What Is Modulation? The definition: also known as gradation. It is always desirable in painting to modulate colors from cool to warm, from dark to light or from one hue to the next. Instead of just laying down a flat, unmodulated color, you want to do some modulating. Always be modulating. ABM. Now, a flat…

Music by Black Wren When the night grows deep and the shadows call, sometimes all you need is a beacon to guide you home. Black Wren is a collaboration between Michael Francis McCarthy ( New Zealand) and Jennifer L Coward (UK) Buy the track on Bandcamp: When Everyones a Stranger by Abyssm

Today’s talk is about the modern creator dilemma, mostly on YouTube, but this applies to any platform. How the Machine Turns Us Into Machines The biggest problem with the current setup is that the corporate machine is turning human beings into machines. Let’s say you want to express yourself and start a channel about two…

“When Everyone’s a Stranger” was written late last year, a reflection on individuality, solitude, and the strangeness that can descend when memory fades… All music written and performed by Michael Francis McCarthy (Northland, New Zealand). No AI used. This channel holds music, films, photography, and spoken reflections. Buy this track (Bandcamp): When Everyones a Stranger…

A Fauvist coastal sky scene The painting I’m bringing you today is called Dusk’s Ember. It’s a 7×14 and I painted it day before yesterday. I was anxious to share it with you. Maybe some of you noticed that I didn’t say welcome to another tonal landscape oil painting demonstration. I don’t think we can…

Live Painting Transcript and Key Insights We did a version of this yesterday on the gray. Perfectly saleable. Smaller. But I’ve changed the scene quite a bit with some help from my assistants. You’ll see some synthetic color mixing here. Grist for the mill. That’s how we roll. One of the main issues I struggled…

This is the introductory post & video for my new channel and website. Here I’ll share music, thoughts on philosophy, AI, creativity, and whatever’s going on. No niche, or algorithm-chasing. This page is a window into what I’m making and thinking. Warts and all. Contact: mike@mfrancismccarthy.art