About Me

My photo
Paramus, New Jersey, United States
No, this in not a blog about gardening in any way, but a journal of my journey to become a professional landscape painting artist. For years, I’ve given my paintings as wedding gifts without thinking of profiting in some way from it. I worked for 18 years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC as a computer programmer. I have been a painter since 1990, coincidentally, when I started working at the Met. I watched Bob Ross do his thing on Channel 13 in New York and decided I could do this, too. I have no formal training. I incorporate Bob's wet-on-wet technique for sky and water. My subject matter is covered bridges, lighthouses, fishing village scenes, barns, etc. Maine, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Nova Scotia and Spain are some of the places I have painted. My style is detailed and sometimes people think a photo of the painting is an actual photo of the scene. I hope to continue and grow in this medium. I also like to cook & dance. I am also a committed Christian. I am taking commissions - painting your landscapes style photos or your vacation home. Prices on request. contact me - Jackmck@juno.com my website is www.artofjackmckenzie.com

Thursday, June 30, 2011

New painting - Nobska Point Lighthouse II - a view from the Martha's Vineyard ferry

Heres my newest Painting for June 30th 2011 - Nobska Point Lighthouse II. This is the second painting of this lighthouse. This is a view from the Martha's Vineyard ferry going from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven


please check out Fineartamerica and Zazzle to buy items based on this painting

a Mug from Zazzle
http://www.zazzle.com/nobska_point_lighthouse_ii_mug-168247123397628316


and note cards, postcards and magnets

and Fineartamerica
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/nobska-point-lighthouse-ii-jack-mckenzie.html


Quote : “All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster's autobiography.”
Federico Fellini, Italian film director. (1920-1993)

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Recipes for the feeding of a starving artist - Mango Chicken with Jasmine Rice

All that painting makes an artist hungry and since I like to cook, its a perfect combination.
As I've said before, one of my favorite combinations is chicken and fruit and one of my favorite fruits is mango. My local super market sells containers of mango spears and I cut them up for my cereal in the morning, and you've seen my salmon and mango sauce recipe in a previous post. Here are two recipes that will show you how well they go together. Enjoy! One additional thought - if you have a grill feature on your stove, try grilling mango slices as a special add-on to your dish.

Quote: "The preparation of good food is merely another expression of art, one of the joys of civilized living"
Dione Lucas


Mango Chicken with Jasmine Rice
Ingredients
2 tablespoons Oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 chicken breasts sliced
4 green onions, sliced on the diagonal
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon chicken base
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 ripe mangos, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons sherry
cornstarch for thickening if necessary
Directions
Heat wok and add oil. Add ginger and cinnamon and saute for 30 seconds. Add chicken and green onions and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add soy sauce, chicken base, water and sugar and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for approx 15 minutes. Add mangos and sherry and simmer uncovered until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Add cornstarch mixed with a litter water to thicken if necessary. Serve with Jasmine or Basmati rice, cooked according to package directions.
Recipe serves four



Mango-Mustard Glazed Chicken

Recipe courtesy of Mango Inn, Lake Worth, FL

Mango-Mustard Glazed Chicken
Make 6 servings

1 cup chopped peeled mango
1 cup pineapple juice
½ cup apricot or peach preserves
½ cup dry white wine
1 ½ tablespoons stone-ground mustard
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
6 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Cooking spray

Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl; stir well with a whisk.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat until hot. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan.

