Reflecting Upon My Reflections

Back to back to the future

Today’s post marks the two-week anniversary of Brush Aside–time flies when you’re having fun. I thought such a significant event was just cause for some serious self-reflection and a wee bit of celebration, thus the inclusion of the Rene Magritte painting Not To Be Reproduced (Portrait of Edward James). Hip-hip-hooray! Now that the celebration part is officially over, back to reflection. Overall I would classify my initial foray into the blogosphere as a success. I managed to overcome some minor (for coders) technical glitches, I’ve reconnected with a number of old friends and students, made some new friends, and got the ball rolling.

I appreciate all the positive responses, kind words of encouragement and feedback I’ve been getting via e-mail, thru Facebook and from the comments here on the blog. Thank you all. I’m flattered that so many people have voiced interest in what I have to say. So far 99.9% have been positive–well I did receive one span response.

For my blog platform I chose WordPress and not Blogger which is the choice of basically every other art blog in the universe. I chose the Prose Child Theme by Genesis, because I believed their claim that you can  “customize your…blog without knowing the intricacies of stylesheet properties or HTML code,” and that your blog will “scale and adapt appropriately so that it looks proportional and consistent across variety of devices including tablet computers and mobile phones.” As it turns out, getting everything the way I wanted it was a bear. But it does scale well. Ultimately, I had to join site setup kit to receive the technical support I so desperately needed. Going against the grain and choosing the most difficult path–that’s me in a nutshell!

Two blogs in particular inspired me to delve. The first is Underpaintings, created by my friend and former student, Matthew Innis. It’s my first stop when I go online. Matthew’s a great source of info. I can check out all the current shows and auctions I find pertinent and interesting. I enjoy his research into both contemporary and historical artists. Matthew has been very generous in his support of both my painting and teaching efforts. My second source of inspiration is Gurney Journey by Dinotopia author James Gurney. James has a huge following and does a great job covering a wide spectrum of subjects. I was very flattered when he commented positively about Brush Aside. Hats off to both Matthew and James who both do a great job. I see no need to duplicate their efforts.

I plan to discuss issues that no one else either sees or wants to comment on, things that ruffle my feathers. Unless things are brought to light nothing can ever change.

My main purpose is to create a platform where I can present the ideas about painting and teaching that I’ve developed over my 40 year career as a professional artist and educator. A lot of what I want to say goes against the grain of conventional thinking. My goal is to create a contextual shift in the way artists approach their art. I’m looking forward to see where this all leads. Elbert Hubbard said, “The teacher is the one who gets the most out of the lessons, and the true teacher is the learner.”

Please spread the word to anyone you think may be interested. Feel free to comment here, on the blog and share in your thoughts with your fellow readers. I set everything up to make it easy for you to post. You don’t have to register; there are no silly boxes that require psychedelic drugs to decipher. Just hit the comment button and state your opinions, your reactions, your questions or any ideas you have. You’ll be hearing plenty about what I think. I look forward to hearing what you think.

Happy two-week anniversary from the folks who bring you Brush Aside?

Marvin Mattelson is now conducting his classes and workshops online in Full HD 1080p through his Fine Art Portrait Academy. For further information, or to register for an upcoming offering, please follow this link to his teaching page.

Until next time…