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jcourter
♂️
[14096103]
[2010-06-12 13:53:41 +0000 UTC]
"Living the Dream"
(United States)
# Statistics
Favourites: 19; Deviations: 72; Watchers: 8
Watching: 13; Pageviews: 4036; Comments Made: 170; Friends: 13
# About me
Medium: Oil, Acrylic, Photography, Ceramics, and more“It’s not about finding meaning, it’s about creating it.” Author Unknown
John remembers being an artist throughout his life. Mostly self-taught, he began painting portraits of his friends inspired by the wallet-sized photos they used to trade in school and photographs from National Geographic magazines.
Born in Newport Beach, John has lived up and down the sunny California coastline from San Francisco to Belmont Shores. John spent several years on the central coast in Carmel and Monterey. There he was fortunate to have the opportunity to hone his skills working with some very influential artists. “Not only did I learn many "tricks-of-the-trade", but I also learned much about the soul of the artist and, more importantly, what it means for an artist to bare his soul through his work”.
“A very influential artist and friend once said to me while slapping the brush from my hand, “paint what you see, not what you know”. I picked up the brush and began painting again, trying desperately to paint only what I saw. My work became much freer and less contrived and I began to understand the relationship between the artist, the subject, and the moment; or so I thought. I completed the painting, proudly exclaiming, “finished”, to my friend. “That’s nice”, he said while placing a clean canvas on my easel. He stood beside me and gave me the best advice I have ever received; “Close your eyes” he said. “Now, paint what you see and not what you know”.”
Today John lives in the Dallas area of Texas. John supplements his “starving artist syndrome” as an accomplished registered nurse and is a nationally recognized and certified Director of Nursing Administration, .
“I have traveled many places and I have seen many miraculous things. I have experienced extreme joy and debilitating sadness. I have lost dear friends and continue to make new ones. I have been in love and feel loved. My soul has been well fed and I am not ashamed of its reflection. So here, look if you choose. For though I speak of what I know, I create what I see.”
