Portrait Society of America - More From The Art of the Portrait

It is so great to get together with a bunch of other artists who are obsessed with the same issues and talk shop. There are demos by many of the top portrait painters in America, portfolio critiques, art materials, books and DVD's for sale. It is fun to network and see old friends.

Here are some images of Michael Shane Neal painting Dot Svendson.

Two Alla Prima Paintings by Rose Frantzen

Alexey Steele, painted by Rose Frantzen























Tony Pro, painted by Rose Frantzen

Portrait Society of America, Art of The Portrait Conference - April 22-25, 2010

I recently returned from a few days in beautiful Reston, Virginia, where I attended The Art of The Portrait, the annual convention organized by The Portrait Society of America. I was planning to post a bunch of photographs I took of the opening night "Face-Off", where a number of artists paint a model from life, but I discovered that someone else (Matthew Innis) beat me to the punch and did a fabulous job of photographing and posting the work, so just click here to see all 15 paintings of 5 different models:

http://underpaintings.blogspot.com/2010/04/2010-portrait-society-face-off.html

It was intriguing to see how each artist saw things differently.

Rose Frantzen, a master of alla prima portraiture, ended up being chosen by those in attendance to give a demo on Saturday morning. During her opening night demo, she quickly whacked in her dark background and proceeded with a very vigorous technique involving an oil stick crayon. She speedily captured the likeness, light effect, and character of her model. I would have to say that she was the star of the show and was a little bit mobbed by her compatriots. She ended up painting 2 more portraits during the weekend, of artists Tony Pro and Alexey Steele (shown in the photograph), and she was entertaining throughout the process, which is not an easy task to accomplish!

Rose Frantzen also has a very prestigious show in progress at The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and many of those in attendance at the conference traveled by bus to see her 12x12 plywood panels, unframed with edges painted black, of the 180 heads of people from her hometown of Maquoketa, Iowa. Rose Frantzen opened up a storefront in her hometown and anyone willing to pose was painted from life in 4-5 hours.

It was quite an emotional experience to see all the portraits grouped together and the impact of the show imparted the eerie feeling of being acquainted with the town and the people who reside there. The exhibit runs until July 5, 2010 so if you are anywhere near Washington, D.C. don't miss it!

Must Have Book: How Successful Artists Study (Effective Learning Ideas and Knowledge for Artists)

When I first flipped through this fascinating and unique new book, by Samuel Adoquei, I was so excited to see how much valuable information was packed into it. The book contains essential advice from someone who knows how to achieve the goal of having a successful career in fine art. It is a fantastic resource for any artist, with Mr. Adoquei serving as mentor, and is destined to become a classic.

Not only is the volume chock full of relevant information, the chosen paintings that illustrate the book are absolutely wonderful and include colorful samples of the work of past masters (including Sargent and Sorolla, two of my favorites) and contemporary artists.

This is not a book to be read and then put back on a shelf, never to be seen again. I plan to keep it on my nightstand and I believe it will become a treasured source of guidance, inspiration, advice and encouragement.

Some of the many topics covered in the book include: getting the right education, artistic growth and the pursuit of excellence, the practical aspects of drawing, different painting methods, color and paint handling, issues around photography and technology, dealing with art competitions, the value of still life as a learning tool, finding your own style, developing good taste and what to have in mind when preparing your portfolio and approaching galleries. Mr. Adoquei writes in a friendly and accessible style, with many anecdotes and personal stories to enliven his teachings.

The book is available online here:

http://www.amazon.com/Successful-Artists-Effective-Learning-Knowledge/dp/0578043580/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271752486&sr=8-1

You can also contact the author directly to order the book:

http://www.howsuccessfulartistsstudy.com

Whether you are already a working artist or dream of earning your living this way, this book is a must have resource.

Hands - Close Up of Raeburn Painting

I neglected to write down the title and date of the paintings I photographed at The Montreal Museum of Fine Art, but I am pretty sure this is by Sir Henry Raeburn, a recent addition to my list of favorite painters.

Just look at the economy of detail for these hands - amazing how they can be represented by only a few strokes of paint.

I just love the relationship between the man and his dog too.

Sir Henry Raeburn - Sargent's Predecessor

Most painters like to get their noses right up next to the canvas when examining work in museums, risking the wrath of museum guards, so I tend to photograph small areas of a canvas so I can study the painting later at my leisure.

Given the fact I only had my teeny point and shoot camera along for the ride during my trip to The Montreal Museum of Fine Art and very dim lighting, I am amazed that some of the shots actually turned out, so I am going to share them with you.

Isn't this wonderful?

J. W. Waterhouse: Garden of Enchantment at The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

In December 2009, I traveled to Montreal on the train with my youngest son (the other art enthusiast in our house) and visited this exhibit. My son, being a bit of a Greek and Roman myth aficionado, was able to enlighten me about some of the subject matter, so we both enjoyed the show very much, stopping to sketch a few details and noting the thickness of paint and lush color harmonies.

My initial impression of the exhibit was the brilliant, jewel-like color and thick paint in the pieces - even in the darks. The scale was smaller than I expected, with figures being significantly less than life size even in enormous paintings like Mariamne. He appears to have used a bluish/greenish underpainting, at least some of the time, which shows through the flesh in some areas. The values are massed and carefully planned to emphasize the area of interest. For instance, in Ulysses and the Sirens 1891, Ulysses white robe really pops and the values of everything else is subdued, with the faces of the sirens being the next lightest value.

Three of my favorite paintings in the exhibit were:

1. The Lady of Shalott - in the boat, absolutely breathtaking and riveting.
2. Mariamne - a masterpiece, great feeling, striking composition, brilliant value massing, color, and texture - the highlight on the medallion at her waist is a huge, very thick glob of whitish paint!
3. Circe Invidiosa - gorgeous blue green color, intense expression, value massing, very modern feel.

I also love all the other Lady of Shalott series, one of which normally resides in our very own Art Gallery of Ontario.

The June 10, 1907 Royal Academy of Arts Visitors Report, found displayed in a glass case, was rather amusing, ". . . work of the students . . . not quite so good. They seem to have no idea of setting a palette and are too much addicted to the use of small brushes." Seems not much has changed when it comes to students of painting!

All in all, the overnight trip to Montreal was well worthwhile to be able to see this amazing group of paintings.

Sadly, photography was not permitted in the special exhibit, but after we finished with Waterhouse, we visited the regular collection and found some really great work including Bouguereau, Rembrandt, Tissot and Raeburn.