Joseph Anthony Connor (J.A.C).
In 2015, he embarked on the delivery of a Digital Magna Carta via 'Massdraw'
'I will enable you to make peace with 'artists' you may see as not operating in the 'real world': by meeting again the inner artist you left behind when you were younger. Sketching outside underpins your human right to take time to observe more closely what is around you. Quickly sharing your work via social media enables you to make peace with the popular view that not everyone can draw: as the feedback you will receive will undoubtedly be positive. You will know that 'cannot' need not be part of your vocabulary, but 'have done and will do' does.'
In 2014 the pre-eminence of J.A.C in his field was celebrated by the UK government when they presented a copy of his work to 61 world leaders. It was the first piece of digital art to have been provided as a state gift. His practice is called Mobile Digital Landscape Art, or 21st Century En Plein-air Art.
In 2013 he gained the status of Lumen Prize Top 100 Global Artist (judged by representatives from the V&A, Artes Mundi, Wired Magazine, Royal Cambrian Academy, LA Times & Time Magazine). As a painter he is unique being only artist whose practice solely involves painting outside on digital devices (iPad and phones). He is a regular contributor to TV series that feature the outdoors, art and digital devices. His work and practice has also been featured in public places & private shows in London, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
J.A.C. has become this century’s most popular ‘En Plein Artist’ and leads a new artistic movement called the SeenSenders. The group is dedicated to engaging people via social media with a view to encouraging people to embark on activities outside: those who share their journey with seensenders do so in knowledge that will receive a free copy of the art such journeys inspire.
'I am interested to involve those who will view my art in its creation and delivery. It is natural for me use the Internet to do this. It is democratic in a way, and only fair that I share it freely with those who inspire me"
J.A.C. Artists Statement as a Painter:
'"Feet on the ground. Fingers in Paint. Head in the clouds."
Feet on the Ground
I am told that I uniquely capture light on a landscape and that my work engenders life affirming emotions and a willingness to experience what I have seen. Followers and collectors see me as one of this century’s most talented landscape artists. Those who know me well recognise I have difficulty with such descriptions and simply see myself as what I feel I am: 'a walker with a painting problem'. Walking on a mountain for me is like life. It takes effort and talent to get to where you want to go. When I climb high the movement of light on landscape makes me realise how small humans are, and how transient lifes problems really are. When I see the sun rise at the birth of a new day I am filled with hope, excitement and a zest for life. The paintings I render on such journeys represent the joy of being alive.
My love of open spaces comes from places where I have lived and walked. I have always lived atop a hill and have been a keen hiker since the age of 14. Until recently painting 'en-plein air' and walking have been uncomfortable bedfellows. Carrying extra water, canvass and a myriad of painting tools to capture a moment during a walk has been infeasible. Nowadays, I can simply switch on my tablet computer and paint with my finger: rendering watercolour and oils in a manner unimaginable until recently. For me, one hour painting outside is worth a year at a easel. Such paintings capture a surfeit of senses that flood back every time I see them.
I regularly get asked by fellow artists 'why do you prefer to paint digitally'. The simple truth is that, for me, painting is a reason to look more intently at the landscape around me. The action of rendering a white page into what I see and feel is a bonus: made easier by not having to waste drinking water mixing paints or cleaning brushes.
Fingers in Paint
I have always been drawn to the way light enhances an object and wondered how best how represent the emotions such scenes engender. It was not until the advent of the tablet computer that I discovered that I could mix my two favorite pastimes: walking and painting.
My original training was as a draughtsman. Painting with my fingers using digital painting applications on a mobile device (e.g. ipad) is therefore a liberating experience. It forces me to move away from my natural tendency towards detail. It requires me to pull audiences into a landscape using natural colours and by capturing what I see in the strongest terms. The aim is to evoke the emotions, wonder and peace I feel when I look at a scene in those who see my work.
Head in the Clouds
I am driven to capture the emotion light evokes as it travels across an open landscape. My greatest inspirations are morning & evening light, and clouds that paint the landscape with transitory light. It is my belief that such light evokes a sense of wonder in a person. It can transfix the eye, and warms the soul. My aim is to inspire people to go to open spaces to seek out what I have painted and experience the utter joy such places can engender.
Art that captures my eye has been rendered by Sargent, Turner, Heaton Cooper, Kyffin Williams and most recently Welsh contemporary artist David Haswell. It could be argued, that such artists could not have rose to popularity if it had not been for the advent collapsible metal paint tubes in the 1800's. The advent of digital painting applications for mobile digital devices has not yet had the same effect, even though David Hockney, in part, gave digital painting mainstream credibility amongst the artistic community. However I feel it should have a dramatic effect, not just on the production of art outside, but on how people use digital devices to connect with open spaces & improve their wellbeing
I therefore aim to inspire a new generation artists 'SeenSenders' who render art 'en-plein air' using a mobile digital device and share it immediately via social media. This I feel will create a greater emotional connection with open spaces, and solicit the feedback necessary to motivate the creation of more art outside among the young & fellow technophiles. See SeenSend for further information.
I appreciate that many existing contemporary artists, and those in training, are not aware of the boundaries and opportunities associated with mobile digital art. So to increase its profile I have developed & deliver En Plein-air workshops, most notably with the V&A. Via these I seek to equip and motivate artists to adopt mobile digital landscape art into their current practice. In addition, to evidencing the critical & commercial value of mobile digital art, I provide work in support of existing exhibitions, art fairs, competitions and galleries.
In 2013, this activity led me to become the lead advocate for mobile digital landscape art. It is my expectation that by 2020 mobile digital landscape art will be widely shown and collected across the globe. It will be a source of pride at that time to know that in some small part I will have been responsible for its development as a genre.
