An Exhibition of Paintings by Karen Ackoff Are on Display at South Suburban College

© 2017, Karen Ackoff.

An Exhibition of Paintings by Karen Ackoff Are on Display at South Suburban College (South Holland, IL) - The Art & Design Department of South Suburban College (SSC) is pleased to announce a special guest artist exhibition entitled "Murmurations" by Karen Ackoff. The paintings will display in the Photo Four Gallery at SSC from Tuesday, October 18 to Thursday, November 17, 2022. On Monday, October 24, 2022, from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm, SSC will host an artist talk in the Photo Four Gallery, located on the college's fourth floor.

Ackoff stated, "When large numbers of birds fly together, they swirl in a repeating, coordinating, changing pattern. "Murmuration," derives from the wings' sound, occurs when birds flutter together. My work speaks through a network of small brush strokes like a murmuration. Together they form shapes and shadows that gradually unfold as a painting develops. My work whispers - it does not shout. My drawings are completed with care and control. Yet, they are not without passion. The passion is in each object - its shape, subtle color, and tonalities. In the stories the object tells as brush or silver moves over the ground's surface. Teasing out inherent beauty with focus and patience. I whisper back."

The SSC Photo Four Gallery is open Monday - Thursday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. The galleries are closed on weekends and holidays. The art exhibitions and receptions are free to the public. For additional information, please contact Pamela Planera at (708) 596-2000, ext. 2211, or email at pplanera@ssc.edu. SSC is located at 15800 South State Street in South Holland Illinois.

By Silence DoGood, October 11, 2022
From the Southland Journal

The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Great Lakes Chapter Exhibit

© 1984, Karen Ackoff.

The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Great Lakes Chapter is on exhibit at the Indian Prairie Public Library in Darien, IL through October 27. Contributing artists: Karen Ackoff, Kathleen Garness, Nancy Halliday, April Neander and Carrie Carlson. Stop by the library and check it out.

YInMn Blue

YinMn (yttrium, indium and manganese) is a blue pigment discovered in 2009 by Professor Mas Subramanian and his graduate student, Andrew E. Smith at Oregon State University. It is non-toxic and does not fade.

For more information:

https://chemistry.oregonstate.edu/content/story-yinmn-blue
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/yinmn-blue-comes-market-1921665

YInMn blue does not fade, is non-toxic and has high opacity. It was approved in 2017 for industrial applications as it reflects heat and has commercial applications. It was finally approved last year for use in artists' materials.

It is expensive. Kremer Pigments offers a YInMn watercolor pan for $68.80; $69 for 10g of pure pigment. 

I recently purchased a sample of YinMn blue in watercolor. I applied it to hot press watercolor paper using hatched strokes, building up to achieve a strong blue. I tested Sennelier ultramarine deep, Sennelier ultramarine light, Sennelier cobalt, Daniel Smith Lapis and of course YinMn blue.

YInMn dissolves well with water and there is no granulation. To my eye, it leans towards purple, and I found I could mix a reasonably comparable color using Sennelier ultramarine blue with Sennelier ultramarine violet. This might vary depending on the brand of paint.