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

Friday, September 28, 2012

Montclair Show ends - everyone loved the paintings, but....

Today I took down my paintings at the Montclair Librray show. I talked to Linda Welch, the woman I worked with there, that every loved the paitings. The local arts editor seems to have liked them. When I was taking the paintings down, the HVAC guy said how much he liked the paintings. He also said he was working nearby one day and there was an accident, but fortuneatly "the accident" went down a wall with no paintings. My comments book was full of great comments. -
One praised the way I shaded the subject matter, iwasn't too harsh
Another said I inspired them to paint again
another complimented me on "Very sensitive capturing of the subject matter - wonderful color sense"
Anothe liked my Warwick barn paintings. Said they're from that area and know those barns
Also got advise on have to make gray - red, blue and yellow to make shades of gray
Very encouraging!
 I just wish someone would have bought something.  Hopefully that will come!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Interesting article - 10 things an artist should not do on Facebook

Good article  from Artpromotivate. Many of us have art pages on FB and some great advise here. One that may be obvious but apparently not if its listed here: Dont delete you photos after posting on FB
Dont do on Facebook

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

new painting: Esopus Meadows Lighthouse - Hudson River

This is the second in my series of Husdon River Lighthouse paintings. This one is the Esopus Meadows Lighthouse also know as "Maid of the Meadows". Here's the link to the lighthouse's website Esopus Meadows Lighthouse.  I had some trouble with all the railing details, trying to get them to stand out, so I left the some of the black underpainting show to get them to stand out a bit. It looks sloppier than I want it to be, but I feel its finished. The mountains in the background are the Catskills near Kingston, NY. I go to a Christian family camp in the Adirondacks and when I see this particular section of the Catskills from the New York State Thruway, I know I'm half way there. This is from a photo I took while on a Hudson River Cruise with my church group. Maybe purchase from the Zazzle site a  Bag or a mug or check out my merchandising section at the top of the blog  for items from my other paintings


Monday, September 10, 2012

Reposting my 9/11 Poem - Paper and Dust

Paper and Dust

By Jack Mckenzie

Dedicated to Alan Jensen

 (in the beat poet format)

The planes flew in
The towers crashed
The steel piled high
Leaving clouds of paper and dust

Paper and dust
Paper and dust

The people gasp
The Towers descend
A cloud produced
rushing crowds hide, try escape from..

Paper and dust
Paper and dust

The lower city enveloped
In clouds of dust
And blizzard of paper
The lady in the river sadly watching...

Paper and dust
Paper and dust

The dust produced
By the crushing force
Of steel on non-steel
Concrete, chairs, desks, people

Paper and dust
Paper and dust


The heroes rush in
To do as trained
They save many, but
Only to become part of the rain of...

Paper and dust
Paper and dust

White leaves swirling
From a no-longer tree
sailing across the rivers
The coming of a deadly Fall of …

Paper and dust
Paper and dust

An invoice for stock
Locked in a desk
Now waving in a bush
A glimpse of someone’s end in..

Paper and dust
Paper and dust

Darkening the sky
Sifting into everywhere
A gray snowscape
the delicate destroyed, hard to breathe...

Paper and dust
Paper and dust

A gray snowscape
No snowballs formed
No snowmen built
Just madmen’s work, marked by...

Paper and dust
Paper and dust

The people trudge along
Wearing coats of gray
Vehicles race by
Raising clouds to be re-fought

Paper and dust
Paper and dust

New papers appear
Images of the lost
Posted all about
Have you seen them, or are they...

Paper and dust
Paper and dust

Some were late
Others in pain
But the too-many dead
Can sadly only be found in the...

Paper and dust
Paper and dust

Candles are lit
Prayers are given
Thank you’s are voiced
The stunned begin to shake off the...

Paper and dust
Paper and dust

A people attacked
A challenge given
A flag is raised
A determination to rise out of…

Paper and dust
Paper and dust

Sunday, September 9, 2012

The Red Bubble site posts my Tire Swing painting on home page

Every  day or so, the Red Bubble web site posts a number of paintings from different artists on their home page to show the wide variety of works available there. My Tire Swing in Winter - Maine painting was posted this today. Check it out before it goes
http://www.redbubble.com/found?utm_campaign=published_to_found&utm_medium=email&utm_source=RB

and here's the painting itself

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

My Montclair Libray show in the Montclair Patch

A patch is an online newspaper dedicated to the town in its name. Montclair has one and I put my show in the library in its event section. Here it is - Montclair Patch events

Monday, September 3, 2012

Good article - how to handle, care for paintings

Came across this article by Graham Matthews on Artpromotivate on the care and handling of the artwork (in this case paintings) that you produce. I'm very guilty of a few of these tips. Check them out!
How to handle, care for paintings