New nanoscape: The Blue Silos of Iowa

The Blue Silos of Iowa

Growing up with the limited horizon of 1950s suburban shopping malls in Washington DC left me unprepared to be entranced by vast expanses of field and prairie that I have found in Minnesota since moving here in 1992. The fields are alternately flat and rolling, the sky is BIG, and the vistas are endlessly interesting and wildly different from one another.

I was similarly unprepared to have been dazzled by silos, which I saw by the dozens on the road from the Moline IL airport to Iowa City where I spoke at the University of Iowa College of Law in September 2010.

Thanks to the enthusiasm and encouragement of Employment Programs Coordinator Craig Spitzer, I looked closely at the silos and painted nanoscapes. "The Blue Silos of Iowa" is the first of three silo nanos.  It is very small (3x8 inches) and began as a sketch for the two larger works-in-progress. I painted on Arches 140# hot press paper with Daniel Smith Autograph Series 44 Kolinsky Sable brushes numbers 3,2,1, and 00.

Pass the Baton llc has taken me to many places, and I plan to continue to look closely at them for inspiration. On my easel now: "Nebraska's Contour Plowing," which jumped onto my sketch pad as I flew over Nebraska.

Philodendron 3: Two days, 200 square inches

Jan 1

Begin the new year and finish a new painting on the same day = terrific idea. 

Jan 2

I saw the goal line, and didn't make it. I finished all of the leaves on Philodendron 3 on January 1, and then began to outline each leaf, working in the Exuberance part of "Painstaking Exuberance." 

The shadow in the lower third of each painting shows where the shapes are outlined. I hoped to finish in a day and then I did the math. 660 square inches total. First day: 122 inches. Second day: 70 square inches.  This will take a week.

Tools used: For the leaves (Daniel Smith Autograph Series 44-14 Kolinsky Round #3); for the outlines (Daniel Smith Autograph Series 44 Kolinsky 00.)