Minnesota Watercolor Society Spring Show: Long Rings #1 is IN

Long Rings #1

If you live near or are traveling to Wayzata, MN during the next month, stop in to the Minnetonka Center for the Arts to see the Minnesota Watercolor Society's Spring Show "Rejuvenation!"

It is a juried show, which means that the paintings were selected, and I am grateful that the judges selected the nanoscape "Long Rings #1." You won't be able to miss it -- it is tall and framed in turquoise metal. Visit the show at your leisure, or come for the awards ceremony on April 14.

You will see the amazing range and quality of Minnesota's watercolorists. They take my breath away.

April 7 - May 5, 2011

Minnetonka Center for the Arts

2240 North Shore Drive,  Wayzata,  MN  55391

952-473-7361

Awards & Reception Ceremony

Thursday, April 14, 2011

6:00 - 8:30 PM

Awards at 7 PM

March Madness Project, "Nebraska: a view from a plane" & Raindrops Sneak Peek

Nebraska 2011

 I spent a lot of time on the road and in the air in March 2011, speaking 9 times at 8 law schools in 6 states on two topics. I took paint and paper on every trip, but I admit that there were days when all I could do was turn on the tv, open a book, and fall asleep. I did post a March Madness basketball to Facebook every day, and, now that I'm home, I have a stack of paintings to finish. 

The nanoscapes calendar is odd -- I began the Nebraska painting after my trip to Creighton and U of Nebraska in October 2010. I finished it today -- the last day of March. This is the first of the landscapes-from-the-planes paintings. I researched contour plowing, and solved some mysteries that curved-furrows had always presented to a suburban native.

30 Raindrops for April

The March Madness Basketball Project was a February painting project. I finished "30 Raindrops for April" today -- the last day of March -- and I will begin posting them to Facebook tomorrow.


Sneak peek here.

Illinois Fields No. 1 -- From the window seat

Illinois Fields #1 - Watercolor on 140# Arches Paper, 12x16"

Unlike the bright and pure colors that I love in geometric abstract nanoscapes, Illinois Fields #1 opened the door for me to begin to learn traditional wet-in-wet watercolor techniques.

Wet-in-wet is the ultimate watercolor technique for grown-ups who've never quite gotten over playing with their food and who wish that they could forever use finger paint. In its most simple form, the painter wets the paper and puts colors into the wet surface. The painter can then tip the wet paper to make the colors run together, run off the paper, and, sadly for parents, onto the floor. In its more controlled and elegant uses, painters wet individual large, small, or tiny spaces and mix multiple colors, creating amazing and beautiful shapes, textures, landscapes and detailed work.

Wet-in-wet is new for me, by I knew right away that the Fields of Illinois would be the right venue for exploring it. Flying from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, I saw mile after mile of  fields which had no snow, only stubble. Whether it was the particular old crop, the condition of the soil, or the vagaries of light, each patch looked different from the one next to it.

I sketched and noted "wet-in-wet," and shades of brown, tan, green, and gold. Sadly, I didn't note with precision how to suggest the water. I first painted it very dark and then carefully knocked it back with clear water and a clean brush. I followed up with Daniel Smith Duochrome Cabo Blue, which shines like a river.

Although I won't abandon the intensity of the geometric abstract nanoscapes, I am glad to have discovered a new world of gentle geographical abstraction to explore.

Illinois Fields No. 1 -- nanoscapes roadtrip

Illinois Fields No. 1

In addition to painting nanoscapes, when I wear my Pass the Baton llc hat, I travel the country lecturing to law students, lawyers, and legal career professionals. My lectures are on "Alternative Careers," "Professionalism Has Attached," and "Second Career Law Students."

My motto: have paints, will travel. Even with limited carry-on space, I always have 100+ watercolors (little dried blobs), a 6H pencil, and Daniel Smith Kolinsky Sable Travel Brushes.