'I will enable you to make peace with 'artists' you may see as not operating in the 'real world': by meeting again the inner artist you left behind when you were younger. Sketching outside underpins your human right to take time to observe more closely what is around you. Quickly sharing your work via social media enables you to make peace with the popular view that not everyone can draw: as the feedback you will receive will undoubtedly be positive. You will know that 'cannot' need not be part of your vocabulary, but 'have done and will do' does.'
In 2014 the pre-eminence of J.A.C in his field was celebrated by the UK government when they presented a copy of his work to 61 world leaders. It was the first piece of digital art to have been provided as a state gift. His practice is called Mobile Digital Landscape Art, or 21st Century En Plein-air Art.
In 2013 he gained the status of Lumen Prize Top 100 Global Artist (judged by representatives from the V&A, Artes Mundi, Wired Magazine, Royal Cambrian Academy, LA Times & Time Magazine). As a painter he is unique being only artist whose practice solely involves painting outside on digital devices (iPad and phones). He is a regular contributor to TV series that feature the outdoors, art and digital devices. His work and practice has also been featured in public places & private shows in London, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
J.A.C. has become this century’s most popular ‘En Plein Artist’ and leads a new artistic movement called the SeenSenders. The group is dedicated to engaging people via social media with a view to encouraging people to embark on activities outside: those who share their journey with seensenders do so in knowledge that will receive a free copy of the art such journeys inspire.
'I am interested to involve those who will view my art in its creation and delivery. It is natural for me use the Internet to do this. It is democratic in a way, and only fair that I share it freely with those who inspire me"
J.A.C. Artists Statement as a Painter:
'"Feet on the ground. Fingers in Paint. Head in the clouds."
Feet on the Ground
I am told that I uniquely capture light on a landscape and that my work engenders life affirming emotions and a willingness to experience what I have seen. Followers and collectors see me as one of this century’s most talented landscape artists. Those who know me well recognise I have difficulty with such descriptions and simply see myself as what I feel I am: 'a walker with a painting problem'. Walking on a mountain for me is like life. It takes effort and talent to get to where you want to go. When I climb high the movement of light on landscape makes me realise how small humans are, and how transient lifes problems really are. When I see the sun rise at the birth of a new day I am filled with hope, excitement and a zest for life. The paintings I render on such journeys represent the joy of being alive.
My love of open spaces comes from places where I have lived and walked. I have always lived atop a hill and have been a keen hiker since the age of 14. Until recently painting 'en-plein air' and walking have been uncomfortable bedfellows. Carrying extra water, canvass and a myriad of painting tools to capture a moment during a walk has been infeasible. Nowadays, I can simply switch on my tablet computer and paint with my finger: rendering watercolour and oils in a manner unimaginable until recently. For me, one hour painting outside is worth a year at a easel. Such paintings capture a surfeit of senses that flood back every time I see them.
I regularly get asked by fellow artists 'why do you prefer to paint digitally'. The simple truth is that, for me, painting is a reason to look more intently at the landscape around me. The action of rendering a white page into what I see and feel is a bonus: made easier by not having to waste drinking water mixing paints or cleaning brushes.
Fingers in Paint
I have always been drawn to the way light enhances an object and wondered how best how represent the emotions such scenes engender. It was not until the advent of the tablet computer that I discovered that I could mix my two favorite pastimes: walking and painting.
My original training was as a draughtsman. Painting with my fingers using digital painting applications on a mobile device (e.g. ipad) is therefore a liberating experience. It forces me to move away from my natural tendency towards detail. It requires me to pull audiences into a landscape using natural colours and by capturing what I see in the strongest terms. The aim is to evoke the emotions, wonder and peace I feel when I look at a scene in those who see my work.
Head in the Clouds
I am driven to capture the emotion light evokes as it travels across an open landscape. My greatest inspirations are morning & evening light, and clouds that paint the landscape with transitory light. It is my belief that such light evokes a sense of wonder in a person. It can transfix the eye, and warms the soul. My aim is to inspire people to go to open spaces to seek out what I have painted and experience the utter joy such places can engender.
Art that captures my eye has been rendered by Sargent, Turner, Heaton Cooper, Kyffin Williams and most recently Welsh contemporary artist David Haswell. It could be argued, that such artists could not have rose to popularity if it had not been for the advent collapsible metal paint tubes in the 1800's. The advent of digital painting applications for mobile digital devices has not yet had the same effect, even though David Hockney, in part, gave digital painting mainstream credibility amongst the artistic community. However I feel it should have a dramatic effect, not just on the production of art outside, but on how people use digital devices to connect with open spaces & improve their wellbeing
I therefore aim to inspire a new generation artists 'SeenSenders' who render art 'en-plein air' using a mobile digital device and share it immediately via social media. This I feel will create a greater emotional connection with open spaces, and solicit the feedback necessary to motivate the creation of more art outside among the young & fellow technophiles. See SeenSend for further information.
I appreciate that many existing contemporary artists, and those in training, are not aware of the boundaries and opportunities associated with mobile digital art. So to increase its profile I have developed & deliver En Plein-air workshops, most notably with the V&A. Via these I seek to equip and motivate artists to adopt mobile digital landscape art into their current practice. In addition, to evidencing the critical & commercial value of mobile digital art, I provide work in support of existing exhibitions, art fairs, competitions and galleries.
In 2013, this activity led me to become the lead advocate for mobile digital landscape art. It is my expectation that by 2020 mobile digital landscape art will be widely shown and collected across the globe. It will be a source of pride at that time to know that in some small part I will have been responsible for its development as a genre.