nanoscapes' Small Friends declare independence in new website

After working in the shadow of the geometric abstract nanoscapes for more than five years, 38 small friends have declared their independence and moved to a website all their own. Find them in individual galleries for amphibians, birds, cats, fish, LLLamas, and mammals.  31 LLLamas appeared in Facebook in May, and all but Rainbow LLLama left abruptly on the first LLLamaWorLLLd Tour. Rainbow stayed behind to represent them at this new website.

Moose on a Hill: the 1st small friend

 Their first principle is WE WERE FIRST. Before the first nanoscape kaleidoscope or molecule, the Alaskan Moose on the Hill and the the first Musk Ox appeared on post cards that I made as souvenirs of my first visit to Alaska in 2003. One copy of the Moose remains in the archives, and the all of the Musk Ox are lost. These friends were painted on Arches and Canson post cards with watercolor pencils and brushes with water reservoirs. 

In 2006, shortly after taking my first watercolor class, a few extra cats showed up in my studio for portraits. I wasn't surprised because I feed, water, and obey Flying Tackle Phil and Darwin, Felinus Emeritae. Ever since, there has been a steady stream of whimsical creatures either visiting (Mary-Anna Musk Ox) or making their home in my studio. Fortunately, they don't eat, and even the largest (Darren Dragon at 32 feet) take up no physical space. 

Their second principle is USE GOOD TOOLS. They are all proud to have been painted on Arches, Fabriano or Canson papers with Daniel Smith, Winsor Newton, Holbein, Sennelier or Dick Blick watercolors using Daniel Smith sable, Winsor Newton Series 7 or one tiny Jack Richardson brush.

Their third principle is PAINT INDOORS. In our whimsical world, we share an aversion to heat, humidity and bugs. 

Their fourth principle is SMILE. The small friends are proud to stand up for whimsy, to support smiling, and to encourage 10 belly-laughs per day.

Rhea Birds One and Two

Celebration Rhea Bird

Greater (American) Rhea Bird

My San Pedro-based California cousin Rhea graciously hosted me before and after my speaking trip at the National Association For Law Placement's 2011 Annual Education Conference in Palm Spring, CA. Was it a burden or a benefit to her role as host, that I had laryngitis, and conserved my  voice the entire time?

Rhea is a great cheerleader for nanoscapes, and I was intrigued when she told me that there was a Rhea Bird. "Really?" I checked my phone and there it was in a wikipedia listing. It is a three-toed flightless bird native to South America whose feathers are widely used for feather dusters. Identified species are the Greater (American) Rhea Bird and the Lesser (Darwin's) Rhea Bird. As yet unrecognized is the Celebration Rhea Bird, a native of New Orleans.

The two Rhea Birds take their places among nanoscapes' Small Friends.

Nanoscapes painted in March: raindrops, glass mosaics, and nano-landscapes

I paint every day whether at home or on the road. After making 9 Pass the Baton presentations at 8 law schools in 6 states, March 2011 had some elements of blur, but paints, brushes, and paper travel well, and nanoscapes stayed with me.  

The Raindrops of April
Original Watercolor NFS

The day-by-day nanoscapes' series that I have posted to Facebook since the Pumpkins of October 2010 (individual post cards) continued with the Raindrops of April. Since January 2011, I painted each month's images directly onto a single sheet of watercolor paper, and PhotoShopped the individual images for Facebook. Lugging a large watercolor block around the country is out of the question, so I paint them all at home. Some of the drops had their travel adventures in April when they breezed through airport security on a flash drive to be posted from Moscow and Boise Idaho where I spoke at both campuses of the University of Idaho College of Law. Two campuses and two time zones.  

Glass Mosaic #2
6x18
Original NFS
Prints available

Glass Mosaic #1
2-1/2x8
Original NFS
Prints available

The Glass Mosaics are gleeful explorations of a very traditional watercolor technique called "wet in wet." I gridded the paper with a #6 HD pencil, and then added a blob of clean water to each box -- one at a time, the old fashioned way. Then I dripped in between one and three colors,  manipulating the drips to fill out the rectangles. Daniel Smith's Primatek and Duochrome colors, which create metallic, shiny and granulating effects, make the rectangles look like glass tiles. A very pale green/gray mix hints at grout.

As much as I admire glass and tile, working with the real thing is off my life list, which is now limited to activities which require neither safety equipment nor liability waivers. One more of the Privileges of Chronological Enrichment.

Nebraska Fields From the Air.
140# Arches Paper Watercolor 12x16
Original $300

Illinois Fields From The Air
140# Arches Paper Watercolor 12x16
Original $300

As Washington DC suburban native and a confirmed urban dweller who gets nervous out of sight of tall buildings, my direct farming references are limited. My own gardening efforts culminated in an Obsessed Gardener's 26x92 foot garden in Baltimore that had crocuses in the lawn, 40 rose bushes, dozens of daylilies, and a lawn that could be cut in 30 minutes with a well-sharpened hand mower. My garden philosophy, focused on flowers, herbs, and garden treats (grape tomatoes) was "Start with wretched excess, and scale up." No fields. No crops. No plowing. No worries about terrain or runoff. 

My eyes are now wide open. On my travels in large and tiny planes, I often take the window seat. Flying over Nebraska with no reference point or vocabulary word for "contour farming," I started muttering "nanoscapes! nanoscapes!" and grabbed my pencil and drew like a madwoman. I began painting Nebraska Fields From The Air in November 2010, and it is a true nano landscape, focused on bright colors and shapes. Illinois Fields From The Air benefited from the Glass Mosaics' wet-in-wet experiences, and my field notes from the air say "shades of brown, tan, green and gold! Make it shiny!"

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.