What's the secret to making a 64-page book with only 68 individual words a complete and utter success? According to watercolor artist Greg Stones, you have someone else come up with four of those words and don't seriously consider penning a Pulitzer Prize acceptance speech.
Greg: "My favorite aspects of Atlanta ARE the gorgeous spring weather and the obsessive zombie craze. You stole all my potential answers."
Greg: "Aspiring artists should specifically avoid adding penguins and zombies to their art. Aspiring artists should also be very wary of established artists trying to sabotage them with terrible advice."
 |
| "Zombies Hate Stuff" by Greg Stones |
That very clever author, Greg Stones, has become a favorite artist at the Atlanta Dogwood Festival. Why is a Rhode Island-based artist a favorite over a local. That's easy (not really that easy...I would love for Greg to be Atlanta-based)...Greg paints sharply dressed zombies, light saber wielding penguins, and spaceships whose occupants obviously have no idea what they're getting themselves into.
 |
| Watercolors by Greg Stones |
Seriously though, I've been a sci-fi fan since I was six years old and I've always loved humor. Greg marries to the two masterfully...and then some. From the first moment I discovered Greg's art, I was in love. His work is brilliant. I've blogged before that the laughter—inside and embarrassingly audible—spews forth uncontrollably when exploring his canvasses.
 |
| Watercolors by Greg Stones |
I met Greg in 2011 during my first Dogwood Festival after returning to Atlanta. This year will be our third in-person meeting, but we're engaged on Social Media throughout the year...mostly me "liking" the new work he posts, and the occasional "What's new?", "How's the wife?", "Are you coming back to Atlanta?" exchange. This is what all those pen pals in grade school was about, I suppose.
 |
| Watercolors by Greg Stones |
Greg recently granted wanderlust ATLANTA an interview, which is just the nice kind of guy he is. He totally delivers the Douglas Adams-esque humor I absolutely love and look forward to...here's what we talked about:
wanderlust ATLANTA: Other than gorgeous spring weather and our obsessive zombie craze, what’s your favorite aspect of Atlanta?
Greg: "My favorite aspects of Atlanta ARE the gorgeous spring weather and the obsessive zombie craze. You stole all my potential answers."
wanderlust ATLANTA: You have two books out, “Goodbye, Penguins” and “Zombies Hate Stuff”…plans for a third?
Greg: "My third book, Penguins Hate Stuff, will hit bookstores in July, and is currently available for pre-order on Amazon. A sequel to Zombies Hate Stuff is also in the works."
wanderlust ATLANTA: I love the light saber wielding penguins! What’s the process for introducing a new “character” into your art?
Greg: "I work very hard to never paint the same painting twice, which necessitates the constant introduction of new elements. New for 2013: Chainsaws."
wanderlust ATLANTA: If the characters in your art were to come to life, which three would you pal around with and why?
Greg: "Considering that most of the characters in my paintings display violent tendencies, if even one of them were to come to life I would lock all my doors, hide under my bed, and then eventually starve to death. My characters scare me."
wanderlust ATLANTA: What advice would you offer aspiring artists…that is, for the ones who are not busy preparing for the zombie apocalypse?
So, when you're at that Atlanta Dogwood Festival this weekend, keep an eye out for this guy, who happens to make this 6'2" blogger feel like someone who was undernourished as a kid...Greg is super tall!
 |
| Greg Stones |
There are many, many other wonderful artists, vendors, music, food, rides, events, and so much more at the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, so I'm sure you'll have a great time.
A couple of events of interest...the Disc Dog Show is a must-see and will take place every afternoon of the Festival. And the Lead Cultural Alliance Partner, the Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA), is hosting a really fun-sounding "Chair Hack" event on Saturday at 1:00 to 4:00. Be sure to check out the Festival schedule for a full listing.
Happy festival-ing! And if you see a hungry zombie or a penguin with a chainsaw, run ask Greg what to do.
1 comment:
i love greg's work. i was introduced to it at the scituate art festival many years ago, with my then-boyfriend now-husband, when we bought a print called "come back, brown dog." now every year on our anniversary, we get a new framed print to add to our collection.
Post a Comment