I saw "Illinois Fields No. 1" from the air on my way to the University of Illinois College of Law at Champaign-Urbana, where I spoke on "Alternative Careers" and "Professionalism." In late February without snow, the fields had stubble and furrows, with squares and rectangles in shades of gray, gold, and brown. I pulled out a sketch pad, made some quick sketches and took notes.

Peter Pangolin

I used a traditional watercolor technique -- wet-in-wet -- which is unusual for a nanoscape. With the exception of Peter Pangolin (right), the hallmark of nanoscapes is "lots of pigment and not a lot of water" which create strong, bright, and intense colors. This was fun, and I want to do more of these.

The lesson: try something new.

The Protractor Project: a new nanoscape

Silos of Iowa in a Row (#2 in progress)

Drawing -- or failing to draw -- the rooftops of the second and third "Silos of Iowa" stopped me in my tracks. For the Blue Silos of Iowa (below), I drew the rooftops by hand, but the next two paintings are far more detailed and will require much more precision.

Blue Silos of Iowa

Looking for a tool to make perfect semi-circles, I hunted down a protractor and a compass, and challenged myself to learn what I had mastered by the time I got to junior high. I am profoundly grateful to  Mrs. Garrett, who taught us Algebra and Geometry at Hyattsville Junior High School, for all of the Pythagorean Theory Problems we had to create and write out by hand and in ink. Whenever I create straight lines and 90 degree angles, I think of her.

Like so many young and old, I couldn't wait to play with my new toys, and The Protractor Project (below) came first.

The Protractor Project

Peter Pangolin - new nanoscape Small Friend

Peter Pangolin

Peter Pangolin is part of a very small family of scaly anteaters who are native to parts of Africa and Asia. In his native land, he would have eaten ants and termites, but was found to be wildly allergic to ants.  Instead of thriving, he became thin and sickly. To save him from slaughter as bushmeat, a kindly member of Veterinarians-Without-Borders slipped him into a diplomatic pouch and sent him to relatives in France. He hunts -- but does not eat -- forest truffles, and spends his money on only-the-best-chocolate-truffles in Paris.

Pangolins are nocturnal and have very thick scales that look as if they were borrowed from Tricerotops' heads. Sadly, according to National Geographic, they are being consumed to extinction. In a blog post dedicated to an international campaign to stop poaching and bushmeat, you will find wonderful photographs and  25 Things You Might Not Know About Pangolins.

Original: Not for sale. Prints $40.

New nanoscape Small Friend: Bessie, the Bead Belly Block Feather

Bessie, Bead Belly Block Feather

Bessie, the Bead Belly Block Feather, was once an undistinguished gray bird from a family whose name has been lost in the mists of time. When her flock-mates departed without her, she became an orphan. Making matters worse, her singing voice never developed beyond an anemic peep.

She made her way to a small cabin in the North Woods, owned by a Committed Crafter, whose toolkit and workbench were the envy of her pals, many of whom she knew from Etsy. The always-busy Crafter kept to herself, quietly creating work that is beloved by small children and adults who wish that they were still small children.

Bessie landed in a pot of orange dye when she flew into the cabin window.  Shaking herself dry, as birds do, the dye showered onto a silk scarf, creating a beautiful, unpredictable pattern, and the beginning of  a great partnership. Bessie and the Crafter now collaborate on a line of silk scarves, which incorporate Bessie's Dye Shakes, and a group of ceramic tiles which capture her Dance Tracks.

The more that she explored color, the more color she wanted for herself. She learned to carefully dance toward a low-temp glue gun, and the to roll into her favorite beads. She often changes the color and shape of her Block Feathers with gel and shaping products.

Along with her friend "Bird Brain," Bessie will represent the letter "B" in the Small Friends Alphabet.

Bessie is 5" wide x 6" tall. The original is for sale for $250. Matted prints for $40 are available through the nanoscapes website under the both the "What's New" and "Small Friends" sections in the Portfolio.