Art Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Greg Mason Burns

Fiscal Sponsorship for Artists

Why do we have fiscal sponsorship for artists? Anyone remember Piss Christ by Andres Serrano? Yeah, that one - the one where Serrano received about $20,000 in tax-payer money to create art. In my mind, nothing wrong with that - he's an artist who had a provocative photograph, and that's pretty normal in contemporary art - but there were several conservative politicians who did take exception and, as luck would have it, these politicians managed to change how the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) would distribute tax dollars to artists. [caption id="attachment_2964" align="alignright" width="145"] Immersion (Piss Christ) by Andres Serrano (Image...

December 13, 2017

Greg

in Art

Abstract Minimalist Portraits

I haven't done a Kickstarter proejct for a while, mostly because I'm just not the kind of artist who needs a lot of "one-off" projects fulfilled. My most pressing need at the moment is studio space, and I've been working on my Patreon page to get me to a point where I can have on-gong long-term relationships that help me create art on a regular basis. However, when I saw that Kickstarter was going to be doing a Commissions project, I knew that this type of project would work well for me on that platform. The project is specifically about...

November 6, 2017

Greg

in Drawing, Reductivism

Collaboration: Zaratan by Greg Mason Burns and Daniel Gawronski

[caption id="attachment_3010" align="alignleft" width="240"] Daniel's Trees, as drawn simply by me as a visual example[/caption] I recently did a residency in Lisbon, Portugal and while there I met the other artist-in-residence, Daniel Gawronski. Daniel is an Australian artist who works primarily with sound art. His method is interesting in that he takes images from the natural environment and uses those to map musical compositions. We both attended the residency at Zaratan Arte Contemporanea in Lisbon, but this collaboration was an accident. For the audio, Gawronski used a photograph of trees from a forest Sintra, Portugal, outside Lisbon, to create a music scale....

January 12, 2017

Greg

in Art, Sound Art, Video

The History of Plein Air Painting: A Documentary

Put together by Plein Air Magazine, this Outside the Lines documentary on the history of Plein Air painting is a good watch. It's about 38 minutes long, and covers American and European lines. The cinematography is excellent, too. A lot of history here, so enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F86HvkQaz-o My own history with plein air painting is turbulent. I've never considered myself a great drawer, and I've always felt that drawing is something a plein air painter needs to excel at. I'm sure abstract works can be done plein air as well. But all the plein air painters I see these days are doing exactly...

September 4, 2015

Greg

in Art

Art and Taxes: It’s Mostly Good News!

Here's a short and sweet explanation about what artists can do with their art and taxes. It's the same as any business, but there are some things that are good to know. For one, you may need to depreciate that new easel, and you may need to only deduct some expenses after you've sold the artwork. However, if you've bought it or done it for the purposes of making, marketing, or selling your art then you can deduct it. One piece of advice that I would give is don't think you have to file as a business every year. My accountant...

April 12, 2015

Greg

in Art

Conversations About Art: with Bazévian

[caption id="attachment_3826" align="alignleft" width="186"] Post synthétique I by Bazévian - oil pastel, oil, acrylic, and ink on canvas - 60 x 40cm[/caption] I recently started doing conversations about art and what people in the art world think about their field of work. The first article was about abstract art with Guido Viaro, the writer from Curitiba, Brazil. Today's article is about figurative art, and for that I caught up with emerging artist Bazévian. He is primarily a portrait artist, specializing in capturing the homeless using oil pastel and china ink. Bazévian is originally from the north of France, and he grew up under...

February 24, 2015

Greg

in Art, Artistic Process, Behind the Artwork, Contemporary Art

Conversations About Art: Abstract with Guido Viaro

[caption id="attachment_3837" align="alignright" width="250"] One of Guido Viaro's favorite artists: Kandinsky - Improvisation 3 - Oil on Canvas (1909) - Centre Georges Pompidou[/caption] Guido Viaro and Abstract Art As a writer, Guido Viaro is currently working on abstract short stories, but it's abstract as an idea that influences him. "In my working room I’m surrounded by abstract paintings by Guido Viaro," he says of his grandfather of the same name. "I love all Kandinsky, perhaps for his previous studies of proportions and colors. I love Paul Klee for his fake innocence. I love Jorge Luis Borges for his short story “The Aleph”....

February 19, 2015

Greg

in Art, Artistic Process, Behind the Artwork, Contemporary Art, Criticism

2014 Year in Review: Greg Mason Burns

This was a huge year for me artistically. I had my first museum and gallery exhibits and produced some of the best paintings I've done. My work has developed in both the abstract and figurative realms, and my style has strengthened. Below is a video of my work in 2014. I hope you enjoy. You can see the videos on both my youtube and vimeo channels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9ZqXCxC1l4 ...

December 18, 2014

Greg

in Art, Behind the Artwork, Contemporary Art, Exhibit

History of Color: Gold

I recently posted a video from the BBC about the history of the color blue. It was such a fascinating watch [caption id="attachment_4569" align="alignleft" width="225"] Manipulation #12 - Dublin Streets[/caption] because blue is the most important color on my palette. This new video from the BBC is about the color gold, and, as expected, it's influence is pretty far reaching. And who knew that the greatest goldsmith of all was also a murderer, a rapist, and once stole gold from the Pope? Pretty daring stuff I'd say. I've never done a lot with the color gold itself. I tend to rely more on...

December 18, 2014

Greg

in Art

Behind the Painting: Igreja do Cerro Branco (and other small towns)

[caption id="attachment_3865" align="alignright" width="250"] Painting Small Towns: Igreja do Cerro Branco - Watercolor on Board (2014)[/caption] I grew up in a small town on the coast of Maine, mostly on an island but sometimes on a peninsula near that island, too. The shop doors would open in May and the tourists started trickling in around Memorial Day at the end of the month. Things would turn into a boom from the 4th of July until Labor Day at the beginning of September. When I was growing up, October was quiet but these days leaf peepers come in hoards, making October the...

December 9, 2014

Greg

in Art, Behind the Artwork, Painting