New Boomtanicals Grow At The Blast Factory!

I had Botany 101 at the University of Wisconsin as a Senior.

I needed 3 more Science credits and I was told this class was easy.

I didn’t care for the course much. But I did like the drawings. Technical drawings with a little color.

Cool.

The drawings were on the exams too. So it was sorta like playing fill in the blanks.

(Renee left my notebook under a bench at a bus stop on Gorham street once. But that is a story for another time.)

I passed the course.

I graduated.

Then, these past few weeks I have been weeding a lot. There are too many weeds.

So I got inspired.

Can I blow up weeds? A poker. Some gunpowder. Boom. Easy right?

Then, an idea. Perhaps I should explore and burn some botanical drawings.

Boomtanicals!

You can find the first ones here.

This art depicts the form, color, and details of some plants and flowers. Although after the burns I am not sure if we will be able to identify them. Did you know some Botanical illustrations have been around 1500 years? ( See De Materia Medica).

I watered down my acrylic to get the classic watercolor sort of look of classic illustrations.

That took time and a cup of water.

I do believe I have created a new burned plant Kingdom: Buzztae

I saw a new ad for botanical flavored vodkas by Ketel One. And I see botanical cosmetics offered by True Botanicals.

Stuff fit for a King.

I don’t drink vodka.

I don’t wear makeup.

I don’t like pulling weeds.

I do like blowing up botanicals.

I passed the course.

I created a new Kingdom.

Boom!

Artist Stick Vega studied mathematics and economics, earning a B.S. in economics from UW-Madison and an MBA from Edgewood College. He owned and was CEO of online apparel retailers WinterSilks and Venus Sportswear. However, upon selling the companies more than a decade ago he headed straight to his studio - The Blast Factory in Madison, WI - to create explosive, modern art with gunpowder and high-speed fuse. Stick's current work includes paintings, drawings, fusographs (exploded photographs) and writing. Please follow Stick on Facebook and/or Twitter.