Saturday, January 26, 2013

Six Winter Socks from the Nanoscapes' Archive

After four years of above-zero temperatures, in mid-January 2013 Minnesota plunged to a few days of high temps below zero. To celebrate,  I retrieved Six Winter Socks from the nanoscapes' archive. The tiny original watercolor which was made in 2008, is no longer for sale.
Six Winter Socks

This image is on a postcard at zazzle.com.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Two nanoscapes accepted into Altered Aesthetics' "Straight Trippin'"

The nanoscapes Fractured Glass 3 and All the Colors and Paths #1 were juried into Altered Aesthetics' 2013 "Straight Trippin'" Exhibition which will run from February 28 to March 28, 2013 at the gallery which is in the Q'arma Building at 1224 Quincy Street NW, Minneapolis, MN 55413 in the Northeast Minneapolis Artist District. 

Wild Triangles

Fractured Glass 3 is part of a series of watercolor paintings that answers the creative question "What happens when triangles go wild?"

I make these with my five-part Painstaking Exuberance process: (1) make a pencil drawing, (2) outline each shape with Winsor & Newton Davy's Gray, (3) paint inside the lines, (4) paint an outline for each triangle with a contrasting watercolor, and (5) paint a border for the entire piece. The paintings don't really come to life until I paint the outlines for each tiny triangle.

I have also used the triangles in a some of the whimsical creatures (small friends) in the Stained Glass Family, which includes Sarah Stained Glass Cat, The Stained Glass Elephant, Hernando Stained Glass Hippo,  Amelia Tall Glazed Window Cat, a Green Stained Glass Camel, and one of  the 7 Hippos Marching.
Fractured Glass 3 (22x33) Framed  $800

Bright Boxes

All the Colors and Paths is part of a series loosely called Bright Boxes which celebrate the depth of color achievable with watercolor while challenging space and perspective. I like to think that I am painting in two-and-a-half dimensions. Most (including this one) were painted on 300# paper which is like painting on felt or a very welcoming sponge.
All the Colors and Paths #1 (13x23) $350
Altered Aesthetics Gallery is at 1224 Quincy Street NW, Minneapolis, MN 55413 in the Q'arma Building in Minneapolis' Northeast Minneapolis Artist District. 

Monday, January 14, 2013

Puzzle Maker's Choice: jigsaw, tile saw or paint brush?

Puzzle Pieces Work in Progress
I understand the addictive quality of working out a jigsaw puzzle, and have myself uttered the plaintive cry "Just one more!" when my parents were trying to call me to dinner or send me to bed.

There are no jigsaw puzzles in my house today: Too much space is devoted to painting, and Max the Kitten, who has already walked into wet gesso and spilled water onto a nearly-finished painting, would be drawn to puzzle pieces like a moth to a flame.

Having a "no puzzle policy" hasn't kept me from making puzzles, though. Typical puzzle maker's tools are either jig saws or (for the really ambitious) tile saws, however, my puzzle-making tool is a paint brush.

This work-in-progress puzzle is made with a 6H pencil and a Raphael Martora Sable #0 brush that I bought at Wet Paint in Saint Paul, MN.

Further reading: 11 Reasons To Do Jigsaw Puzzles