It's been several months since I last Blogged. Sad but true... my plans falling through with the Non Profit I've mentioned put a serious damper on my creative energies. I haven't written or painted in several months, and I need to address that. What I've been working on instead are building accounts on two new sites; one for my music and the other as a way to network with other artists. I'd love to have a tab with my songs here, and when I can finally justify upgrading to Weebly Pro I will do exactly that. Until then, you can check out my musical creations at (soundcloud.com/grevusanjl). In the past two months alone, I've managed to remaster and upload a song a week from my back catalog (skipping the songs that haven't stood the test of time). My page now has 10 tracks. And I'm trying to upload a new song every Wednesday until I've caught up. Once I've accomplished that (I'm guessing 7 to 10 more will make the cut), and with tons of practice in Logic under my belt, I'll return to producing new music. I can tell I've already learned tons from this little effort, and am excited to see what I'll be able to do next. The second site ties very nicely into this one; and serves as a bridge to an established art community so I can share my paintings, and hopefully make connections and get feedback (grevusanjl.deviantart.com). I only started my page on that site 2 weeks ago, and decided to catalog my paintings into chronological order, starting from the very beginning like I'm doing with SoundCloud. I'm already up to 5 paintings... my very earliest works. I'm happy to say they still blow me away, and remind me that I really, REALLY need to paint... frequently. It's very rewarding and keeps me spiritually healthy. So, although this post will be long, I wanted to catch this site up with DeviantArt. You'll notice my 5 oldest paintings are now available to view on my 'My Art' tab... way, way down at the bottom. And the text and images that follow are directly from my Deviant Art uploads. I hope you enjoy this little trip into my artistic past. And I hope you're also inspired to explore my other creative avenues on SoundCloud and DeviantArt. :) Deviant Art Upload 1 from 11/08/16: (001) 'GrevusAnjl' 'GrevusAnjl' is my first serious attempt at fine art (while under the generous guidance of an amazing professional artist and dear family friend, David Richey Johnsen). I painted it shortly after we moved back to our home state after 10 years on the East Coast. It will always symbolize my attempt to migrate from my previous career as a commercial graphic artist into life as a fine artist. A little back history... GrevusAnjl is a 'persona' I created when I was much younger; symbolizing my highest-minded, most loving self. (the oddly truncated spelling dates back to the old AOL days when user names were limited to 10 characters). This androgynous figure reminds me of my fascination of and profound love for this world; always remaining a little unsure and perhaps a bit mournful for how far we've fallen from our true potential. Upload 2 from 11/11/16: (002) 'Taken From Her' 'Taken From Her' is my second effort at being a professional painter; same simple, traditional palette of Titanium White, Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna I used on 'GrevusAnjl'. The main study for this painting was a female stage performer from the late 1800's (Sorry to say, I didn't think to write down her name); one of many interesting characters I found in a super old black and white book, posing dramatically in their stage costumes. I could also mention I researched old European cemeteries and images of leafless, fall trees, but I suspect that may be evident. :) I envy painters who can clearly see their paintings in their minds. I'm not that fortunate. I usually composite my imagined pieces in Photoshop so I can move the layers around until I get a pleasing design. I also use a chalk grid so I can transfer the image to canvas more accurately. I remain ever hopeful my natural imagination will evolve the more I paint. I'm happy to say my technical skills have definitely improved with practice. Upload 3 from 11/14/16: (004) 'Cheer 01' It's pretty much what you might imagine; my first attempt at painting a portrait of someone named Cheer (*hint* my wifey *hint*). I painted only 6 or 7 pieces on canvas board before being 'scolded' by an art store employee. He told me I was past painting on inexpensive 'practice' materials. While it was a very nice, very generous compliment, it did take me a few days to get my ego back in check. Then again, I think everyone deserves to feel good when they're starting out. That lesson learned, I always found something worthy of praise in everything my art students created; an easy task when you see the love and excitement in their eyes. :) Upload 4 from 11/18/16: (005) 'Bremen 01' Same story as last Monday's submission, this time a portrait painting of my youngest daughter. I forgot to mention in my last post... this painting, 'Cheer 01' and 'Branaugh 01' (you'll get to see that in a week or so) were all painted from photos. By this point in time, I already had several life drawing classes and labs under my belt, but I didn't want to be rushed on this, and kids don't sit still very well. :) I also want to share a little trick I used for accuracy of detail. I'm a graphic artist by profession, and have many tools of the trade still lying around. One such tool is my trusty Proportion Wheel, an inexpensive little gadget predating the advent of computer layout. With that and a ruler, I was able to identify and place reference points on my canvas board for the exact position of key features like the inside and outside corners of they eyes, the sides of the mouth, the highest and lowest points of the ears, etc., from a much smaller photo. Interestingly, I had a fellow student call me a cheat when I told her about this technique. (Sad too, because I respected her, and thought she was really good. It's unfortunate to think I might have been a threat.) To that, I happily remind the viewer I also use grids and reference photos (personal, permissioned and public domain) and Photoshop to get my compositions and paintings as good as I can. I paint for my own pleasure, and my bliss doesn't really care how I got there. More importantly, if I can share a technique that helps others... then we all grow together. :D Upload 5 from 11/21/16: (006) 'Awakening 101'
As the second half of my life takes form, I realize how much time I've wasted fearing things I don't understand; how many of my beliefs are nothing more than the ideas imposed on me by other people wanting me to think a certain way. I don't know if it's a quote I'm remembering or just a realization I've had, but I now live by the idea, 'A fearful man is easy to control. A loving man is free from control.'. I began my mental reboot just over 10 years ago by starting to question everything; especially my own beliefs. If I feared something, I bought a book on the subject and educated myself. If I felt anything but love for a group, or found I was clinging to stereotypes, I spend time learning facts and creating new truths. Studying Human Psychology, Science and Religion became a passion for me, and I've grown to love more and more of the things I used to fear. In all honesty, I'm now the healthiest (physically, mentally and spiritually) I've ever been... and I have only just begun my explorations. This painting is called 'Awakening 101' and is my playful interpretation of the story of Siddhartha attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. It's simply another expression of what we're all after... a burning desire to better understand life's purpose. It's been said, 'there are as many paths to enlightenment as there are souls that have walked this earth.' While there's certainly no harm in sharing our ideas, finding your own truth is a personal journey. If each of us has the courage to make that pilgrimage, we all benefit.
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AuthorHello everyone. I'm Justin Mackay. I'm a creative soul, an explorer of life's mysteries, and a big fan of all the beauty in the world. If you're just here for the paintings, then head on over to my Art tab. If you wish to delve deeper into the odd thoughts of a pondering mind, then this is the place for you. Archives
February 2018
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