Masonry - Greg Mason Burns

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August 31, 2014

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 23, 2014

Greg

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...

July 23, 2014

Greg

Art and Productivity

[caption id="attachment_3295" align="alignleft" width="300"] Art and Productivity: when art develops over time[/caption] This has been something on my mind for some time. I wouldn't call it a rant, or really anything new, but it is a reality and I believe an important point to share: that artists are as productive as corporate workers in spite of not being able to show anything at the end of a particular day. Thinking is Working Look, I get what you're thinking - how is it possible that an artist is working when sitting in a café watching the world go by? There's no way to put...

May 21, 2014

Greg

rEvolution: An Exhibit at Museu Guido Viaro

[caption id="attachment_3927" align="alignleft" width="250"] At the Museu Guido Viaro (photo by Nivea Bona)[/caption] The exhibit ended at the Museu Guido Viaro on May 10, 2014, and it was a success for a couple of reasons. One is that I now have two paintings no longer in my possession. Barcelona Rooftops sold to a private collector and Cidade à Noite became a part of the museum's permanent collection. The owner of the museum, Guido Viaro (the grandson of the Brazilian painter of the same name for whom the museum is dedicated to), has been gracious enough with his time to introduce me to...

April 15, 2014

Greg

rEvolution: My First Museum Exhibit

[caption id="attachment_3930" align="alignright" width="287"] Brochure for the exhibit rEvolution. Design by Paulo Negri Filho[/caption] These past few years have been a real struggle. I guess I knew what I was getting into when I left my comfy job in the healthcare finance world, but I didn't know just how challenging the early years would be. In fact, I'm not out of the water yet, but next week marks the beginning of the next step forward. Of course, I hope there are many more steps like this in the years to come. From healthcare finance to a museum exhibit in just a...

March 19, 2014

Greg

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 9, 2014

Greg

Behind the Painting: New Year Gift

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="222"] New Year Gift - Oil on Paper (2013)[/caption] We were in the early days of the warm Brazilian summer when a collector sent me an e-mail with a photo she had just taken from her bedroom window. Deep in midst of her PhD thesis, the late evening sun had caught her gaze and distracted her long enough to see the distant cityscape slowly turn into dark hues of yellows, oranges, reds, and greys before giving way to the darker blues of the night sky above. It was a reminder to her that her thesis was going take...

February 16, 2014

Greg

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 2, 2014

Greg

Pieces of 2013: an exhibit of my 2013 paintings

[caption id="attachment_3948" align="alignleft" width="304"] Rua Dr Rafael Ribeiro Study IV - Oil on Paper (2013)[/caption] We hung the exhibit and it will begin on February 3, 2014. This is the exhibit that's linked to my Kickstarter Project: Operation Frame. Café Camões is open Mon-Fri until 7pm. It has the best apple pie in Curitiba. Here is the Facebook invite: https://www.facebook.com/events/637498719646236/ What to Look for in a Cafe Exhibiting in cafes is always a bit tricky, because people are there for the food and not for the art. However, they generate a lot of traffic with all different types of clients. Yes, some places...

January 23, 2014

Greg

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 8, 2014

Greg

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 3, 2014

Greg

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...