Art Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Greg Mason Burns

Behind the Painting: Calle en Ardales

[caption id="attachment_3869" align="alignleft" width="172"] Calle en Ardales - Watercolor on Canvas Board - 28 x 33.5 cm (2014)[/caption] I've been climbing for about 15 years now. That's so hard to believe when I look back on those first few years. The man who introduced me to climbing passed away during a climbing accident not long after he got me hooked. On the day I found out, I went climbing. I still can't tell you why. I guess I just felt it was the right thing to do.For many years I wanted to go climbing in El Chorro, in the Malaga region...

November 20, 2014

Greg

in Behind the Artwork, Painting

Could Cadmium be banned in Europe?

Being an artist, it's a little disheartening to be held hostage to making color in today's world. Actually, that's too dramatic. I could always make my own colors, and to be honest I'd love to learn how to do so. But there are some colors that are really useful and I can't see myself making them on my own any time soon. The cadmium colors (red and yellow in my studio) are very useful. In fact, I typically work with just these colors: cadmium red, cadmium yellow, ultramarine, cobalt, cerulean, and titanium white. I mix in some other tones from...

November 11, 2014

Greg

in 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

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

The Precise Moment Impressionism Began

[caption id="attachment_3918" align="alignright" width="245"] Impression, Soleil Levant by Monet (1872) - The Precise Moment Impressionism Began[/caption] I know, the title is crazy, but someone out there decided to try to find the precise moment impressionism began. Astrophysicist Donald Olson from Texas State University actually took a crack at finding that exact moment using the angle of the sun, the position of the boats, and the wind / weather conditions noted in the painting. The result: Impressionism began on November 13, 1872 at 7:35 AM.This is crazy stuff, but fascinating none the less. First the sleuth poured over hundreds of photos to...

August 31, 2014

Greg

in Art, Contemporary Art

Oil Over Acrylic

The more I paint the more I realize that not only is oil the right medium for me, but it's superior to acrylic. I have a few paintings that would have been much easier to create with acrylic, mostly because of acrylic's fast-drying quality. And believe me, there have been moments, such as the one I'm experiencing now, when I wish I would just relent and use acrylic just to get the waiting done and over with - especially since I need to have a particular painting finished before the photographer comes over late next week to take pics. But...

August 23, 2014

Greg

in Art, How-to in Art

How to Run a Successful Kickstarter Campaign

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="261"] Una Vista de Ardales - oil on canvas[/caption] So I recently finished a successful Kickstarter campaing (see here). It was a small project to help raise money to buy frames for an exhibit, and it was my first ever fundraising campaign. Below are some lessons that I learned about how to run a successful Kickstarter campaign, and I hope that they help you in your Kickstarter, or other crowdfunding, campaign. Best of luck to you, and I hope that you more than exceed my success rate.Please note that these tips are only based on my experience, and...

February 16, 2014

Greg

in Art, How-to in Art

Operation Frame on Kickstarter a Success…Thanks!

[caption id="attachment_3197" align="alignleft" width="300"] One of my rewards for Operation Frame[/caption] So recently my Kickstarter project, Operation Frame, finished. It was my first Kickstarter campaign, or any fundraising campaign for that matter, and it was a success. I was trying to raise $500 to help pay for frames for my exhibit in February, 2014. My purpose for raising the money was really because I didn't have enough money to frame the small paintings (all about 20 x 40 cm or slightly smaller) that I'd be exhibiting. If I didn't raise the money then I wouldn't have been able to exhibit the...

January 23, 2014

Greg

in Art

Mimicking is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

[caption id="attachment_3922" align="alignright" width="250"] Mimicking is the Sincerest Form of Flattery - Cidade à Noite by Greg Mason Burns[/caption] So I was recently mimicked for what I believe is the first time in my artistic career. At the very least I discovered someone mimicking me publicly for the first time, and I think this is a good thing. First of all, he gave me full credit (again, publicly) without me asking, so I'm grateful for that, too. Secondly, I'm honored by this.I first discovered Joseph Hawkin's piece in a contest on the website Fine Art America. I enter contests there just...

January 8, 2014

Greg

in Art

Nova Documentary on New Artists

[caption id="attachment_3923" align="alignright" width="252"] New Year Gift (2013)[/caption] I saw a recent documentary by Nova on some of today's young artists (New Art and the Young Artists behind it). The artists made some interesting comments about what it takes to be an artist in today's world. Tofer Chin said he thinks its about 50-50 quality of art to marketing. I agree with him, and it's not easy to be a marketer when you just want to focus on the art. I guess this is the world we live in, though. I've often thought about making murals. I've never really seen my work...

January 3, 2014

Greg

in Art