October 2014 - Greg Mason Burns

Material of the Month: Why Cheap Oil Brushes Aren’t A Bad Idea

[caption id="attachment_3893" align="alignright" width="329"] Cheap oil brushes: Some of my tools are cheap, others not, but they all work.[/caption] What's the most important thing to oil painters after oil colors? The answer is probably the brush. There are many different ways to put color onto the painted surface, but brushes are the most common. I use brushes probably 80% of the time, but not all brushes are created equal, and the surprising thing that I have discovered is that the brand and / or quality of the brush may not matter that much in the grand scheme of things. As a self-taught...

October 31, 2014

Greg

in How-to in Art

Movement and Period: Modernism

[caption id="attachment_3896" align="alignright" width="137"] The Gate - Hans Hofmann - 1959-1960 - Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (via wikipedia) is Modernism[/caption] What in god's name is Modernism? It's a question that I've thought about often since a friend of mine figured I fit into the movement. I'm not sure that I fit into any movement, to be honest. I've been told I'm an Expressionist, partly because I express myself when painting (which seems a bit foolish) and partly because of the emotional reaction people get from some of my paintings. Another has called me a figurative painter with a flair for the...

October 27, 2014

Greg

in Contemporary Art, Criticism

Book Review: Watercolor Book

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="210"] The Watercolor Book by David Dewey[/caption] Bob MacEvoy has a lot of information regarding watercolors. Below is some text and a link to the site regarding his book review of The Watercolor Book by David Dewey. He has other book reviews, and if you click on his sitemap then you'll see a lot of other watercolor related links. "Dewey – This is one of my all time favorite art books, a model of concise instruction, wise advice, deceptively simple exercises, and compact design. Like they say on TV: if you buy just one watercolor book, make it this...

October 23, 2014

Greg

in Art

Art and Productivity: Trust in the Process

To read the first part of Art and Productivity, click here: [caption id="attachment_263" align="alignright" width="300"] Trust in the process: This painting took time to realize[/caption] In the first part of this series, I mentioned two things. One is how the artist can never shut off the artistic process. And the other is that the artist is just as productive as the normal corporate worker, if not more so. In this part I'll talk about the real reason why the starving artist exists. The Myth of the Starving Artist There is this myth that the starving artist exists because suffering creates great art. There may...

October 22, 2014

Greg

in Artistic Process, Criticism

A History of the Color Blue

History of the Color Blue - Cidade à Noite - Guido Viaro Museum As a painter I have been fascinated by the history of the color blue. I'm certainly not alone. Picasso is probably the most famous of the past 100 years to have produced a significant blue period, so to speak. Of course, as was Yves Klein. In my paintings, since I really am completely self-taught and really only inspired by those who create what I have no interest in creating, none of these blue periods or obsessions have influenced me. My own blues come from my own tastes. I'm not...

October 19, 2014

Greg

in Art

Instruction: Step-by-Step Watercolor Painting

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] Step-by-Step Watercolor Painting: Mediterranean Beach Scene by Allan Kirk[/caption] Watercolorpainting.com has some nice step-by-step watercolor painting processes on how to paint specific paintings. I chose this Mediterranean Beach Scene by Allan Kirk to post here. He has a nice way of building up the painting. Although while I use much lighter washes than he does in the beginning, the technique is the same. I hope you enjoy this lesson by Allan Kirk. I do things a bit differently these days. For one, I start with light washes and build up over time, darkening the areas that need more...

October 9, 2014

Greg

in How-to in Art

Material of the Month: Watercolor Paint

[caption id="attachment_3913" align="alignright" width="291"] Watercolor paint: Puerto de San Antonio - Watercolor on Board (2014)[/caption] This is the first post of what I hope to be will be a "Material of the Month" string of posts. I'm a painter, and I'm also self-taught, so I see this series as a sort of informal education for me as well. This month I'm working with watercolor paint, which is something I've been getting into more this year. I began my career as an oil painter, and I still consider oil to be my main focus. However, I really enjoy working with watercolor because...

October 6, 2014

Greg

in How-to in Art