Add mango mixture; bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done and sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Interesting article - How to stage your first art exhibition - from Lori McNee's Finearttips

Another great article from Lori. A lot of great ideas here.

http://www.finearttips.com/2011/06/how-to-stage-your-first-art-exhibition/


I would add to this the idea of posting on as many on-line artist sites that have event calendars as you can find. Fineartamerica, artitsinternetcafe, fanartreview, artfairinsider to name a couple.
AOL is trying to corner the market in local news and has set up "patch' site for many towns with local editors and they have event calendars. I live in Paramus, so I post on the Paramus Patch no matter what other town I'm displaying in, http://paramus.patch.com/ plus that town's patch or if no patch a nearby Patch. Here's the main Patch Page to help you find your local Patch


http://www.patch.com/

Quote: Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together. ~John Ruskin

Monday, June 27, 2011

Opening my Peggy's Cove painting's products stores and the Peggy's Cove Arts Festival

As I've said before, I'm trying to make a few pennies on my painting s by loading my painting's images in to Zazzle, Fineartamerica, printfection and a few other sites and sell products based on those images - Mugs, cards, postcards, prints, etc. It occured to me to present them in groups - covered bridges, lighthouses, etc. If I have enough of a specific place, the one "stores' for that place. One such place is Peggy's Cove.


Peggy's Cove is a wonderful little fishing village on the west(?) coast of Nova Scotia. The lighthouse is iconic and the harbor is classic. Check out the webcams

http://www.novascotiawebcams.com/south-shore/peggys-cove-lighthouse.html




I have 5 paintings of Peggy's Cove and a nearby fishing dock. There is also an Arts Festival going on this weekend. Here's the Facebook page for the festival

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggys-Cove-Area-Festival-of-the-Arts/182573615121210?sk=wall




I got an invite to come up and display when I posted my last Peggy's Cove Lighthouse picture, but I have a friends wedding, so I can't go. It occurred to me yesterday that I should have seen if I could get them to sell stuff based on my paintings at the festival. Its too late for that so I decided to open a Peggy's Cove "store" in Zazzle

http://www.zazzle.com/peggyscove


and FineartAmerica
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jack-mckenzie.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=91795


If they don't like this idea, I'm sure I will hear from them. So, if you see anything you like, please purchase something and if your in the area of Nova Scotia south of Halifax, check out the Peggy's Cove area festival of Arts

Quote: Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. ~Stella Adler

Friday, June 24, 2011

Recipes for the feeding of a starving artist - BBQing apricots and Apricot Stuffed Chicken

All that painting makes an artist hungry and since I like to cook, its a perfect combination.
One of my favorite combinations is chicken and fruit. I have a few chicken and apple recipes (and bacon, too), but since its Summer (at least in the States), I thought I'd give a Summer Fruit recipe. I like apricots, especially as an apricot crisp, but they go great with chicken. When BBQing chicken, cut some apricots in half, brush with oil and honey and put them on the grill. Serve them together or make an apricot salsa with it. Yum!

or maybe this one...

Apricot Stuffed Chicken
2 whole chicken breasts, boned, skin on
1/2 cup dry stuffing mix
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1/2 tsp ground ginger
4 fresh apricots (1/2 lb), halved
1/2 cup apricot jam
1 tbsp cider vinegar
Place chicken skin side down and pound with a mallet to flatten slightly.
Combine stuffing mix, onion, butter, and 1/4 teaspoon ginger.
Spoon stuffing mixture in a strip along center of each breast.
Place apricot halved on top of stuffing.
Wrap chicken around filling; tie each chicken roll with a string every 2 inches.
Barbecue on rack about 5-1/2 inches above medium-hot coals 15 minutes, turning once or twice.
Mix apricot jam, vinegar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon ginger.
Brush jam mixture over chicken rolls; continue cooking until done, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Makes 4 servings
Nutrition information per serving: 340 calories, 17 g protein, 40 g carbohydrates, 163 mg sodium, 13 g fat, 62 mg cholesterol, 1 g dietary fiber, 1095 IU vitamin A, 368 mg potassium

Quote: Every good composition is above all a work of abstraction. All good painters know this. But the painter cannot dispense with subjects altogether without his work suffering impoverishment. - Diego Rivera

Thursday, June 23, 2011

New Painting - Cherry Trees - The Painter and my next library show - Old Tappan

(Note: I would appreciate your feedback on these paintings or any entry here by posting comments or following me)

I do my paintings in groups of three, so this is the last of that group of three.
The Title of this painting: Cherry Trees - The Painter.
This is a scene of a man in New York's Central Park painting a grove of cherry trees. This is 2nd in a series of that theme. My next one is of a woman reading under a group of blossoming cherry trees.
I posted this on Finearttips FB page and Lori McNee liked the high-key approach, which means that most or all of the image is light or pale in value. I had a little trouble photographng this and it looks better in real life.


and here's a couple sites where, if you like this painting, I hope you will consider purchasing some items with the image on it.

