THE ART OF THE PORTRAIT ^® Annual Conference
April 24 - 27, 2003 Washington, D.C.

Glenna Goodacre Portrait Society 2003 Gold Medal Recipient		Daniel E. Greene	Everett Raymond Kinstler	Tony Ryer
		Burton Silverman	Calvin Goodman Art Marketing Consultant	Bob Schieffer Keynote Speaker

Keeping the Edge
A Report on the 2003 Conference

Excerpts from the second quarter newsletter by Maris Williams

A Warm Welcome

Upon returning from this year's conference, Wanda Kemper from Oregon wrote, "In spite of the events in the world, we traveled from all over, some from great distances, to renew old friendships and make new ones. We witnessed the masters turn ordinary art materials into living images and had the opportunity to view ten of the finest portraits by the most talented among us. I realized how much our members crane for the knowledge and camaraderie that the conference always delivers." Many of you who attended wrote to thank the staff for all their hard work in putting on the fifth annual The Art of the Portrait conference in Washington, D.C. to another sold-out audience. Members traveled to the conference from forty-seven states and all around the world.

In his opening address Chairman Gordon Wetmore welcomed returning and new members saying, "We all share a passion and a fascination with the forms of the human face and the body. We have worked hard to put together a weekend of learning and sharing." He went on to congratulate the attendees on their dedication and commitment to the art of the portrait, which was demonstrated by a number of factors, including the success of this year's competition the largest to date; the growing alumni club, comprised of 400 members who have attended three or more conferences; and the announcement that we have reached our goal of 2,000 active members.

An artistic challenge

Edward Jonas, the Portrait Society Vice Chairman, drew upon his experiences as a falconer to begin the weekend with some moving and inspirational thoughts. He urged conference attendees to "keep their edge" by going after something different and challenging. "Repetitiveness in technique and style leads to burnout," he said. "Success does not come from the number of commissions, but through allowing yourself to fail." He said that only through expanding your vision and risking failure do you continue to learn. Ed pointed out that with over 800 entries in the portrait competition we have the opportunity to learn from many of these remarkable talents as they establish their places in modern art history.

Tom Donahue presented slides of the works of the ten finalists and of those who received A W A R D S   O F   M E R I T and Certificates of Recognition. Members once again had the chance to view some of the finest portraiture being created today.

Drawing and Painting

Drawing, the foundation of form, was emphasized this year and several of the models for the life drawing and painting demonstrations were well known. Ray Kinstler chose to paint Edward Jonas with one of his sculptures; our keynoter speaker, CBS's Bob Schieffer, posed for Dan Greene; and the notable artists, Doloris Boyle, Patricia Hill Burnett and Clyde Burnett sat for Tony Ryder, Burt Silverman, and Judy Carducci respectively.

Noted artist Deloris Boyle sat for a drawing demonstration by author and distinguished teacher Anthony Ryder.

Anthony Ryder provided the first demonstration for the conference a pencil and charcoal drawing from life. He has taught at the Art Student's League, The New York Academy and at various institutes in France. Ryder is currently teaching at the Seattle Academy of Fine Art. He explained every stroke as he rendered a stunning pencil sketch of Ms. Boyle. To quote some of his advice: "Shadows under the chin whisper those on the face talk," "Reflected light is never as bright as direct light." "Try with every pencil stroke to express curvature, not lines." Ryder's philosophy could be summed up with one of his closing comments: "To learn technique is easy, but if we want to reach the stature of the great painters, we must have clarity of understanding of the underlying structure, which is a lifelong process."

Ronald Sherr's life drawing class with two models was so successful that we will expand this workshop for the 2004 Boston seminar. Gerald Simco of Northampton, Pennsylvania said, "Sherr emphasized looking at the figure more than the work. He gave an especially good explanation of the thought process in massing."

Afternoon Sessions

Making a selection from the afternoon sessions proved difficult for many with so many well-thought-out presentations to choose from. Member quote: Valuable and well- reviewed breakout sessions included Michael Shane Neal's portrait demonstration as

Michael Shane Neal demonstrates how keen observation and exact brush stroking is important to the process of simplifying and editing your work.

well as one by Judith Carducci on values, business and promotional guidance from Calvin J. Goodman, and legal advice on copyrights by Brian Davis from the leading intellectual property law firm of Alston and Bird. Mr. Ward and past conference presenter Mr. Davis have won prestigious awards for their nonprofit work with the Portrait Society of America. Floyd E. Hosmer of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, reported that the room was full and that the many questions asked indicated great interest and confusion about this topic. He said the explanations provided by Brian Davis were organized, clear, and very informative.

Robert Barron, whose skill has been publicized through People magazine, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and a recent Discovery Channel program, conducted one of our most unique programs. Mr. Barron astounded his audience with a presentation about how he uses sculpture in unimaginable ways to restore features to disfigured individuals.

Daniel Greene conducted individual critiques for a fully enrolled session for the fifth straight year. Lisa Kovvuri from California commented, "I think the most valuable thing for me was having my slides critiqued by Daniel Greene. I learned a tremendous amount from that, and I hope critique opportunities will continue."

Two Members, Patsy Arrington Dorsett of Vinton, Virginia, and Yves Masson of San Rafael, California, agreed that Luana Luconi Winner's standing-room-only class on digital technology offered comprehensive and valuable information on available types of digital cameras, making portfolios and booklets, creating websites, and storing information about clients. They described her as an excellent communicator who provided very helpful handouts.

The very timely panel on the progress of women in art produced an animated discussion of impediments to women's success in the art world. All agreed that the reality of the demands of women's family roles cannot be denied, but emphasized that our own attitudes and focus are most important. We must be as professional as possible and have clearly established goals with a concrete plan to achieve them.

Lively discussions prevailed during the agents and art magazine publishers reception on Friday evening.

Calvin Goodman's brown-bag luncheon meeting on business and promotion proved to be so popular it had to be moved to the Grand Ballroom. Lynda McMorris of Decatur, Georgia said of Mr. Goodman, " He was very kind and informative and answered questions thoroughly including how to contact, follow up, and close a sale."

At the conclusion of the Friday afternoon sessions, attendees were invited to a delightful reception in the conservatory at which the artists could mingle and discuss their careers and futures with the major portrait agents and leading art magazine editors.

Insights into the creative process

Everett Raymond Kinstler opened the Saturday morning program with thoughts about his painting philosophy and approach. He emphasized, "Getting a point of view is everything to me." He said, "Getting a likeness is not enough if a painting has no movement or feeling." He called attention to values, saying that you must not lose their relationships when applying the colors. He likes the idea of "echoing colors," using a bit of blue in the browns and vice versa. He stresses using your eyes to see what is before you and restating rather than repainting saying, "You must show the structure underneath with planes that connect rather than highlights that isolate." Kinstler's enthusiasm for painting filled the convention hall during the two-hour presentation. He said, "I love what I do. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't paint," and, "Beauty is in not knowing what you're going to discover."

Capturing s striking likeness of keynote speaker and model Bob Schieffer, Daniel Greene articulated his approach to portraiture.

Just before lunch Dr. Carolyn Carr, assistant Director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, gave us an update on the progress of the renovations on the Old Patent office building,

which are scheduled to be completed in late 2006. Our 2007 Art of the Portrait Conference will be held in downtown Washington, D.C., to celebrate the re-opening of the museum and its new National Portrait competition.

During his oil demonstration on Saturday afternoon, Daniel Greene used a simple palette, mixing each color into six or seven values before painting. He thinks it's a good idea always to put colors in the same place so that using the palette becomes similar to playing a keyboard. Greene explained the palette he uses and his typical medium (one part stand oil to two parts turpentine). The most important part of the technique, he says, is getting the initial proportions. The room was hushed during the demonstration as a superlative likeness and work of art emerged of his well-known and good-natured subject, Bob Schieffer.

And the winner is…

The annual banquet and awards program began with the presentation of the International Portrait Competition winners. Robert Liberace was the winner of the portrait competition this year, with wide approval. His painting, a commissioned piece, was of a

Vice-Chair Edward Jonas presented the Grand Prize award to Robert Liberace during the Saturday evening banquet.

master cellist with the National Symphony Orchestra. Robert had the unique opportunity to hear him play before each of their sittings. Richard Weaver won Best of Show with a stark, but powerful head in oil. Paul Newton, from Australia, won First Place for the second year in a row, and Xiangyuan Jie's portrait of his daughter won second place. Jean-Paul Tibbles again traveled from England to accept top honors. Tibbles not only received the First Honors award, but his triptych was voted the Peoples' Choice by conference attendees. The five Honors Award winners were: Ned Bittinger, Loryn Brazier, John Michael Carter, Andy Thomas, and Jennifer Welty.

Edward Jonas presented the Excellence in Art Education award, which he created, to the National Academy of Design Art School, founded in 1825 and renowned as the organization of many of the Hudson River School painters. Academy President, Dr. Annette Blaugrund discussed the history and development of the school in a morning presentation. The beautiful plaque was accepted that evening by Nancy Little, Director of the Art School. Other recipients of this highly regarded recognition have been the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and The Art Students League of New York.

In a highlight of the evening, the 2003 Portrait Society Gold Medal was presented to Glenna Goodacre, who has achieved fame through her design of the U.S. Sacagawea Golden Dollar for the U.S. Mint; the Vietnam Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C.; and her recently completed Irish Famine Memorial, which will be installed at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia on October 25, 2003. The audience had the opportunity to experience the emotional impact of the sculptures at opening ceremonies through a PBS special production depicting the creation of the Irish Famine Memorial and the next day on a trip to the Vietnam Women's Memorial on the Mall in Washington.

After the keynote address, author and host of CBS Face the Nation, Bob Schieffer, mingles with artists and takes time to sign his latest book.

Bob Schieffer, the host of CBS's Face the Nation and a serious artist, capped the awards banquet with art stories and behind-the-scenes anecdotes from his best-selling book THIS JUST IN, What I Couldn't Tell You on Television. Joining our tradition of distinguished keynote speeches, Schieffer's talk brought the audience to their feet. Mr. Schieffer, who studied at the Art Students League and with Daniel Greene, explained in his banquet address the similarity between journalism and art. Both, he said, are searching for truth. He added that we don't always find it, and even when we do, it's not always well received. After he discussed some answers to questions he is frequently asked, he entertained us with details about past experiences with Lyndon Johnson, Lee Harvey Oswald's mother, Walter Cronkite, and others. Regarding television today Schieffer said, "We need art today more than ever: It helps us to see things we haven't seen before. It helps us to see the truth."

Sunday's Schedule

A Society membership meeting was held early Sunday morning preceded by a brief, but inspiring, talk by our prize-winning Australian artist, Paul Newton. Ed Jonas off-handedly, but appropriately, titled it Words from Above from Down Under. Other options were to visit the gallery of paintings by the finalists, the vendors and book-signings, and to have portfolios critiqued. Later, the panel of past winners was a very popular final plenary session before Mr. Silverman's demonstration.

Burton Silverman wrapped up the conference on Sunday morning with his stunning pastel of Patricia Hill Burnett.

With his choice of the title, Pastel, the Cinderella of Art, Burton Silverman became the champion of that medium with his drawing of Patricia Hill Burnett. In his presentation he countered the public's notion of pastels being light and fanciful, sometimes not being taken as seriously as other mediums. Silverman pointed out that they are actually exciting and versatile. His approach is to do whatever you need to create the image you want. He does use fixative and blends with stumps. As always, Silverman emphasized that a painting is a revelation of what you already know. The drawing is the nexus, the connection, with reality.

Attendees who were able to take the bus tour to see the Goodacre sculpture and the amazing exhibit of Thomas Gainsborough paintings at the National Gallery of Art ended their weekend experience with senses flooded. Chatter on the bus indicated that many easels would be busy on Monday. Another annual infusion of inspiration, instruction, and interaction with other artists has us all looking forward to Boston next year. The faces will be even more familiar then, and many of us will be eager to locate some of those we've come to know. In the closing words of Wanda Kemper, "When you think about it, why would any portrait painter miss this opportunity?'

Photos: Randy Sager, Bethesda, Maryland

Back to Past Portrait Conference selection