Monday, June 15, 2020

BLOG POST (Includes Shameless Self-Promotion)





I’m not aware of any other author who has attempted to infuse a novel with the inside scoop of learning to paint in oils. There are Girl With the Pearl Earring and Sacre Bleu, both good reads, and any number of other books about artists and paintings, most written by non-painters trying to capture a mystique.
But even in Chris Moore’s hugely entertaining story about the muse and the pigment supplier wrapped in a diaphanous veil of magical realism, the focus is on history, and a sprinkling of facts rather than the direct experience of the writer. With Girl, the question is, “Did the art Icon, Joe Vermeer, abuse, seduce, fall in love with, befriend, or otherwise mistreat his model?” And as a secondary question, “Was she a victim or was she in on it from the start?”
Where can you find an honest, straight-forward doorway into the real artist’s experience? You can find it in A Coward’s Guide to Oil Painting, the Novel.
Mariah, our female protagonist, experiences having a ‘muse’ as well as being described as one. She submits to the gaze of the ‘other' while she herself is the ‘other’ for two groups of life drawing enthusiasts, raising existential questions like, “How is she changed by the ‘gaze?’ and “Where does the muse reside?”
While yearning to reclaim a tenuous connection with a potential mate, Mariah must choose between a quiet, simple life focused on her own needs and an active, involved one, focused on the needs of others. Characters who mean something to her hasten the decision making process.
Cliff, while practicing the techniques of painting in an exotic setting, has breakthroughs in coming to ‘see’ naturally, without a symbolic interface. This experience equips him with tools for life as well as art and determines his mode of inquiry in solving mysteries. His choices involve the seductiveness of cannabis, the lure of sirens, and ultimately, love in its many iterations and ramifications.

                                                                                                MM Kent



Monday, June 8, 2020

A Coward's Guide to Oil Painting


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MM Kent
author@mmkent.net
270-313-9660

Local Artist Self-Publishes first Novel

·         Fayetteville, Arkansas, June 4 , 2020—MM Kent’s long-awaited book release is set for July 15, 2020. An intelligent, nostalgic re-picturing of the emergent subculture of 1969, A Coward's Guide to Oil Painting is a movable feast of sensual delights and artistic insight, part cozy, part caper, part coming-of age, with a dash of international intrigue and a smattering Spanish words—a sensuous bowl of pozole, tasty to the last drop.

·         It’s a love story, the first book in a series featuring the adventures of CJ MacRae and Mariah Justice. CJ and Mariah have an unlikely encounter in the dark and form an instant bond, but they become separated without proper introductions. When CJ’s brother’s plane crashes, he and Mariah set out on separate quests to find out what happened. As each gets closer to the truth, they seem to drift farther apart. Colorful characters and suspense-filled scenes at a mysterious hacienda outside San Miguel give A Coward's Guide to Oil Painting a South of the Border flavor, sexually curious folks in Austin add spice, and idyllic beach scenes in Zihuatanejo provide that patch of blue where the eye can rest. The boundary between what’s moral and what’s legal gives the book an outlaw feel, and the principles of painting take it to the level of Art.  


·      MM Kent—college athlete, college dropout, draft resister, back-to-the-lander, father, husband, construction worker, furniture builder, woodcarver, volleyball player, student of communication, gardener, grandfather, oil painter—is a national award winning artist and this is his first novel. Each chapter of the book begins with a piece of art instruction the author has gleaned from over 35 years as a professional artist, with an exhibition history in fourteen states and awards on both coasts.


Order the trade paperback from Amazon on July 15, 2020. $17.95 US
Pre-order the e-book now for delivery on July 15. $14.50US

For more information, contact:

MM Kent
author@mmkent.net


Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Book Release Scheduled

The new release date for my novel is July 15,2020. This one is firm, since Kindle Direct Publishing punishes those who miss the deadline for submitting a formatted manuscript. My intrepid editor is re-reading the final draft as I'm writing this. I'm researching fonts and templates, etc. in prep for a final push. Feels like time to start LaMaze breathing exercises.

Pre-orders are possible now on Amazon, click on the cover below:





Thursday, December 5, 2019

2019 Studio Open House


Paintings by MM Kent



Wings and Roots
Studio Open House

Friday, December 20, 2019 from 4pm – 8pm
Saturday, December 21, 2019 from 10am – 2pm

219 W. South St. Fayetteville AR

https://artistatwingsandroots.blogspot.com/      MM Kent on Fb     artist@wingsandroots.com

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Wings and Roots Website Revamped

the Red and White Umbrella  
SOLD 6/1/20 at Cherry's Gallery


I have rebuilt my Website wingsandroots.com , with an archive of paintings sold and a contact page. Next, I will be launching a MM Kent website devoted to my writing. The Mystery is in final revision.

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Year of Transition

This has been a year of transition for me. I worked on my studio and on a sculpture for the first half. But more significant is the upcoming book I've been writing. The myth about the all-consuming nature of writing is not unfounded. My novel is nearly finished and I'm already thinking about the next.
In addition, I've completed several paintings in the last two weeks. It is reassuring to know I have not forgotten how to paint. It seemed like a good idea to practice for the upcoming event where I will be joining my friend, Ingrid Gipson in her Big Cedar, Oklahoma studio. On November 3rd, Ingrid will be celebrating the unveiling of her most recent sculpture and invited me to do a painting demonstration that afternoon from 1 - 5pm. It's going to be fun, rain or shine.

Friday, June 1, 2018

Fenix Gallery Opening

My new gallery in Fayetteville, FENIX, opens a new show next week, entitled IMMERSIONS. I have some small oil on wood pieces that I'm including.

Immersion III



Immersion I

Images are plein-air paintings 2017 & 2018 from Fayetteville's Farmer's Market