The iridescent , silver - blue chromaticity discover on peacock butterfly feathers and butterfly wings are n’t like most colors ; they are created from nanoparticles that are smaller than wavelength of visible light . And this " geomorphologic gloss " is the inspiration behind artistKate Nichols ’s latest employment , which marries prowess with science .
Nichols has been working closely with colour for over a decade . While deal a break from her undergrad studies at Kenyon College in 2002 , she make as an prentice under San Francisco artist Will Wilson . There she learned to fuse her own pigments using linseed oil , pass oxide , and mastic resin . She also developed a captivation with the extension of the morpho butterfly . The creature ’s opalescent , grim - green shade was something she knew she would n’t be able to recreate by simply mingle together constituent — for that she would need to develop special nanoparticles in a lab .
Most people of color we see come from pigments . pigment absorbspecific bandwidth of lightbased on their chemical substance composition , and whatever luminosity is not absorbed is then reflect as what we perceive to be a sure color . The morphologic color that can be found in mallet case , Pisces shell , and morpho butterfly stroke wings are instead the product of miniscule particle . These nanoscale structures slow down light wave and scatter them around , make believe a color that ’s subject to the atom ' shape , sizing , location , and angle in intercourse to the observer and wanton generator , asNautilusexplains .
Determined to capture this type of color in her artistic production , Nichols pay off in touch sensation with UC - Berkeley physicist Paul Alivisatos . He was so taken with the concept that he call for her to come work with the school’snanotechnology research groupas an creative person - in - residence . After a lot of trial and mistake , Nichols finally ground a way to embolden the look she was after . By developing soccer ball – shaped nanoparticles and suspend them in organic solvents , she discovered she could get them to mystify to looking glass . Her most recent art seriesFigmentsconsists of small spyglass triangles connect by a flexible joint . Depending on where the watcher stands , the methamphetamine hydrochloride ’s iridescent coating glint like a morpho butterfly ’s wing in the Lord’s Day . For a look at her work and process , check out the video fromNautilusbelow .
The Nanopainter : Kate NicholsfromNautilusonVimeo
[ h / t : Gizmodo ]
