both people and objects (e.g. "yellowed" paper). Ethnographically, the term "yellow" has been used as a slang term for both Asians ("yellow peril") and, in the early 20th century, light-skinned African-Americans (High yellow).

"Yellow" ("giallo"), in Italy, refers to crime stories, both fictional and real. This association began in about 1930, when the first series of crime novels published in Italy had yellow covers. The term "yellow movie" (黃色電影) can refer to films of pornographic nature in Chinese culture, and is analogous to the English "blue movie".^[6] Lastly, it is associated with sensational journalistic practices, or yellow journalism, and resistance to militant trade unions.^[7]"

from: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=yellow

"yellow (adj.) 

O.E. geolu, geolwe, from P.Gmc. *gelwaz (cf. O.S., O.H.G. gelo, M.Du. ghele, Du. geel, M.H.G. gel, Ger. gelb, O.N. gulr, Swed. gul "yellow"), from PIE *ghel- "yellow, green" (see Chloe).

Meaning "light-skinned" (of blacks) first recorded 1808. Applied to Asiatics since 1787, though the first recorded reference is to Turkish words for inhabitants of India. Yellow peril translates Ger. die gelbe gefahr. Sense of "cowardly" is 1856, of unknown origin; the color was traditionally associated rather with treachery. Yellow-bellied "cowardly" is from 1924, probably a rhyming reduplication of yellow; earlier yellow-belly was a sailor's name for a half-caste (1867) and a Texas term for Mexican soldiers (1842, based on the color of their uniforms). Yellow dog "mongrel" is attested from c.1770; slang sense of "contemptible person" first recorded 1881. Yellow fever attested from 1748, Amer.Eng. (jaundice is a symptom)."

had the thought cross my mind this morning, "yell ow" establishes a certain pain relatedness to the word. 

how much of these challenging characteristics stem from our associative meanings to the word yellow.

in a more positive light;

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow

• The Christian holiday of Easter is represented by the colors yellow and lavenderbecause the crocus flower, which is yellow and lavender, blooms in Europe in the spring.
• In the metaphysics of the New Age Prophetess, Alice A. Bailey, in her system called the Seven Rays which classifies humans into seven different metaphysical psychological types, the fourth ray of harmony through conflict is represented by the color yellow. People who have this metaphysical psychological type are said to be on the Yellow Ray. "^[39]
• In Hinduism, yellow is used to symbolically represent the third, solar plexuschakra (Manipura).^[40]
• Psychics who claim to be able to observe the aura with their third eye report that someone with a yellow aura is typically someone who is in an occupation requiring intellectual acumen, such as a scientist.^[41]
• In Europe, many liberal parties are symbolised by the color yellow, including the Free Democratic Party (Germany),Liberal Forum (Austria), Estonian Reform Party, National Liberal Party (Romania) and Liberal and Centre Union(Lithuania). The pan-European Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party also use the color yellow.
• A group of NGOs by the name of Bersih (Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections) had used the color yellow to symbolize their fight against corruption in election in Malaysia. The giant rally was organized on 9 July 2011.
• The ancient Maya associated the color yellow with the direction South. The Maya glyph for "yellow" (k'an) also means "precious" or "ripe".^[38]
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• "Common connotations" and Mayan glyph from: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=yellow

• Common connotations —

  sunshine, warmth, fun, happiness, warning,friendship, caution, slow, cowardice, Mardi Gras, summer, lemons, Easter, autumn, electricity,liberalism/libertarianism, hope, optimism,imagination, curiosity

Mayan glyph for yellow

perhaps by understanding the range of its meanings, positive and negative yellow significants, as artists we can come to a more harmonic understanding of the positive and negative yellow and effectually relate this understanding to our using yellow in broader strokes...