Fineartamerica
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/cherry-trees--the-painter-jack-mckenzie.html


and Zazzle
http://www.zazzle.com/cherry_trees_the_painter+gifts


Old Tappan Library Show
Its that time to start thinking about the switching of libraries. I will be doing only one show this time. The month of July will be in the Northeastern Bergen County town of Old Tappan, NJ. I went and checked it out yesterday and the people could not have been nicer. The space for the paintings is two fold - about 10 in the main area and about 15 in the community room in back. The librarian said she had already notified the local papers & thats nice to hear. Due to the July 4th weekend, I may not get it up until the 5th. Check out the site

http://oldtappan.bccls.org/

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

New Painting - Pine Grove Covered Bridge II - Lancaster

Happy Summer everyone!
This is my lastest painting for June 21st. Its the Pine Grove covered Bridge in the south-eastern corner of Lancaster County, Pa. Its the 2nd painting I've done of this bridge.


If you'd be interested in notecards, postcards, mugs etc with the image of this painting, please check out the following sites. It would be much appreciated.

Fine Art America
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/pine-cove-covered-bridge-ii--lancaster-jack-mckenzie.html


and Zazzle
http://www.zazzle.com/jackmck1+pine+grove+covered+bridge+ii+gifts



Quote: Whether I'm painting or not, I have this overwhelming interest in humanity. Even if I'm not working, I'm still analyzing people.
::: Alice Neel :::

Monday, June 20, 2011

My Goats Island Lighthouse painting finds its place

My friend Candy bought my Goat Island Lighthouse painting and finally found a good place to hang it. She posted the picture of it on Facebook


with the following caption:
The Goat Island Lighthouse painting by talented Paramus artist Jack McKenzie is now on display in a private collection in Ortley Beach NJ.


Quote: We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand. The artist must know the manner whereby to convince others of the truthfulness of his lies. ~Pablo Picasso

New Painting - West Chop Lighthouse-Martha's Vineyard and a punny art joke

Here is my latest painting as of 6/20/11 - The West Chop Lighthouse on Martha's Vineyard. This is as view from the ferry a it passes by on the way to Vineyard Haven. This is from a photo I took on a absolutely gorgeous, no cloud in the sky day about 4 in the afternoon.



Check out items for sale based on this painting on Fineartamerica and Zazzle


http://fineartamerica.com/featured/west-chop-lighthouse-marthas-vineyard-jack-mckenzie.html


http://www.zazzle.com/jackmck1+west+chop+lighthouse+gifts



An artist needs a sense of humor to navigate in the world, so here's one that came my way. I love punny stuff and this is full of them. (This is a personal issue, of course!)

A thief in Paris stole paintings from the Louvre & almost made it safely, but his van ran out of gas. When asked how he could make such an obvious error, he replied, 'Monsieur, that is the reason I stole the paintings.'
I had no Monet
To buy Degas
To make the Van Gogh.'
So if you have De Gaulle to send this on to someone else.
I sent it to you because I figured I had nothing Toulouse .....

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Interesting article for Father's Day - from Artbizblog - 6 steps For Artist Father to Grow Creative Kids and a new follower

What a great article to appear just in time for Fathers Day. Father's (and Mother's too) should encourage their child to explore the creative side. Many times the child has to hide or supress this from a non-supportive family or friends (a little bit of Billy Eliot there), particularly if its a sports nut Father and wants to live vicariously thru his sons sports deeds and the son will not cooperate. to. This article has some every good idea to that end.


http://www.artbizblog.com/2011/06/coleman-father.html?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzEmail&utm_content=43035&utm_campaign=0


Just got a new follower. Its a teen setting up his own blog and so far he's following two Justin Bieber blogs and me! Interesting!

