Blog

Capela do Tamanduá is a painting of a chapel in the south of Brazil.

Behind the Artwork

Tamanduá

This is the second of what I hope to be many guest posts on my artwork. Nivea Bona wrote the first, titled, A Painted Tree is a Whole Moment, and can be seen here. The painting noted to the left, is now in the home of two collectors from Brazil: Wilson “Xixo” Ramos Filho and his wife Veridiana “Veri” Marques Moserle. I gave it as a gift in exchange for some work that Veri had done for my wife in Brazil, and as it hung in their New York apartment, Xixo lamented that he felt he knew the location of

August 23, 2023

Bowdoin College Chapel is an abstract photography image.

Artistic Process

How to Write an Artist Grant (from the perspective of a grant reviewer)

How to write an artist grant is a difficult question to answer. Artists are good at making art, not doing administrative funding tasks. Yes, I’m an artist. I’ve written a lot of grants and I’ve only succeeded once. That’s probably not a great score, but that’s more to do with competition than anything else. I’m also a grant reviewer who is lucky enough to have gotten a behind-the-scenes look at what a good grant looks like. I wrote an article for the Maine Arts Journal on my experience as a grant reviewer to help artists navigate this tricky realm. To

July 2, 2023

A Tree in Tenno is a minimalist watercolor painting using sepias, greys, reds, and yellows.

Behind the Artwork

A Painted Tree is a Whole Moment.

This is a guest post by Nivea Bona. It is the first in a series of posts by people who are champions of my art. In this post, Bona makes a link between how we care for and see trees and art in our lives. It is based on a trip to Italy where the above painting, A Tree in Tenno, was first imagined. A painted tree is not only a tree. Nor is it art. It is a whole moment. A tree. Have you ever thought of how many trees you see every day? Do you pay attention to

May 26, 2023

Public Art Commission Kennebec Valley Community College

Painting

Public Art Commission: Kennebec Valley Community College – Fairfield, ME

These are the murals I created for Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield, ME (KVCC) via the Percent for Art Program run by the Maine Arts Commission. They are of a stained-glass style and represent the tools, trades, workers, and landmarks of the area and the school’s academic program. My murals in Brunswick, ME received a lot of great feedback due to their color and stained-glass concept. I decided to expand on this concept and apply for several other projects. This KVCC project was actually my first competitive commission where I won the contract. In August of 2022, I was

April 13, 2023

Blur #3 is an abstract photo of a tiny paint swab no more than 1/4" in size.

Criticism

Truth and Lies

Before he wrote The Wealth of Nations, in his book The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam Smith pontificated something extreme with regards to charity. He roughly stated that we don’t know the difference between making ourselves feel good and “doing it for God” when being charitable towards other humans. This got him into some trouble with the church. It was only a little trouble because he had sprinkled in enough references to “God” to keep him safe. Smith had learned from his friend David Hume’s failures. Hume didn’t lie, and society severely punished him both academically and socially. Adam Smith

February 17, 2023

Art Project

A New Website Means Free Art

Want to get a free piece of art? Read this blog post to learn how, and you’ll be adding or even starting your very own art collection before you know it.

July 22, 2022

Greg Mason Burns