Greg, Author at Greg Mason Burns

Cityscape Series: Behind the Paintings

These cityscape paintings are some of the first that I did as an artist. It is not a coincidence that I created them when I first moved to Brazil. There's a huge difference between small-town Maine and big-city Brazil, and it's not the type of difference you get between small towns and big cities anywhere. City II - Oil on Canvas (2012) I had lived in several cities before moving to Brazil, but the level of caution that I needed to exercise with regards to violence was vastly different in Brazil than those other cities. I went from a sense confidence in...

April 6, 2022

Greg

in Behind the Artwork, Painting

Artist Talk: Galway, Ireland

The Maine Arts Commission sponsored this residency in Galway, Ireland Below is the artist talk I gave at Watershed Studios in Galway, Ireland. The Maine Arts Commission sponsored this residency - an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.Personally, I think the talk was good and I explained myself well, but I was really disappointed with the turnout. I promoted this a lot, and I hope the residency did, too. As it was, however, no one from the Galway arts community participated beyond the residency. I found this to be a consistent theme in Galway, that the residency...

March 28, 2022

Greg

in Art Project, Residency

Walking on Both Sides Part 3 is a mixed media collage using newspaper headlines to contrast reality.

Manipulation of the Art Market

The manipulation of the art market is the stuff of legends and actually pretty transparent. It's run "in secrecy" by the super wealthy in a way to make them more wealthy. It's about intimidation, and that game works for them. This is why I always tell people to buy what they like. Don't buy art to match the décor (the art will outlast the décor) and don't buy art to compete as an investor either (the game is rigged before you even enter it). Artists suffer the worst consequences, but there is a way to solve this: buy local artists...

March 28, 2022

Greg

in Criticism

Manipulation #11 - House on Newcastle is an abstract photo of Galway, Ireland using oil pastel and acylic paint with red, green, and blue coloring.

The NFT Market is a Massive Ponzi Scheme

[caption id="attachment_4568" align="alignleft" width="225"] Manipulation #11 - House on Newcastle Photography on Archival Paper (2021)[/caption] Seriously, if you're considering getting into the NFT market, seller beware. It is not really buyer beware if you can convince people to jump into the game. Simply put, the more people in the game the easier it is to sell and make a profit. I can't say it as well as Canadian Artist Kimberly Parker puts it, so you should read her article posted below. In short, she did a massive data scrape of those markets that sell NFTs, and the results show that the...

March 28, 2022

Greg

in Criticism

Essen Coal #1 is an abstract photo of the Welterbe Zollverein mine in Essen, Germany.

Reception Theory as a Visual Art

A Definition of Reception Theory Reception Theory judges an audience's response to a particular communication method. In particular, it began as an analysis of how readers interpret literary texts. Interpretation is inherently built into Reception Theory. This means there is a gap, a difference of opinion, between what the communicator meant and what the audience understood. Reception Theory academics often tackle the two sides of the theory: what is communicated and what is interpreted. How I Interpret Reception Theory I work specifically with that space in between what is communicated and what is interpreted. To me, that space is fundamentally emotional. This is...

March 19, 2022

Greg

in Art, Art Project, Artistic Process, Contemporary Art, Criticism, Drawing, Painting, Photography, Reductivism, Video

First Parish of the Abstract Artist abstract photo using blue, green, grey, and yellow

Redirecting the Message

Redirecting the Message: A Definition Redirecting the Message is an art project that revolves around misinformation and communication bias. I take images, words, and objects and re-purpose them into other forms so that a new message is created from the old one. This is a part of my Reception Theory project, which relates to communication and interpretation. Therefore, the purpose is to show how one message can easily be changed to mean something different. In other words, information is easily re-purposed to fit the communicator's agenda. As a result, the audience must decide what is real or not. What to Look For For instance, if...

March 19, 2022

Greg

in Art, Art Project, Artistic Process, Painting, Photography

UNH Museum of Art: On the Edge

I was happy to have been accepted into the UNH Museum of Art exhibit On the Edge, which exhibited from [caption id="attachment_5055" align="alignright" width="300"] Una Vista de Ardales - Charcoal on Paper (2017)[/caption] January through March of 2022. The image they accepted was a charcoal minimalist drawing of a small town in Andalucía, Spain. We stayed in Ardales during a climbing trip to the El Chorro climbing area just west of Malaga. I actually created several drawings and paintings of the area. Una Vista de Ardales, charcoal on paper (2017), is a drawing of the downtown area looking up the hill toward the...

March 14, 2022

Greg

in Exhibit

Public Art Commission: Brunswick, ME

I never expected to anything to come from joining the ArtWalk in Brunswick, ME. For one, the ArtWalk is mostly craft works. There are some fine artists, but very few abstract artists show here. Because I'm new to the area, I've been trying to drive traffic to my studio at the Fort Andross Mill. The ArtWalk is well-attended, so I figured I'd catch someone's attention there. What ended up happening was behind the scenes, and I got my first public art commission out it. First Parish Church in-progress in my studio The process was simple. The Downtown Association sent out an email...

November 9, 2021

Greg

in Painting, Public Art

Springboard Artist Grant by the Maine Arts Commission

[caption id="attachment_305" align="alignleft" width="213"] Springboard Artist Grant[/caption] I'm super excited to receive a Maine Arts Commission Springboard Artist Grant in 2021. I will use the funds for my residency at Watershed Studios in Galway, Ireland in November of 2021. While there, I will develop a stronger body of work in my abstract photography series, currently titled "Re-directing the Message". At the same time, I will develop a series of collage-based abstract photography works. This is a bit of a defining moment for me, as it is my first grant. I'm also grateful because I also didn't think I would be getting the...

July 18, 2021

Greg

in Art Project, Residency

Copelouzos Family Art Museum – 35 x 35 Project

[caption id="attachment_2900" align="alignleft" width="268"] My Contribution to the Copelouzos Family Art Museum: Art Is Not Free / I'm Walking on Both Sides - Oil on Canvas - 35 x 35 cm (2020)[/caption] UPDATED ON 12/20/21 WITH LATEST - SEE BOTTOM OF TIMELINE FOR UPDATE Scam or Not? Read On...

May 10, 2020

Greg

in Criticism

Greg Mason Burns

Author: Greg