Quote: The artist is the antenna of the race. Ezra Pound

My Hillsdale Library show press, both print and online & works in progress - West Chop Lighthouse and Pine Grove Covered Bridge

Its nice to get press mentions of whatever shows you are doing and I got two this weekend, both from my local statewide newspaper The Record. both print and online and both for the Hillsdale NJ Library show, not the Secaucus show.

First online - I kind of wish they had said the artwork, but it will do! It has my blog on it, so I hope for more traffic on it.
http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/at_the_library/123978664_The_work_of_Jack_McKenzie.html


I posted this on Facebook and Twitter and one friend (thanks Cesar) re-posted it! Hope more do!

...and the print. This was in The Records's Better Living Friday supplement in the Things To Do section. I did not realize this, but a friend (thanks Rudy) saw it and emailed me his congratulations.




My two works in progress - The West Chop Lighthouse in Marthas Vineyard and the Pine Grove Covered Bridge in Lancaster, are almost finished. Should be done by mid-week. I will then start on a couple of NY Central Park/Cherry Tree paintings and maybe another Nantucket lighthouse picture

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Interesting article - Meylah via Lori McNee' s Finearttips - 12 reasons why artists should use Twitter

Hey all you frantic Social Media. Most of you already are borderline fanatical Twitter users, but just in case there is a person or two who does not get it, here are 12 reasons to do so, especially us artist types. Came across this on Finearttips Facebook page

http://meylah.com/meylah/12-persuasive-reasons-why-artists-should-use-twitter


As to whats on my easel, I'm 75% done with a Martha'a Vineyard painting of the West Chop lighthouse

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

On the lighter side - The Family Tree of Vincent Van Gogh (lend an ear)

FAMILY TREE OF VINCENT VAN GOGH
(Warning - very American humor here. Proceed???)


His dizzy aunt ----------------------------------------------- Verti Gogh
The brother who ate prunes------------------------------- Gotta Gogh
The brother who worked at a convenience store ------ Stop N Gogh
The grandfather from Yugoslavia ----------------------------- U Gogh
His magician uncle -------------------------------- Where-diddy Gogh
His Mexican cousin ---------------------------------------- A Mee Gogh
The Mexican cousin's American half-brother ------------ Gring Gogh
The nephew who drove a stage coach --------------- Wells-far Gogh
The ballroom dancing aunt -------------------------------- Tang Gogh
The bird lover uncle -------------------------------------- Flamin Gogh
The fruit loving cousin ----------------------------------- Man Gogh
An aunt who taught positive thinking ------------------ Way-to-Gogh
The little bouncy nephew ----------------------------------- Poe Gogh
A sister who loved disco -------------------------------------- Go Gogh
And his niece who travels the country in an RV --- Winnie Bay Gogh



Quote -“I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.” Vincent Van Gogh

Recipes for the feeding of a starving artist - Pan Seared Salmon With Crab Crust and Mango-Dijon Sauce

This is an occasional post of recipes I'm made or find interesting and want to make. I love to cook and this is a favorite recipe that I've made a number of times. I vary it by using either individual fillets or a whole fillet. If its the whole fillet, I just put the crab on and cook it. I've cooked it over a bed of asparagus or spinach casserole. I made this last night for some my friend Paul Ingis and his family who have a Square Dancing class in their home for their home-school association (Home School Hoedowners). We do dinners occasionally (last one was New Years Day 2007 - I made a wild mushroom bread pudding). Paul is not a salmon fan, but loved this. Check out the pictures and enjoy the recipe.


