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Jim Carrey painting in "Jim Carrey: I Needed Color"
Carrey has largely been out of the public eye over the past couple of years, despite continuing to work as an actor. In "I Needed Color" the audience has the opportunity to see where Carrey has cloistered himself: his art studio.
"I Needed Color" provides viewers with a brief look (the documentary is only six minutes long) into what Carrey's life is like, and the monumental amount of time and energy that he spends honing his craft, and his drive to do so.
Carrey shows off his various methods of creating artwork: heavy and measured brushstrokes, modeling clay, squeegeeing paint off of canvases, and then pouring paint directly on them.
Carrey's artistic pursuits, like many of his artistic celebrity peers (e.g., James Franco, Miley Cyrus, Adrien Brody, Rosie O'Donnell), has been given little attention in the past. But "I Needed Color" is starting to change that.
Since "I Needed Color" was released on Vimeo three weeks ago, it has already been viewed 2.4 million times, and has become one of Vimeo's "Staff Picks." Carrey's new role as an artist has quickly become something to talk about.
But Carrey's presence in the art world is not new.
Carrey first unveiled his artwork in 2011, in the self-titled painting gallery "Jim Carrey: Nothing to See Here," in Palm Springs. The show was well received, and featured electric colored paintings with a pop art tinge, with themes of overexposure, celebrity, and emotional vulnerability. John Mayer even composed a song to play alongside one of his pieces, as a kind of a soundtrack (they're good friends).
Carrey has continued to cultivate his artwork and style for over six years now, and if the reception to this documentary is an indication of anything, it's that people are finally ready to recognize that.
You can watch "Jim Carrey: I Needed Color" here: