Ax-Man Project Gear 10: Exhibition Finalist

Ax-Man Project Gear 10

The Ax-Man Project Gear 10 is a finalist in Exhibition Without Walls' Your Choice On-Line Juried Exhibition.

Eighty-seven photographers, digital artists, and graphic designers submitted 473 images. Twenty-five were selected as finalists, and if you click through the images, I promise that they will take your breath away.  

My entry, Ax-Man Project Gear 10, was inspired by a Gizmo I found during an early-summer Ax-Man run with Layl McDill, my WARM (Women's Art Resources of Minnesota) mentor. I now know that the Gizmo is a tool that people use to measure wire diameter. 

The Original Gear 10 Watercolor

I used it to make post-card sized watercolor paintings that I scanned and then (gleefully) manipulated in Photoshop. See all 10 here.

nanoscapes: defining other visions

The true, actual, and legally registered corporate name for nanoscapes is "nanoscapes & other visions, llc." Having taken tiny watercolor painted nanoscapes postcards to a new world with Photoshop, I have a better sense of what "other visions" means.

Each image created out of a 300 dpi scanned painted post card. I am committed to this 2012 Image-a-Day project and to posting these images to Facebook and to pinterest. What else will they become? Stay tuned.

Blue Dot

Green Glaze

Multi-glaze

Square

Purple Roller Coaster

Blue Tiles

Dancing Ribbon

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.