Before the Oven


After the oven

On the table

On the plate


Pan Seared Salmon With Crab Crust and Mango-Dijon Sauce
Chef Larry's Recipe
Ingredients
4 fresh salmon fillets,
6 ounce portions
1/4 cup Seasoned flour (all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper)
1 T. Cooking oil
16 - 20 Whole chives
1 tsp. Chopped parsley
For the crab crust
1 tsp. Butter
1/3 cup Celery
1/3 cup Red bell pepper, fine diced
1/3 cup Green bell pepper, fine diced
1 tsp. Chives, minced
1 tsp. Parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Dungeness crabmeat, drained well
1/2 cup Snow crabmeat, drained well
1 T. Mayonnaise
3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Mango Dijon Sauce (recipe follows)
Method
Prepare Mango Dijon Sauce, reserve.
Prepare crab crust by melting butter in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add celery and peppers. Saute until tender, remove and cool. Transfer cooled mixture to a mixing bowl. Add crabmeat, mayonnaise, worcestershire sauce, chives and parsley, mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.
Heat cooking oil in a saute pan or skillet. Lightly dredge salmon fillet
s in seasoned flour. Carefully sear salmon in hot oil on both sides. Remove and cool. Place cooled salmon fillets in a baking dish and top with crabmeat mixture. Spoon hollandaise sauce over each portion and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove crab crusted salmon from oven.
Makes 4 servings
Mango Dijon Sauce
Ingredients
1 tsp. Butter
1 tsp. Shallots, minced
1/4 cup Dry white wine
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup Mango, peeled and diced
1 cup Chicken stock
1/2 cup Heavy cream
Salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Method Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and saut? until translucent. Add white wine, bring to a boil. Simmer until 1/2 of the liquid is evaporated. Add Dijon mustard, mango and chicken stock bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow mixture to cool slightly.
Carefully puree with an immersion blender or regular bar blender until smooth. Return to saucepan and incorporate cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Makes 2 cups

My library shows listed on a number of events of sites - Zvents, NY Daily News to name a few

I'm amazed at the number of events sites my library shows in Hillsdale and Secaucus get mentioned on. I Googled "Jack Mckenzie Hillsdale" and "jack Mckenzie Secaucus" and came up with a number of sites. I'm posting a few below:

Zvents Hillsdale and Secaucus
http://www.zvents.com/z/hillsdale-nj/the-art-of-jack-mckenzie-at-hillsdale-library--events--189567665

http://www.zvents.com/z/secaucus-nj/the-art-of-jack-mckenzie-at-secaucus-library--events--189989685



Greenwichtime
http://events.greenwichtime.com/secaucus-nj/events/show/189989685-the-art-of-jack-mckenzie-at-secaucus-library


This one is Paramus events in Hillsdale in Bergen.com
http://events.bergen.com/hillsdale-nj/events/events+in+hillsdale+nj


New York Daily News
http://events.nydailynews.com/secaucus-nj/events/show/189989685-the-art-of-jack-mckenzie-at-secaucus-library



Quote: I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.
Duke Ellington (1899 - 1974)

Monday, June 13, 2011

adding Lancaster, Maine, and Peggy's Cove slideshows and a painting inspires writers

I'm adding 3 more slide shows containing my Lancaster, Maine and Peggy's Cove paintings. Each has reached my arbitrary 5 painting limit to earn their own slide shows

Lancaster
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackmckenzie/sets/72157626948775782/show


Maine
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackmckenzie/sets/72157626824252221/show/

Peggy's Cove
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackmckenzie/sets/72157626948732810/show/

Now as the the story of one of my paintings inspiring latent writing abilities. I think an artist gets a kick out of helping to inspire others to seek their artistic abilities. they may have tried or thought of it in the past and discarded the thought for many reasons. One on my paintings seems to have kicked up these latent abilities in two of my friends Theresa and Audrey.
This is what I've called my Smiling Barn - Maine that I found on the back roads of Maine.


After posting this on Facebook Theresa and Audrey posted the following

Audrey: It's smiling at what the hay bales are saying to each other, obviously. Jack, have you thought of illustrating children's books?

