I feel reborn...

   Hello my friends. I am so glad you have come here to spend some time with me. I do appreciate that very much. Knowing that you care enough about what I do, to spend a little time with me is probably the most encouraging thing you could do for me.
   I have been on fire. It is like falling in love with my art for the very first time.  In the last 2 weeks,  I have completed 3 paintings.  Thats right, 3.  It used to take me a month to do 1 painting,  2 weeks if I did it digitally.  But I am talking oil paintings. I set down to work in the morning and I don't stop until 8 or 9 at night.  I am working hard and loving every second of it.
   The first painting is of model Madeline Frost. It is a back view of her, but I loved the photo and decided to paint it.

    This painting took me 4 days to do.  I hope to scan these in the near future, but I am using Linseed oil as my medium and it is taking a while to dry. I have no desire to put them in the oven, lol, or use a medium that dries fast. I love the way Linseed oil holds it's sheen.  This is painted on a 16 x20 stretch canvas.  I have fallen in love with painting on canvas. In all of these years, I have never worked on canvas before.  Being an illustrator before, you tend to want to paint on a smooth surface so you can add more detail.
   In this second painting, I feature my long time friend and movie start Suzi Lorainne.

 Again, this is on a 16 x 20 stretch canvas. It took about 4 days as well. People tell me all the time that my work has a certain look or style to it that lets them know I did it. I've never noticed that before, but now I am starting to see it, and I love what I am seeing. Like I said I am so motivated. I have never worked with this much energy before.  I am more excited about my art now than I have every been.
    The 3rd painting is my  first portrait in oils.  It is of my Grand Niece,  Madie Parks. Isn't she a doll? She has 3 younger sisters that I am going to paint as well.

I did this one in 3 days. There is so much joy in loving painting and loving the subject you are painting. Again, this is on a 16 x 20 stretch canvas.
   I am hoping by the next blog that one or two of these will be dry enough to scan to show you.  Luckily, Madison was able to teach me to take better photographs so I don't mind showing you these, compared to the old days when I was ashamed  to show a photo that I took of a painting.
   In the next painting, I will be featuring film actress Michelle Tomlinson.  She has agreed to model for me along with Suzi and Madeline.  They believe in my new direction and I am thrilled to have such wonderful models to work with.
   I think it is safe to say, that if I can keep up this pace, I will have enough paintings to approach some galleries with in a couple of months.  I was originally thinking a year, but I had no idea that I was going to embrace my paintings the way I have and put so much of myself into it.
   Something I want to share with you as well is that I have put a fan page up on Facebook again as Nixon Johns.  But I don't really want a bunch of fans.  I would rather use the page for more positive things, so I have decided to use it to share and teach my fellow artist all that I have learned from all the years I have done this and the knowledge I have gained from the Masters that trained me.  Even more I have gotten 3 of my closest friends, and 3 of the best artist in the world to help me. Mark Helwig, James "Darkman" Powell and Tracy Flynn.  This is going to be exciting, all that knowledge and skill in one place to help our artist brothers and sisters. It is free of charge with no strings attached.   All you have to have is the desire to learn. If your on Facebook, just go here and hit the like button.  The rules are simple, you must have a real profile. No fake names or profile and you must be respectful of the others on the page. So come join us, and tell your friends to. We are trying to do something good and give back that which was given to us, so please help us spread the word every chance you get. Please.
   That's it for now.  I have to get ready to battle the snow and go get my step son from school, so remember to love others and believe in yourself and your dreams. Love and Hugs from the Johns family.