Ed Jonas

The Portrait Society of America returned to Philadelphia for its 10^th anniversary celebration the weekend of April 10-13, 2008. The entire program was built upon the Portrait Society’s tradition of excellence and inspiration, and served as a time of reflection and reunion for many artists and supporters.  Since its founding in 1998, over 3,000 people have joined the Portrait Society, reaffirming the organization’s role as a leader in the field of fine art portraiture.

A series of Thursday evening demonstrations kicked off the weekend on a high note. Featured faculty members, Dawn Whitelaw and Wende Caporale, as well as the 2006 People’s Choice winner, Jamie McMahan, demonstrated simultaneously for groups of attentive artists. Feelings of excitement and anticipation permeated rooms filled to capacity, as participants got a glimpse of what was to come throughout the weekend. One new member commented that having the opportunity to watch three demonstrations progress through a two-hour period was a truly unique experience.

Over 800 attendees packed the Liberty Ballroom Friday morning for Opening Ceremonies. Chairman Gordon Wetmore welcomed the audience and recognized members who have attended all ten conferences, as well as the numerous artists that traveled to Philadelphia from around the world.  Wende Caporale took the stage and introduced the 2008 faculty.  Edward Jonas congratulated the 2008 International Portrait Competition participants with a visual presentation of the top 20 artworks. Wrapping up the welcome, Tom Donahue, shared the work of the Certificate of Recognition winners as well as an image of their winning piece.

John Howard Sanden

John Howard Sanden presented the premier coup approach to painting in the first program of the day, entertaining and enlightening the audience. After sharing stories of his own education with teacher and mentor Edward Oppenheim, he began demonstrating in oils, discussing his thought process as he worked.

In addition to the ever-popular portfolio critiques by faculty members, this year the Portrait Society invited representatives from the leading portrait agencies to give critiques. A number of artists expressed their pleasure at having the opportunity to share their work with fellow artists in addition to the portrait agencies from around the country.

Friday afternoon programs allowed attendees to design a program most suited to their needs.  Participants continued their day with ten different class options during the breakout sessions. Understanding that there is more to the portrait business than knowing the painting process, Michael Shane Neal gave his audience helpful tips on official unveilings and the contract process. A longtime member and conference attendee stated that the opportunities for professional development are one of the most important aspects of the conference for her.

Rose Frantzen

Rose Frantzen, a new addition to the faculty, gave her first painting demonstration for the Portrait Society of America. Her painting was vibrant and showed her well-rounded approach to the use of color and line. During the panel presentation, Developing Your Critical Eye: Problem-Solving, Wende Caporale, Judith Carducci, Dawn Whitelaw, Ying-He Liu, and Chris Saper shared the approaches they take when critically analyzing their own work and fielded questions from the audience.

Ross Merrill expanded Friday afternoon’s offerings with his discussion on conservation, giving useful and practical tips for preserving paintings to ensure their longevity. As always, Portrait Society Board Member Calvin Goodman’s room was filled to capacity as he shared proven methods for marketing and working for better credentials during two separate sessions.

Demonstrating the Trois Crayon medium, Robert Liberace opened his session with a brief background of the medium which has been used since the Renaissance. Liberace then demonstrated the technique of utilizing three-tones, creating a painterly drawing of his subject. Vice Chairman, Edward Jonas gave an academic-style lecture on the anatomical foundations for building a face, and the audience was visibly impressed with the artist’s wealth of knowledge on the human form.

Critiques

Rounding out the afternoon’s programs, Robert Barrett conducted a drawing workshop with two models. He circulated throughout the room giving personal advice and feedback to the participants. The always-popular slide critique session with Daniel Greene was once again the highlight of the weekend for many artists. Having their work critiqued by the master artist and visionary teacher was a unique opportunity for those in attendance to receive the guidance they needed to take their work to the next level.   

For a second year, ArtSpeak Bonus programs were offered Friday evening. In a more informal setting, Robert Liberace, Judith Carducci, and Dawn Whitelaw participated in a lively discussion about the value of mentoring and teaching. The audience engaged in the discourse as they shared their own insights and views on the subject.

In a more reflective tone, Kristen Thies shared images of historic Masterworks and drawings by technically acclaimed artists who have inspired and influenced her husband, Timothy Thies in his artwork and career. Michael Shane Neal gave a fascinating lecture about John Singer Sargent’s inspirational style and impressionist approach, and Timothy Clark demonstrated how to paint the nude human form in watercolor. Clark’s portrait captured the soft essence of his model, and showed his command of the female figure.