Theresa: oh... that's a great idea Aunt Audrey... Jack, she's right I could totally see this image in a picture book!

Me: Audrey, have you thought of writing a children's book and me illustrating, since you came up with the idea of talking hay bales.

Theresa: Hmmm... I've always wanted to write a book...maybe I will... I definitely will think about it...

Keive: Maybe there is a collaboration in the works... I third the notion of you being an illustrator for a children's book! Definitely go with the "smiling Maine barn". It looks too happy to be just a Maine Barn. :)

******************************

Further inperson discussion posited the idea of a barn with allergies (hay fever,etc) and looking for a purpose.
Stay tuned

Quote: All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness.
::: Eckhart Tolle :::

Sunday, June 12, 2011

adding Nantucket painting slideshow, Pascack Art Association and the Before Its News Site

Got a lot to things to talk about but will split it up. Three subjects at a time is enough. More in a couple of days. So get a cup of tea and take seat.

As I get more and more paintings done of a certain location, I will add a slideshow of that place. I now have 5 paintings of the Nantucket Brand Point Lighthouse, so its time for a them to have their own slideshow. I have 3 of the Martha's Vineyard/Woodshole paintings so I have two more (which I am working on) to go before I trigger a slideshow for them. I'm including it here and one of the paintings




http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackmckenzie/sets/72157626945446954/show/


In searching for a job in todays world, on of the requirements is shifting thru mounds of E-mails sent by networking groups, Linkedin and Yahoo groups, etc. and sometimes there are things that you read and say I'll get back to it and never do. 2 months ago, I got an e-mail to from the Pascack Art Association to participate in their June 11th art show in Hillsdale's Veterans park and to join the group. I missed it entirely, until 2 days ago, when cleaning out my inbox I found it again. I could not have participated since all my paintings are in two libraries, but I do want to join the group. Thier meetings are the 2nd Tuesday f the month Sept - June in Hilldale, so this Tuesday, I will be attending that meeting. Its $30 a year to join, so I'll go and see if its worth it. Their website is below.

http://www.pascackartassociation.org/


A site call Before Its News has asked me to allow them to carry my blog feed. Here is the 1st two paragraphs of the Email.

"I'm the Self Reliance editor at Before It's News. Our site is a People Powered news platform with over 2,500,000 visits a month and growing fast.

We would be honored if we could republish Landscapes by Jack's RSS feed in our Self Reliance category. Our readers need to read what your blog has to say."

I'm not sure whether people need to waht I have to say, but any promotion is a good thing and helps your SEO ranking. I need to check them out first. Below is the website.

http://beforeitsnews.com/


Quote: A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. Abraham Maslo

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Using my Camp-of-the-Woods paintings for Zazzle products

One way an artists gets to make a few pennies from his/her paintings is by posting products on Zazzle, Fineartamerica and other sites. It also comes from appealing to niche markets - dogs, horses, light houses, etc. Here, I'm trying to get to the Camp-of-the-Woods of Speculator, NY market.
COTW is a Christian family camp in the Adirondacks thats been around for over 100 years and my family has been going to for 3 generations. Check out their site.
www.camp-of-the-woods.org/


Their chef, Lance Nitihara, is a favorite on the Food Network show Chopped - Crunch Time.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/chopped-competitors-crunch-time/index.html


I've been doing occasional paintings of the Camp and they are hanging on the Camp's walls. The accepted procedure is that despite selling or giving a painting to someone, the artist retains image rights. Camp-of-the-Woods is free to use those rights, too. So, for all you who attend Camp-of-the-Woods here's my store for you! I will be donating 25% of whatever I make to the Camp. I also have a little SEO action going at the same time.

http://www.zazzle.com/jackscotwshop

Friday, June 10, 2011

Artist Spotlight - Jackie Jones - pet portraits

Like Sally Lancaster with her horse portaits, Jackie Jones is a master of the pet portrait (and people, too occasionally). I came across her on one of the Linkedin artist groups. So, if you think your pet deserves to be immortalized, check her out!

