Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Linked Blocks #1 -- an experiened traveling nanoscape

The last Linked Block #1 photo from the Palm Pre....

I painted Linked Blocks #1 in 20 days and 4400 miles as it traveled with me to California and Iowa. 

Experienced painter-travelers know that small dried blobs of watercolors in pallets and small paintbrushes whiz through airport security, and that a cup of water can be found virtually anywhere. I painted on a 12x16" Arches 140# hot press block which tucked into my tote bag with my new traveling Peugeot Pepper Mill.

Because I love colors and connections, I am looking forward to making more paintings in the Linked Blocks family.  The original Linked Block #1 is for sale, and it will be available for $400 at the nanoscapes website on Friday September 24.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Linked Blocks #1 is related to 100 Buttons

Other than its relationship to a drawing of a Very Famous Shoe Designer's covered button shoe, the real story of 100 Buttons is the way in which it seemed to take forever to paint.  Tracing the U.S. and French coins, painting the Winsor Newton Davy's Gray outlines of the coins and of the centers of each button (two circles for each button), layering in the button colors, painting in the "threads" two or three times, painting an outline for each button and center, and then stopping to count. When I was certain that I was half finished, I found that I had painted far more than 100 buttons, and that I certainly was nowhere close to being finished.

The story of the formerly nameless traveling nano is grows more like 100 Buttons every day.  I drew the nameless shapes, painted both the shapes and the little links that connected them with Winsor Newton Davy's Gray, painted the colors into the shapes, outlined each of the shapes with Daniel Smith Deep Sap Green, and painted colors into the links between each of the shapes. For the two days that I worked on the little links, I thought that they would perform their linking function without an outline between the between each shape. Although I haven't (and won't) count each shape, it is clear to me that each of the little links needs an outline.  And yes, there are far more little links than there are "big" shapes.

This is quintessential Painstaking Exuberance.  Gotta outline. Gotta get to work.

nanoscapes' interview @Still Point Gallery Blog



  
When the three Fractured Glass paintings were accepted into  Still Point Gallery's TRUE ARTIST exhibition, I was honored and delighted.  Gallery owner Christine Cote interviewed for the gallery's blog and I talked about nanoscapes, Fractured Glass 1,2 & 3, and Painstaking Exuberance.

Fractured Glass #1 and #3 are for sale through Still Point.
 

Sunday, September 19, 2010

nameless traveling nano - has a name: Linked Blocks #1

This nanoscape has  4400 miles on it -- from St. Paul, MN to Orange, CA (and back), and to Iowa City, IA (and back). Although it isn't quite finished, it has a name: Linked Blocks #1.

After painting links-of-many-colors, I had a vivid recollection of a piece of metal sculpture that I imagined but never began -- cutting out pieces of shiny car body  parts and linking them together into a huge wall hanging. Some impediments to that project were and continue to be:

  •  Lack of readily available car parts in splendid colors  or access to automotive paint and a safe place to use it;
  • Requirement for safety gear including heavy leather gloves, safety glasses and safe-breathing equipment;
  • Need for the metal-bending and welding equipment to shape the links combined with my aversion to high heat (candy-making excepted); and 
  • The lawyer in me also imagines that renting or buying a space for a project of that dimension would require A LOT of liability insurance.

That I can sit in my living room studio and imagine painting and cutting metal is part of the miracle of creativity, for which I am eternally grateful.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Nameless traveling nano: Day 12


The nameless nanoscape's shapes are becoming clearer and more interesting. At first glance, they seem very much alike, but as I continue, I find that they are quite different from one another...Much like people -- and in a good way...
I am using a Daniel Smith Autograph Series 44 Kolinsky Round #1 brush and Daniel Smith's Deep Sap Green for outlining.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Nameless traveling nano: Day 11

One of the pleasures of creating nanoscapes is endless surprise at what the shapes do with (and to) one another. The Wild Triangles of the Fractured Glass Family (FG 1,2,3, & Fractured Glass Bubbles) had boundless energy that became apparent as I added more and more color, and then began outlining each shape.

As the nameless nano's shapes began to cover the paper, first with pencil, then Davy's Gray and finally, with colors, they asked me "What are we? Leaves? Printed Circuits? Paper cutouts? Hawaiian Quilts? Molecules? Cast-off movie tickets?"  No answer yet...



Late yesterday, I began to outline some shapes in the lower left corner,  and started to paint in some of the links. As always, that defining step changed the character and the motion of the piece....
     

Earlier in the day, when I finished painting all of the shapes, I was very tempted to stop -- or at least to paint the outline for each shape, and then to stop.  Not possible, though, because the Davy's Gray connecting pieces are already painted in.

I am really fond of these shapes, and I see (hear) their potential.  I know that I will revisit them in a much much larger painting.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Nameless traveling nano: Day 7

My Palm PRE's camera lets me track each nano's progress, and I take these photos at the end of my "Painting Day," which is often quite late at night.

How do I select each color?  I have more than 100 colors to choose from on my palette, and, as with most nanoscapes with apparently random color choices, there is one rule: identical colors are never, ever next to one another.  I am using my trusty Daniel Smith Autograph Series 44 Kolinsky Sable Round #2 -- a very small brush that holds a lot of color.

Day 6










Day 7


Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Nameless traveling nano in progress

While I always take pencil, paint, brushes, and paper when I travel, I am not always in the mood to carry a Big Arches Block. A small one -- 7x10" -- is a no-brainer and fits into a pocket of my carry-on bag. The 12x16" block needs either suitcase space or virtually all of my tote bag. As I am just back from presenting Alternative Careers: Getting to There at Chapman Law School in Orange, CA, I am happy to report that the Big Block was a good traveler.

I started with the idea that squares and rectangles could and should be connected, and finished the drawing before leaving Minnesota on Sunday morning.  It took a day to complete the Davy's Gray outlines, and I began to think of calling this "squares and rice grains," "printed circuits" or "paper cut-outs."  By Monday night, with a lot of color, those names had faded away, and this nano has no name. 


(left) Davy's Gray outline almost complete    .... .... .... .... .... ....  (right) first color is always red