Reflections In Paint: The Start of Something New
A Brief Introduction and Some Exciting News
Where do I begin?
I spent most of my life not thinking that I had any ability or interest to create art in the traditional sense. I remember drawing alongside my peers in 7th grade art class and feeling discouraged that my work didn’t turn out as well as the others and decided thinking that I just wasn’t an artist. Fast forward to today, I am still not convinced that I have any special talent and sometimes wonder what motivates me to keep pursuing it. As I prepared for launching this newsletter I felt a sense of impostor syndrome creep in as I wondered if I had anything meaningful to add to the endless sea of amateur art. At that point I came across this quote by the great American painter Richard Schmidt while reading his educational art book Alla Prima II that he wrote in the last few years of his life.
“Even though you share countless similarities with others, you are unique. No one has your mind or your feelings. They do not notice what you notice, and do not have precisely the same sensitivities or fears. No one has the same idea of God as you. No one longs to embrace life or ponders death and beyond as you do. No one is human in the same exact way as you are. Once you understand this, your task is to get in touch with yourself. Find out what moves you, what you believe in, what you truly understand about life, who you are, and what this great experience of being alive means to you. Then put it in your paintings.”
I am not sure where art will take me, but I am happy to have you on this journey with me to figure it out. As we live into a world that feels increasingly fast-paced, disconnected and distracted, the act of creating, sharing and reflecting on the creative work of others is something that we can all benefit from.
Who am I?
If you are here at the start, you probably already know who I am, but in case you don't, I’m Grant, an American artist based in Overland Park, KS which is a suburb of Kansas City. I work in healthcare administration during the day and scrape together time during the rest of the week to work on Art. I have an awesome wife and two boys and we enjoy travel, outdoor activities, music, and all of the activities that come with a 4 and 7 year old kid.
I have always been interested in various creative projects, but only recently discovered a passion for painting(mostly oil and soft pastel) within the past couple years. I am particularly fond of classical portraiture, but have more recently been really excited about taking my work in some new directions. I will talk more about my story and how I found my interest in art soon in an upcoming newsletter.
What to expect
In an effort to live a more focused and intentionally I am moving away from using social media and will not be sharing work there often. With this newsletter, I want to create a space for deeper dives into my art and the creative process. I'll be sharing:
A look at my latest creations
Reflections on what inspires me and keeps me going
A look into my process and inspiring art discoveries I come across
For now I am planning on sending something out every 2-3 weeks. Whether or not you are an artist I hope the content will inspire others to create and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. I would love to hear from you if there are any topics or types of content you would like to see more of!
Brief Note on Subscriptions: The platform Substack I am using will provide you with the standard free option as well as a paid option. The newsletter will always be free. If you end up loving the newsletter, however, and are interested in helping fund my art habit I would certainly love it if you do decide to become a paid subscriber!
Two New Paintings in an Upcoming Show!
I am excited to announce that I had a couple pieces selected to be in an upcoming show titled Passport at a gallery here in Overland Park. The artwork in the show is travel themed and has some great work across a variety of mediums. Here are the oil paintings I have in the show. I hope you will stop by in person if you live nearby! I will speak more about the process and story for each of these in the next newsletter.
Title: Tokyo Harae
Size: 9” x 12”
Title: Bougainvillea Blooms in Saint Raphael
Size: 16” x 20”
Show Information
7944 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, Kansas 66204, USA
Official Show dates: June 21st - July 12th, 2024
Opening Reception: June 21st 5-7pm (I will be there)
Overland Park Art Fair: The exhibit will be on view early during the Overland Park Art fair on the 6/14-6/15 as well.
Please reach out for more details if you are interested in purchasing these or any other work I share in my newsletter or on my website.
Thanks for Reading!
Thank you so much for joining me on this first edition of my newsletter. I would love to hear what you think and if there is anything you would like to see in upcoming newsletters.
In the meantime, you can always explore more of my work on my my website. [www.jgrantfineart.com]