http://www.poochpix.com/

Thursday, June 9, 2011

New Painting - Maine Barn and paintings I'm working on

I am presenting a new painting - another in my Barn series. This is another barn I found on the backroads of Maine. The original picture had the farmer's name on it, which I did not include. For name I'm calling in Maine Barn, but I'm thinking of calling it Smiling Barn - Maine



As to what I'm working on there are 5 paintings in the hopper, 1 started and 4 to be started.
1) a Lancaster Covered Bridge
2) another Woodshole lighthouse - this time from the ferry with a sailboat in front
3) the West Chop lighthouse on Martha's Vineyard - also from the ferry
4) another Central Park Cherry Tree painting - this time with a painter doing his thing
5) same as above, except with a woman sitting on a blanket reading

Interesting article - Lori McNee' s Finearttips - Painting your own social media portrait

Another good article by Lori McNee - painting your own social Media portrait. I still have to get on Stumbleupon

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/ABjEqW/www.finearttips.com/2011/06/paint-your-own-social-media-portrait/

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Artist Spotlight - Sally Lancaster - Horse Paintings and My line of Mugs on Zazzle

Sally Lancaster is an incredible painter of horses in the UK. If you are a horse lover, you'll love these. Check out her site -



http://www.sallylancaster.co.uk/Index.html


In a continuing effort to make a penny or two off my paintings, I've created a line of mugs with images of my paintings on them on the Zazzle site. I tried to get a picture of them, but can't copy anything off it, so check the site below. I would also invite you to check out my other selling sites (Fineartamerica and printfection to name two) listed on the right side of the blog. Hope you buy a mug or two and maybe a print!



http://www.zazzle.com/jackmck1+mugs

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

I'm creating a line of mugs on Zazzle.

As part of trying to make a living off my paintings, I've loaded my paintings into Fineartamerica and Zazzle and a couple of other sites. I'm starting to set up drinking mugs with my images on them, starting with the Cherry Tree Sketcher painting. Check it out!

http://www.zazzle.com/cherry_tree_sketcher_central_park_mug-168559806288791822

Monday, June 6, 2011

Interesting ways people have come upon my blog

When you write a blog, the main issue is how to get people to come and read it. Doing an art blog, you can spotlight artists so you come up in searches on that artist. You can do varied subjects of paintings so you come up in searched of those paintings. Your pictures posted on Flckr or other picture hosting sites get then to you. There are some sites that give the user a selection of blogs to look at while waiting for something to process and mine got chosen. And then there are the strange little searches that people do that somehow end up on you.

I have a widget on my blog called Feedjit. It enchances the info you get from the stats feature on blogspot by showing you where the person is coming from and the search string that they used to get there. Has drawbacks, such as each time you log on, you show up in the stream, but otherwise its a fascinating window into how people get to you and I'm going to start saving the most interesting ones. Some examples:

Chesterfield, Derbyshire arrived from google.co.uk on "Landscapes by Jack: Artist Spotlight - Emil Fiore - Spider web art - what a web-site he must have!" by searching for "emil fiore spider coasters".

Gorham, Maine arrived from google.com on "Landscapes by Jack: New Painting! Title: Tire Swing in Winter - Maine, plus how I promote it" by searching for maine paintings of winter

Emerson, New Jersey left via flickr.com from "Landscapes by Jack"

Alamo, California arrived from google.com on "Landscapes by Jack: An impatient fellow blogger, Tumblr and my sister-in-law's painting suggestion" by searching for "tumblr landscapes blog".

and then there is this one. And it appeared twice in a week. Wonder how I got into the mix!

Calcutta, West Bengal arrived from google.com on "Landscapes by Jack" by searching for "10 Ways to Alienate Your Daughter-in-Law."

