Many of you already know that my mother died on Sunday night, March 17. My mother was instrumental in helping me start this business and she also worked for me for a long time to make this a true family business. She did a lot of the printing and shipping of products.
With her death, a page is turned on oilpaintingtechniques.com
I am currently a 1 man business, so as you know, I have gotten behind in shipping of products while mourning. I am getting back into the swing of things and if you are waiting for your product, it is being packed and shipped as we speak and will be sent within the next 3 business days
This event will change me, although I am not sure how. The business will change in some way, I can asure you. I might sound different in my emails, videos, and overall teachings. It is something that can’t be helped. Everything that we experience in life affects what we do from now on.
I send a huge Thank You to all of you who wrote me personally to send condolences. They are much appreciated and serve to remind me that there is a human face at the end of all these email addresses.
I will be imparting the lessons I learned dealing with my mother and her illness into much of what I do. I will try to influence others so they don’t repeat her mistakes.
The first thing I want to influence you about is:
Don’t let your pre-conceived ideas hold you back from doing things. My mother was full of pre-conceived ideas that had no basis in fact.
Let me give you an example when it comes to oil painting of how a pre-conceived idea can hold you back from improving.
I know many of you have heard about complentary colors. Some of you may have read somewhere that you use the complent of a color to darken a color. So, if you are painting a red apple, you automatically think that to darken this red apple you use green.
If I don’t do this in my lessons, you think my lessons are wrong or criticize them. By the way I am using a real life example as somebody on the mailing list did actually tell me criticize me on this point.
I wrote back to them that they have a pre-conceived idea about using complementary colors. In their mind, that is the way it is done. To darken red you must use green. Well, if it was this easy, why are they searching for instruction in the first place?
This is not how I teach darkening a color so because my teaching did not meet their pre-conceived idea, my teachings must be wrong.
Now, I forgot if the person eventually understood what I was trying to teach them, but if they simply went a different direction because they dismissed my teachings, they missed out on all I have to offer. Simply because they had a pre-conceived idea in their head.
I will go more into this concept later as I feel it is very important.
Also – IMPORTANT NOTE: There were actually a couple of people who thought I made up the whole story of my mother’s death. They thought it was some type of marketing ploy because I sent an email where I told people I was going to give some proceeds of sales to charity. Of course they never mentioned that I gave the URL of the charity itself and let you make donations on your own.
There are always a few bad apples in the bunch.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
My condolences to you on your mother’s death. I am intrigued by your course, but want to wait to buy until I feel I am ready to commit. Thanks. And, again, I am sorry for your mother’s passing.
Again my condoleces on yor mother’s death. I have already bought your platin course, have read it through once, but are waiting for the cd’s and the books to arrive. The package is at the custom as I have to pay tarrif. I will recive it in 2 or 3 days. I’m so looking forward to it. Already I have learnt a lot more than I knew before.
Dear master Jack
I am an old lady, more than was your precious mom when she was here in this planet , and I painted years ago,( but nothing so important), because I am not a professional painter. Then, I decided do not contined painting because I lost my self estime. I was wrong.
when may parent were alived, I tried to paint their portrait but without success. So I lefted the painting aside for many years..
Now, I decide to start again, and to repair the many mistakes I did, and I confess that it is very dificult to me. The portrait need to be done.
One day, when my finances get better, I will come back to you for more CDs.
I just purchased the “the Insider Guide of the Secrets of Oil Painting Part 1 and 2,” which I love it !
But as a almost 70 ys old woman, I have to wait until the money com again… to my hands…and very soon.
You are a nice person, and deserve all my respect and appreciation for all You have done as an artist and a good son that ” honor the mother ” ,thing hard to find in these days !!!!
I’d like to ask You to forgive my English… Please !
And wait for me very soon with the order that I will place.
My respect for Your terrible lost, my deeply condolences.
Zizi
Hi Jack,
I know what it’s like to lose someone that you love very much>For me it took over a year to get over>but i’m sure your mother would not want you to grieve over her>If you’re feeling something is lost>rest assure these feeling with go away>keep your chin up and do your best>that’s all anybody could ask of you.I don’t know you at all but don’t let the world get to you !>you have a right to grieve and a right to enjoy>You are in my prayers>God bless always!>bye Mark
My deep condolences. My mother passed thirteen years ago and I think of her almost every day and how important she was in my life.
I am sorry to hear about your loss…I placed you on our prayer list.
BTW- I am the guy you were talking about with the complimentary color use in darkening/shading another color (for example the shades of a red apple) …It wasn’t really a pre-conceived idea, but I was actually taught this method in my painting I and II course (not to mention design classes) in art school. I eventually bought your course and I am currently using it and your lessons on mixing greys to get the right tone sounds like a viable alternative to the other method. I haven’t actually used this method of adding greys to color yet since I am currently painting in griselle and then adding color which I think you call it an indirect method.
Again, I am sorry for the loss of your mother.