
http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/01/stained-glass-windows-made-from-laser-cut-paper-by-eric-standley
Ok, so what the heck, right? I mean, seriously, this guy is insanely brilliant. This is what I call "Smart Art." One of my new all-time favorites, www.thisiscolossal.com' highlights the work of some of the world's most gifted artists.
The planfullness of this kind of artwork is just stunning to me, to keep every next and last level in mind, to fully anticipate each next level of the piece, is so profoundly impressive to me. I only dream of one day being that smart in my art. I have dreams of levels after level, after level. I've gotten close and started foundations, but a little too late or a little too early, etc., confound me. I have numbered steps outlined for my next piece and I am going to test this as a new experiment.

http://www.alanburjohnson.com/PNEUMA_3.html
I had the great pleasure to meet Alan, in his Jerome, Arizona studio we serendipitously found on a last-day's light activity trip we planned last minute after our major expedition from Rim to Rim of the Grand Canyon. (yes, I can tend to be wordy.) We'd been through a couple of the studios at the Old Jerome High School building and one of the artists recommended we stop into Alan's studio.
I walked in and my jaw dropped. Literally I stood there paralyzed in awe for a few seconds. "This is really f*ing smart art," I said to my brother and sister-in-law. His work is just stunning. His use of materials and technique, to construct these haunting pieces is so clever. The way that light plays off the translucency, and the shadows cast fill in the story. Layers of these parts and segments in these beautifully planned structures.

http://www.brianrutenbergart.com/studio/paintings.html
Final words on layers and colossal pieces. Brian Rutenberg.
No, but seriously, these massive canvases are built up from these abstracted forested landscapes, layer upon layer of these stunningly contrasted and vibrant colors. What is especially stunning to me is how he builds up these segmented areas, as if he is playing with the lights and colors we find in the woods. This action pulls the landscape out of the common and into the brilliantly abstract.
Uh oh.
So, now after all of these posts, it occurs to me that I am setting myself up for a pretty tall order for my next pieces. Gulp.