Burton Silverman demonstration

Saturday’s programs proved to be as rewarding as those of the previous day. For the morning’s first session, Michael Shane Neal gave a touching introduction for his teacher and mentor, Everett Raymond Kinstler. During his presentation titled Painting in Their Shadows, Kinstler shared with the audience a number of artists of the past who have influenced him including Sargent and Sorolla as well as James Montgomery Flagg and Dean Cornwell. Through his narrative, Everett Raymond Kinstler connected one artist to another, illustrating the rich history of figurative art and emphasizing importance of painting from life, particularly when working outdoors where natural light plays such a large role. 

“Fact does not matter as much as tears,” stated Burton Silverman as he began his pastel demonstration. He kept the momentum of the morning going, while capturing the striking image of his model in her crimson hat and fur-lined coat. Explaining that each stroke in the portrait is definable for him, he began the portrait in a middle tone and then began pushing the darks followed by the lights, creating a subtle and sensitive painting. The audience was captivated by his 1930’s inspired image, and enjoyed the personal stories he shared.

David Leffel concentrated his demonstration on the rendering of an eye. He was able to paint an impressively detailed eye, showing a complete understanding of the value and color within the massed shapes.

Saturday afternoon’s programs ended with an intimate conversation with Aaron Shikler. He shared personal stories, both touching and humorous, with the audience, recalling his early days as a young artist. He then engaged the audience by opening the floor to questions. Despite the large venue, Shikler created an open and accessible environment more suggestive of a private conversation between friends.

In celebration of the Portrait’s Society decade of excellence, the top 20 works of the International Portrait Competition were exhibited in what was, without a doubt, the most impressive collection of portraits to be featured at the annual conference. The winners were revealed at the Saturday evening Awards banquet, and the Portrait Society awarded the William F. Draper Grand Prize to Jean-Paul Tibbles.

The young artist, Seth Haverkamp, took home Best of Show, with Amy Kann and Adrian Gottlieb receiving First and Second Place, respectively. First Honor Award went to Joseph Todorovich, and Glenn Harrington, Robin Frey, Justin Taylor, William Chambers, and Robert Armetta received Honor Awards.  Casey Baugh, Romel De La Torre, David Kassan, Jeremy Lipking, Natasha Milashevich, Lauren Mills, Tang Wei Min, Aapo Pukk, Oleg Radvan, and Jeffrey Watts were all recognized with Exceptional Merit Awards.

For the first time in its history, the Portrait Society honored two institutions with the Excellence in Art Education Award. The Charles H. Cecil Studios and The Florence Academy of Art were recognized for their contributions to the field. Founders, Charles Cecil and Daniel Graves were both in attendance to receive their awards.

O. Aldon James presented George “Frolic” Weymouth, Director of the Brandywine Museum and founder of the Brandywine Conservancy, with the Leadership in the Arts Award. Alexandra Tyng’s portrait of Weymouth was unveiled during the ceremony. The Portrait Society had commissioned the piece to honor his visionary leadership and tireless advocacy efforts in the arts.

The evening culminated with a moving Gold Medal retrospective. The film recalled the founding of the Portrait Society of America by leading artists with a mission to foster and enhance the traditions and aesthetics of fine art portraiture and revisited the many Gold Medal, Leadership in the Fine arts and Excellence in Art Education Awards presented over the past decade. All 10 of the past Gold Medal recipients were remembered with personal stories and clips from the various awards ceremonies.

As the weekend came to a close, Michael Shane Neal led the Sunday morning Inspirational Hour by sharing personal stories and moving the audience with words of encouragement. A sense of camaraderie was apparent in the room, with many members looking forward to taking all they had learned back to the studio.

Daniel Greene and Nelson Shanks ended the morning with enlightening presentations. Greene looked at the technical side of painting during a slide presentation of his work. Featuring several decades of paintings as well as new works, Greene openly shared his wealth of knowledge and sources of inspiration with the audience.

Nelson Shanks narrated a time lapsed figurative demonstration as well as a collection of completed and in progress works as he discussed the portrait as fine art. Founder of Studio Incamminati, Shanks has been a teacher and mentor to countless portrait artists. He shared his philosophy of painting and his views on the field of portraiture with an eager and attentive audience.

Philadelphia provided a perfect setting for such a momentous event. A city with a rich artistic history was apropos for Portrait Society members taking an opportunity to look back at where they have been, while looking forward to another decade of inspiration and excellence.


Back to Past Portrait Conference selection