The Portrait Society of America
Writing articles does not come easy for me. I struggle to get my thoughts organized and then shaped into something resembling a readable form that, hopefully, is both clear and concise. Being an accomplished procrastinator doesn’t help one bit. I can easily waver on facing up to the task at hand or caving to the Siren’s bewitching song of any of my current studio art projects. However, when the subject is an issue that I am passionate about and has concerned me for years, and in listening to the complaints of college art school students I mentor has unfortunately not improved, I find the task at hand flows easily.
I have listened to story after story of university art school instructors pushing the importance of the intellectual content of the student’s work while totally neglecting teaching artistic technique or skill development. Students are taught to think like art critics but are not given the fundamental tools to becoming productive artists! While attending art school 47 years ago, I had this very experience, and unfortunately, I am still hearing these same stories of ideology of theory over skill.
Each year at the annual conference, we host a special event called 6x9 Mystery Art Sale: Limited Size, Unlimited Talent. Leading artists, past award winners and faculty create small works—6 by 9 inches. These works are signed on the back only, mounted on large panels, and on Friday evening in the Grand Ballroom, we unveil them. Attendees vie for the chance to purchase their favorite panel at a fixed price of $250 each. The energy in the room is palpable as the names of the artists that created the works are revealed. All is for a good cause as the proceeds of this event fund our scholarship program, which awards tuition waivers to students to attend the conference.
Esta historia es de la edición October/November 2018 de International Artist.
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Esta historia es de la edición October/November 2018 de International Artist.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Fresh Eyes
Anna Rose Bain discusses the passions of being an artist and helping students transform their own work
The Next Level
Jacob Dhein uses a wet-into-wet technique to create painterly depictions of a variety of subjects
Wild Spirit
Alternating between broad glazes and fine details, Claire Milligan captures the intricacies of the animal kingdom
The Bridge Between
Watercolorist Thomas Wells Schaller delves into the nuances of observation and imagination
The Color Continuum
Catherine Hearding demonstrates how she utilizes color to enhance the mood of her landscapes
Points of Precision
A strong focal point and attention to detail make Nicola Jane's artwork jump off the page
BE YOURSELF
Harley Brown's fascinating things no one else will tell you
JEFFREY T. LARSON
Expertly Putting the Pieces Together
Hot-Blooded
Blending elements of realism and surrealism, figurative artist Anna Wypych’'s paintings are dominated by vivid reds
Adam Clague Incandescence
Adam Clague’s masterful understanding of contrast allows him to paint subjects that seem to glow from within