Classical portraiture in Triad area of NC?
 

It's Fall again, and I've broken out the oil painting supplies (which were almost sold out of frustration back in March) again, and I'm still trying to find a teacher in the Greensboro/Winston/Lexington area of North Carolina. No one I talked with locally last year was teaching regularly, or if they were they had no more space. So I thought I'd try again this year ...

Does anyone know of a teacher of Classical Portraiture in the Triad area of North Carolina who is accepting students in exchange for money, indentured servitude, or any other form of payment?

Minh "Stubborn" Thong

Minh, I admire your persistence! Since I live in Seattle I'm not much of a resource for suggesting teachers in your area, though.

However, while you are searching you might want to look at the Tony Ryder book on figure drawing:

Ryder, Anthony, "The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing". Watson Guptill 2000

It's the best drawing book I've ever read and comes highly recommended by many other portrait artist pros too. I know if you practice the exercises in it you will progress a long way toward your goal, while waiting for a teacher.

Wow ... that's bizarre. I was just on Amazon looking thru the comments on that particular book before I received notification of a reply here via email.

I was able to work with a drawing teacher for three months last year via the internet, and my portrait likenesses improved dramatically - it didn't carry over completely to my painting, though :D. This particular drawing teacher's personal style is rooted in Loomis, but many of the exercises I did with him were more along the lines of trying very hard to SEE and draw the actual line and form, as opposed to constructing from anatomy or formulas a la Loomis, Faragasso, etc. So I thought the Ryder approach, based on the little I know about his method, might compliment what I learned with the teacher. Weird, huh?

I will continue to draw and practice the exercises I learned last season, in addition to painting, and will most likely pick up the Ryder book soon. I will always believe that drawing has to come first, and that without facility with a pencil I will never be a decent portraitist. But I sure would love to find a classical oil painting teacher locally.

I'm very stubborn. I'm sure it'll happen eventually.

Minh "Stubborn" Thong

BTW ... does SOG have the Ryder book in it's bookstore? I bought H. Sanden and H. Brown thru the site last year, but I don't see a link for Ryder. Isn't there a bookstore somewhere?

Minh!

Where ya been? Good to have you back!

As for the SOG bookstore, it's actually an affiliate account with Amazon.com. Michele's link above will lead you to the book on Amazon, and the sale will be credited to SOG (so, in a way, it is in the SOG bookstore).

LOL! :D

Hi Jeff,

I tend to draw and paint in the Fall and Winter when I can't get outside to do other stuff. So I'm only around the forums for a few months of the year. This will be my third 'season' and I'm hopeful of finding a teacher locally. I just don't see myself getting much better without some help. I can 'polish up' what I already have, but I really need a teacher to get to the next level.

Thanks for the info on the Amazon/SOG thing. I couldn't remember how that worked.

Hope all is well with you and yours ...

Minh

Minh,

The book is in the bookstore, yes: http://portraitartist.com/bookstore/portraitdrawing.htm

There is always a link to the home page of the bookstore at the very bottom of the page.

Minh,

If you're looking for a good book on drawing you may want to wait another month. ACR Publishers is issuing Jean-Leon Gerome and his student Charles Bargue's collaboration entitled "A Course in Design." This is the figure drawing approach that Gerome's students followed at the French Academy. These plates are currently being utilized by a number of different contemporary "academic" ateliers in their drawing instruction. The plates are annotated by the distinguished author Gerald Ackerman.

The book is being released in conjunction with the opening of a show of Bargue's drawings and paintings at the Dahesh Museum in NYC November 25. The books will be available through the museum store and I'm assuming selected bookstores. The show opens in late November. This book is a must have, IMHO.

Below is a reproduction of the cover of the French edition of the book. An English version will also be available.

I tend to draw more in the summer and winter. Fall and Spring in Louisiana are prime sailing months. I've sailed more in the last few weeks than I did all summer. When the weather gets cold, I'll be drawing several hours a day. I never get bored, and I almost never watch TV.

I don't understand people who get bored. I can't get enough done in a day to find time to get bored.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...elevision_dc_1

Thanks for the info Mr. Mattelson. I've seen Bargue's drawings in a few publications (and atelier student copies), and I just saw one of his paintings at the MFA Boston last week.

The book should be interesting.

Minh

Minh--

I'm teaching a four-day portrait workshop right here in Greensboro next week. It's a TwoArtChicks gallery. Contact Judi Kastner there for info.

We may have a space or two left, but I haven't heard from her this week yet.

Best--
Tom Edgerton

Thanks for the info Tom. I checked Judy's website and unfortunately it's out of reach for me financially. I should start checking local schedules so I could better plan for opportunities like these.

Do you know anyone in our area with on-going evening or weekend studies in classical portraiture? Or private on-going instruction for a monthly fee? At this point I'd gladly settle for almost any media ... oils, pastel, charcoal (I'm desperate :D). Any ideas?

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Minh

Minh,

Do you check my Events page periodically? There's several NC workshops on there and one is by Tom Edgerton in Greensboro, Oct 28-31. If they say it's filled up, you might be able to twist Tom's arm if you say you're a Forum member.

You missed two in Asheville given by Peggy Baumgaertner. There's one is Raleigh Nov 13-15 by Paul McCormack, also an SOG artist.

These are all fabulous artists and you couldn't go wrong.

Paul
 

Paul is a very nice guy and a great painter. I understand the place is a nice facility too.

Dear Minh,

I have observed your long-stated desire to find a teacher in your area. Tom Edgerton's class, coming up, is, in my view the bargain of the century. Most workshops do not permit a "by-the-day" option, and I think this is a wonderful opportunity.

When you consider a $100/day price tag, given the average teaching time of 6 hours, this breaks down into about $16. per hour. If you look into all of the workshops posted in the Forum, I think you will see that it would be a true challenge to do any better. If you cannot work the finances for this workshop, I strongly encourage you to save for Tom's next one.

In workshop training, as in most other things, you get what you pay for. In this case, you are likely to get more.

Good luck.

Thanks for the info all, it is much appreciated.

I agree, Chris, Tom's workshop is certainly a bargain at any price. His work is head and shoulders above anyone else in my area, in my personal opinion. That's why I've been pestering him about a long-term teaching situtation. That said however, unless I start robbing banks it'll be a while before I can put that kind of cash together on short notice. And to think they told me in college that Information Technology was where the money was. Maybe I could get a refund on my college education now that the Dot Com economy has tanked and all the developers are working at Walmart. :D

Thanks again for the help, everyone. And thanks, Tim, for the email. I'll definitely see you there.

Minh

Minh--

I understand your situation, and as I e-mailed you, when we get into the new studio I'll contact you and see if we can get together on some lessons here in Greensboro. (We expect to break ground soon.)

Chris--

Thanks so much for the affirmation. I'll work hard to make sure everyone gets their money's worth. (Also, I've decided to go to 5:00PM each day instead of 4:00, for those hardier souls.)

Best to all--TE