Black and White—What Sweet Colors They Are!

Electron microscopes have become invaluable tools in the realm of scientific exploration, offering researchers unprecedented insight into the intricate world of the “nanoscale.” Electron microscopy offers a better resolution than traditional (light) microscopes and can reveal the structure of smaller objects not usually seen by the latter. This is because the wavelength of electrons is… Continue reading

Nuts & Bolts

The Waichulis Curriculum Insights into the nuts and bolts of a modern-day skill-based visual art training system.    The following paper is intended to offer insight into some of the inspirations, development, dynamics, and evolution of The Waichulis Curriculum that serves as the main training program with the ÀNI Art Academies. The content I have provided… Continue reading

A Ham and Some Caterpillars to the Power of Why.

Thoughts on evaluating the many art “rules” and traditions that continue to thrive in the studio and classroom. “Art ‘rules’ are often personal opinions shouted loudly with a big stick.” -Kara Castro McGee. American Author Hilary Hinton “Zig” Ziglar is often credited with the popularizing of a clever story about blindly following tradition and dogma…. Continue reading

A Few Thoughts on Natural Patterns

A recent study from Jiao Tong University in China has been making some waves (pun intended) with a careful investigation into an often-encountered, but relatively under-examined bit of ornamentation—decorative wallpaper (Fu, Zhang, & Lin 2019.) Using a test that is designed to assess the strength of cognitive associations by examining latencies in classification tasks (Implicit… Continue reading

A Few Thoughts on Complementary Colors and Color Opponency.

I came across a very good article last night exploring the benefits of working with a limited palette. The article was written by Courtney Jordan and is available on the artist daily blog here: http://www.artistdaily.com/blogs/artist-daily/sharpen-your-ability-to-judge-color-tone-and-value/ Within this article, one very knowledgeable artist shared his strategies for extending his palette’s color gamut as far as possible… Continue reading

Proximity Alert!

One of the more insidious pitfalls that can plague both the novice as well as the seasoned observational representationalist is a failure to adequately consider the role of observational proximity. This issue is especially insidious in that it can pounce even when an artist has successfully communicated every measurement and observed proportion with great accuracy,… Continue reading