Behind the Artwork Archives - 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

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

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

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

Behind the Painting: Iglesia en La Serena

[caption id="attachment_3932" align="alignleft" width="283"] Iglesia en La Serena - Watercolor on Paper (2014)[/caption] I started working with watercolors a few weeks ago, and today I finished my 11th painting, of which only two are worth presenting. The learning curve has proven to be steep but not tiresome. This painting is the 11th attempt and one of the two that I believe is worthy of satisfaction. It is called Iglesia en La Serena and it's based on a photo I took while visiting La Serena, Chile a few years ago. I took this photo knowing that I would someday paint it. This...

March 19, 2014

Greg

in Behind the Artwork