Masonry - Greg Mason Burns

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June 2, 2015

The Golden Ratio is Bullshit

[caption id="attachment_2862" align="alignleft" width="300"] Self-portrait - 17.5 x 27.5 cm - The closest I have to the Golden Ratio[/caption] Golden Ratio is a Myth I've suspected this for some time, and I finally got an article that shows this, albeit in a more practical way. The Golden Ratio is kind of a crap number when it comes to nature, art, and design. Now, the author, John Brownlee, suggests the Golden Ratio (or, more simply, 1:6) isn't practical for mathematical reasons. He firstly says that the number isn't just 1.6, or 1.6180 as he notes. In fact, the ratio is much like pi...

May 11, 2015

Greg

How to Make High-Quality Prints at Home

[caption id="attachment_3713" align="alignleft" width="298"] Blue Flower - Oil on Canvas 2105[/caption] Click here to reference my article on how to make high-quality prints at home: Step One: Buy a good printer. You'll need one that uses archival inks. Do your research on this. Here are a few printers that I found. I personally use this one. You'll want to find a printer that both uses archival inks as well as one that will continue to sell these inks. While most of these printers are expensive, there are inexpensive ones out there. You won't find one for $200, but you also don't need...

April 27, 2015

Greg

A Lack of Diversity in the US Art World

This is a shame. According to the ArtNews.com (my link is to the LA Times), one-third of all solo museum exhibits in the United States are by artists from five different galleries. In other words, there's a lot of power in the hands of very, very few. That's a clear lack of diversity in the US art world if I ever saw one.Sure, you can argue that there's diversity in the art world still, just like you can argue there's diversity in the workplace - until you walk into your company's board room and suddenly realize that you either completely...

April 12, 2015

Greg

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...

February 24, 2015

Greg

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 22, 2015

Greg

Drawing Tips for the Advanced Artist

[caption id="attachment_3832" align="alignleft" width="300"] A sketch by me early in my career[/caption] As I do often when I have some time to kill, I float through the Internet looking for ways to improve as an artist. Sometimes I stumble on basic instructions such as this one about shape and form. I find these basic instruction sites helpful because it helps to remind me the fundamentals. However, I much prefer to take the next level. That's why I was happy to have found Keene Wilson's art notes for the advanced artist. Wilson does a great job of just listing things to remember....

February 19, 2015

Greg

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”....

December 21, 2014

Greg

Trust in the Process: Understanding Introversion (because we don’t)

[caption id="attachment_3846" align="alignleft" width="226"] Understanding Introversion: Self-Portrait - oil on canvas (2014)[/caption] Understanding Introversion Part I this series is here Part II this series is here Part III this series is here Part IV this series is here Introversion and being an artist actually have little to do with each other. As much as people would like to pigeon-hole artists into the introversion category, I'm not convinced it's true. There are an awful lot of artists out there who prefer to just want to be out there with other people, attending shows, or generally being the center of attention. As it happens I'm not one of...

December 18, 2014

Greg

Technique Instruction: Pastel Portraits

[caption id="attachment_2862" align="alignleft" width="160"] Pastel Portraits: Self-portrait - oil pastel on glass (2013)[/caption] I paint mostly with oils, but I have ventured into the realm of oil pastels at times with some success with portraits. In fact, probably three of my most popular works have been oil pastel paintings (seen below). I recently came across this step-by-step pastel portrait link by Gwenneth Barth-White, and thought it would be nice to share. It actually more follows how I build up my oil paintings (though I'm much less deliberate and more emotional instead), but it's still nice to see a good process. Enjoy: I...

December 18, 2014

Greg

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

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 9, 2014

Greg

Technique Instruction: Figurative Oil Painting

[caption id="attachment_380" align="alignleft" width="300"] Figurative Oil Painting: Portrait of Nivea Bona - oil pastel on glass (2013)[/caption] My strongest work are my abstracts, but sometimes the figurative comes out in me and I produce some good landscapes, still life paintings, and portraits. I enjoy these more than my abstracts because of the challenge they present, but like anything they require practice. I came across these videos by Joseph Lorusso who shows us how he builds up his palette and uses it on canvas to produce a portrait. There are some good tips in here on figurative oil painting. I hope you...