Quote: “Maybe one of the hardest things to do in painting is to get over this ‘fear of canvas’. It's natural, and if it bothers you a little bit to jump up here and start throwing a bunch of color on the canvas, it means you're normal. You're just like me and everybody else that's ever painted.” –Bob Ross, 1990

Friday, June 3, 2011

interesting article - how to combat Bloggers Butt! from Stumbleupon via Finearttips

Okay, you know who you are, sitting at the 'puter, trying to keep up with all thats flashing by and getting that slightly bloated feeling from sitting all day. Check out these great ways of combating that growing butt of yours.


http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1GD5Bq/www.finearttips.com/2011/06/how-to-combat-bloggers-butt/

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Hillsdale Library blog entry on my exhibit and Finearttips article on overcoming artistic disaster

First thing is the article in the Hillsdale Library blog on my exhibit. I never seem to have a good picture of me!

http://hillsdalelibrarynj.blogspot.com/2011/06/on-exhibit-landscapes-by-jack-mckenzie.html

Here's a picture of the library.



and this article from Lori McNee's site is a good one. Lots of good entries from her.


http://www.finearttips.com/2011/05/10-tips-to-handle-a-creative-disaster/



Quote: Expression in words provokes thought, while expression in paint generates experience. (Kristin Abraham)

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

June 1st - Library show moving day - to Hillsdale and Secaucus, NJ

The first of June and its library show moving day. My friend Denise Frawley is doing the same thing, http://denisekeeganphotography.blogspot.com/2011/05/show-updates.html

Get a cup of tea and have a seat. This is gonna take a while.

Yesterday and today were very busy days. I closed down the Franklin Lakes and New Milford Library shows. As I was taking down the New Milford show, they seemed surprised and saddened that it was happening. I heard the head librarian talking about finding new art to replace me.

A friend, Stephanie Kull posted about being in New Milford with her kids and was surprised to see my paintings in New Milford " , I looked at the paintings and I thought it looked a bit familiar (We have a painting of yours from when we got married) so I recognized the "style"." "I was telling the kids I know this artist - I was so excited! And your artwork looks great too:)."

I was also putting the two new library events in a number of local online calendars. The Record's online site is Northbergen.com, so I put the two shows in their site


http://calendar.northjersey.com/hillsdale-nj/events/show/189567665-the-art-of-jack-mckenzie-at-hillsdale-library
http://calendar.northjersey.com/secaucus-nj/events/show/189989685-the-art-of-jack-mckenzie-at-secaucus-library

Hillsdale does not have a Patch site, so I put it in the westwood/washington township Patch, which also covers Hillsdale
http://westwood-washington.patch.com/events/the-art-of-jack-mckenzie-a-hillsdale-library

There is no Patch for the Secaucus area.

I added the shows the the Fineartamerica site calendars http://fineartamerica.com/upcomingeventsdetails.html?date=06%2F1%2F2011
and if you'd like prints and cards of my paintings, check them out

and the the artfairinsider site -
http://www.artfairinsiders.com/events/event/listUserEvents?user=3jdfrwkdz8qiu

There are more , but that gives you an idea of how I strive to promote these things.

The Secaucus Library is in Hudson County at the entrance in the Lincoln Tunnel and is an artist's dream. They cant seem to do enough for you. Maintenance was at my beck and call. If I needed pliers or easels, they were there. Its in the Pansonic Meeting room and its a nice venue. I made up a large foam board advetisment to go in the lobby, but mispelled a couple of words, so back later. Their website is http://secaucus.bccls.org/

Hillsdale is in North-eastern Bergen County, North of Paramus and is another very artist friendly place. The director is a bicyclist and is doing the High-Point to Cape May bike-a-thon in a couple of weeks. He took a number of pictures of me and the paintings and said they would go in the local paper and their website. I had placed my artist bio, cards, and guestbook on a table in front of the room and he said they'd move it to the back of the room with an easel. I had placed my exhibit ad board on a chair outside the room and he said they's get an easel for me. Kewl! Their website is http://hillsdale.bccls.org/

We shall see what happens.
Check out the slideshows on the right side of what each place looks like

Quote : Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment. Claude Monet