Sunday, April 25, 2010
Portrait Society
I just returned from attending this year's convention of the Portrait Society of America, in Reston, VA. I thought it was in Washington, so the Reston location made it a bit more difficult to get to, but I'm really glad I went. The talks, painting demonstrations, and conversations with other attendees provided a rich experience. And it was a way to get to know the work of some of the outstanding portrait painters, and to recognize them. For the most part they are quite human, friendly and approachable.
The speakers and presenters provided a sample of their work for display, all on a similar format. It was really interesting to compare their work and styles. Later they were sold at a silent auction. Some sold in the low hundreds, but Bart Lindstrom's sold for well over a thousand, and Rose Frantzen's sold for $2700 in some rather furious last-minute bidding. Rose has been getting a lot of recent attention for her exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, and for the demonstration she gave for the meeting.
Overall, I was especially impressed with the talk of Bart Lindstrom. He is noted for his use of color, but throughout his talk he stressed that really, color is easy and it is VALUE (the light-dark scale) that is the really critical component. He provided a wealth of information, tips, suggestions, examples and advice during his talk, and all with the panache of a stand-up comedian. He is a strong proponent of "Don't paint what you know, paint what you see." His web site, showing his beautiful and prolific work, is fabulous. I would love to take a workshop with him if that opportunity ever arises.
Rose Frantzen was another highlight of the meeting. She provided a painting demonstration, and talked rapid-fire throughout, sharing what she was doing, thinking, liking or not liking at every moment. She is noted for having painted portraits of 180 people in a small town in mid-America. Her portraits from Maquoketa are on display right now at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, through July 5th, and her project is also described and presented on her website. Here she is using oil sticks for the background (something I'd wanted to do on my most recent figure, but it didn't work out well for me. Now I might have to try them again).
Here is Rose Frantzen in the midst of her demonstration (left). She did about 60% of the portrait with oil sticks! The cover of the book about her Small Town Portrait Project is above.
The Society also had a portrait competition, leading up to the meeting. Some 1400 submissions had been winnowed down to 46 or so, and then the best 16 chosen for recognition at the meeting. All these portraits were breathtaking, but the first place portrait stood out like a gem. It was a portrait of the sculptor Richard Hunt, painted with one of his metallic sculptures, by Harry Ahn. And as his web site shows, this work was typical of the quality of his portraits. He is truly a gifted genius!
Harry Ahn's full portrait, left, and a detail from it, above. Tellingly, he writes that "All art, especially painting and music, need spirit. Without it, it becomes just another piece of work, technically sound, but with no heart."
Finally, I just have to include the portrait below, from the National Portrait Gallery. Actually, this is only a detail of the much larger portrait. I foolishly didn't record even the name of the painter or subject, but was just stopped in my tracks by the sensitive and beautiful presentation of this patrician grande dame:
The speakers and presenters provided a sample of their work for display, all on a similar format. It was really interesting to compare their work and styles. Later they were sold at a silent auction. Some sold in the low hundreds, but Bart Lindstrom's sold for well over a thousand, and Rose Frantzen's sold for $2700 in some rather furious last-minute bidding. Rose has been getting a lot of recent attention for her exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, and for the demonstration she gave for the meeting.
Overall, I was especially impressed with the talk of Bart Lindstrom. He is noted for his use of color, but throughout his talk he stressed that really, color is easy and it is VALUE (the light-dark scale) that is the really critical component. He provided a wealth of information, tips, suggestions, examples and advice during his talk, and all with the panache of a stand-up comedian. He is a strong proponent of "Don't paint what you know, paint what you see." His web site, showing his beautiful and prolific work, is fabulous. I would love to take a workshop with him if that opportunity ever arises.
Here is Rose Frantzen in the midst of her demonstration (left). She did about 60% of the portrait with oil sticks! The cover of the book about her Small Town Portrait Project is above.
The Society also had a portrait competition, leading up to the meeting. Some 1400 submissions had been winnowed down to 46 or so, and then the best 16 chosen for recognition at the meeting. All these portraits were breathtaking, but the first place portrait stood out like a gem. It was a portrait of the sculptor Richard Hunt, painted with one of his metallic sculptures, by Harry Ahn. And as his web site shows, this work was typical of the quality of his portraits. He is truly a gifted genius!
Harry Ahn's full portrait, left, and a detail from it, above. Tellingly, he writes that "All art, especially painting and music, need spirit. Without it, it becomes just another piece of work, technically sound, but with no heart."
Finally, I just have to include the portrait below, from the National Portrait Gallery. Actually, this is only a detail of the much larger portrait. I foolishly didn't record even the name of the painter or subject, but was just stopped in my tracks by the sensitive and beautiful presentation of this patrician grande dame:
