The Portrait Society of America’s annual The Art of the Portrait® Conference challenged artists to push beyond their limits. Jennifer King, the US Editor for International Artist magazine was in Washington, DC for our conference and she filed this report: When Edward Jonas, Vice-Chair of the Portrait Society of America, launched the annual portrait conference with a story about watching a hawk hunt for prey, conference attendees looked quizzically at their neighbors. What did this have to do with art? But his message soon became clear: Ed, who is a falconer, described the miracle of witnessing the hawk leave her perch, soar high with wings spread wide and aim far, going in for a wild turkey more than three times her size! Her flight was a thing of beauty, a moment of grace. We wondered if the hawk was successful in catching her prey? No, Ed, told us, but it didn’t matter. Her attempt, her reach, her ambition made it all worthwhile. And so it should be with artists. “Success should be measured by our experiences, not by the number of commissions we get.” Ed went on to say, “So follow a new direction, allow yourself to fail and you’ll allow yourself to learn. This is how you keep your mind fresh and your creative juices flowing.” Ed’s challenge to the Art of the Portrait conference attendees to push themselves to expand their horizon – both in art and in business – quickly became the theme of the weekend.