If you saw the last Blog Post, you know my brother, Lynn Burton, sent me a picture of his latest painting entitled Adam and Eve. I was curious about it so I got him on the telephone and discussed it. The conversation went pretty much like an interview, so I am going to put the blog script in a loose interview format. Before I do, however, I’ll give you some background about the artist besides being a family member. Lynn began his sign business almost fifty years ago and has had a paint brush in his hand even before that. For those of you that follow my blogs I have posted pictures of his wall murals that he painted in restaurants and malls throughout Texas and Oklahoma. He also has painted hundreds of fine art paintings, many which are in private hands or galleries.
Interviewer: How long did it take you to paint your latest work, Adam and Eve?
Lynn: Well, if anyone ever asks you, here is what I want you to tell them–and I mean it, too–tell them it took me forty years.
Interviewer: Come on, seriously?
Lynn: It’s what I want you to tell them, but let me explain what I mean. You know how I’ve been traveling all over the place for the last fifty years. Well, I’ve gotten to know all these little mom and pop restaurants and grocery stores and they’re always asking me, “Lynn, what are you painting now,” and I always tell them–you know how you don’t really want to get too involved in talking about your work–anyway, I always tell them that I’m painting this picture of Adam and Eve, and it’s a real doozy (Texas slang for outstanding). Anyway, for the last umteen years every time I see them, they ask me, “Got that picture of Adam and Eve finished yet, Lynn?” I say, nope, but it’s coming along, should be finished one of these years. Then we all have a good laugh. Well I decided I better paint it after all this time.
Interviewer: So, you painted it because you wanted to prove you were really painting it?
Lynn: No, not really. Actually I’ve been thinking about it for some time. I first blocked it out for a T-shirt about 11×13 in black and white. And then I showed it to some tattoo parlors that were around town and some liked it. You know how these young people have
skull and bones and demons and some pretty creepy things for tattoos? Well, I thought I might give them another side of the story. Anyway, I thought about it, and the more I thought about it, the more I decided to go ahead and make a painting out of it.
Interviewer: I notice you had apples and different leafy vegetables lying around.
Lynn: Yeah, I had two different apples, a cabbage and spinach. I wanted the foliage to have the light color yellow that you see in cabbage and that real dark green you get with spinach. Whatever I’m painting, I want something to represent it nearby. If you’re going to paint a rock, go out and find you a rock as close to what you’re visualizing as possible. If you paint water, go sit by a stream to paint. If you have to, jump in and get wet. Trust me, it helps if you can use all your senses you can when you paint.
Interviewer: Is it oil or acrylics, I can’t tell in the picture.
Lynn: It’s oil. I some times under paint in acrylics, and paint over it in oils. A lot of artists do that. You can’t do it vice versa, though.
Interviewer: We’re past the time you said you had. I did want to get into some of the other paintings you sent me.
Lynn: Yeah, there are a couple interesting things about them. Let’s talk sometime…maybe next week.
Interviewer: Sounds good.
