Joy Thomas' first time
 

I've been reading these postings for years, but was uncomfortable with computers. Now that I've finished writing a book "The Art of Portrait Drawing" I've had more practice - tho' still pretty awful with computers... but doing it anyway! I'm including a recent self portrait in charcoal. It will appear in my book...(available from North Light Books, May 2006)

Please be gentle with me this is my first time to forum!!!

Joy,

Wow, your charcoal is beautiful.

I'm so glad you're going to participate on the forum, and congratulations on your book!

Anna

Thank you Anna, you are my First Forum Friend!

This is a big step for me...I actually have tears in my eyes...(how ridiculous!)

I enjoyed your website and respect your obvious commitment to drawing and painting from life...(that's what it's all about...what a rush...right?)

Joy Thomas

Joy,
Welcome aboard. Always a delight to have a new artist on the forum. I envy your charcoal skills. Whenever I touch charcoal, I always seem to make a hash of it.

Thank you Richard... I'm happy to finally be here... I was one of Cynthia's first artists -- having joined A Stroke of Genius in 1996...I have her to thank for helping me overcome my computer anxieties so I could finally join the forum. I hope you will visit my website www.portraitartist.com/thomas

There's no need to envy my skills, I'll be happy to teach them to you! I take a painterly approach to charcoal (even using brushes to move the material around) and have designed a new workshop "The Art of Portrait Drawing" in response to my years of teaching, and based on my book and DVD by the same name. The workshop is about drawing for painters...(because I've taught lots of painting workshops, and have concluded that drawing is the real problem confronting most portraitists, including me!)

It is a wonderful class-- designed for, and in conjunction with, my advanced students.

Hi Joy! I have admired your work for quite sometime. I look forward to getting your book and hope you post here often!

Hello,
I noticed your works about a year ago when I was searching internet. They are beautiful. I

Hi Joy! Welcome! So glad you are joining in the discussion here. I admire your work very much. Your books sounds very interesting indeed-- I'll have to pick up a copy. Don't worry too much about computer skills; all you need is the basics. I'm not too good either with fancy stuff like value posturization and drawing on top of images to show mistakes, so I leave that to the experts.

Alex

Hello Joy! Visited your webpage, excelent work! It's a pleasure to meet you.

Welcome, Joy. I do think it will be our joy to have you here, especially if you're willing and able to teach your methods!

Good luck with the book.

Hi and Welcome Joy,
I like your work very much, specially the portrait of Merritt Grace, that's lovely.
Hope you have a good time here.

Hi and welcome Joy -

It's nice to have a face to match to your website. I've especially admired your painting of the dog with the yellow ball for a long time now.

Wow this is fun, it's like getting LOTS of pen pals all at once!
I can't wait to see everyone's work...(be sure and supply quick links to your sites)

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

Dear Joy,

I remember meeting you at the very first ASOPA meeting I attended - it might have been 1996?, the year that Leon Loard hosted part of the event.

I've followed your work ever since, and it's great to now see you here! I'm sure you'll enjoy participating as much as I.

Wonderful news about your book - we will look forward to its publication!

Joy, if you click on a member's name, over there in the left-hand column, a menu will drop down, which will contain a link to individual websites, if the member has provided that information upon registering.

Any other problems on the site, just email a moderator. That's how many of them make most of their income. [Not true.] Except Mike McCarty, who is reputed to actually have a real job near the Caribbean that has made him independently wealthy, on paper.

By the way, during a brief residence in Austin, Texas, I was looking around for artists' groups to join, and Google came up with the Associated Creative Artists in Dallas. I was mildly skeptical, but upon further examination of their website, I saw that they had had a workshop/demo by one "Joy Thomas." That credential was good enough for me, and I joined. (If that wasn't you, just pretend it was, since it's a good story.)

Thank you for the tip!
It worked of course. Like I said, I'm pretty awful at this computer business ..I'll learn though (I hope!)

Joy

Thank you Chris! You've really been going great guns !! Congratulations!

As a guest visiting the forum I've always enjoyed reading your posts...in fact, you are one of the reasons I was inspired to "join the conversation" so to speak.

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

I forgot to thank you for that great compliment Steven...gee, it's too bad you missed those Dallas Demos....I always seem to do my best work for the good folks in Texas, (of course , I'm a native Texan myself so maybe I'm just "feeling the love" when I'm there) There are huge turnouts for the demos and the crowds are typically quite savvy! They have me in every other year or so, so maybe I'll see you there sometime.

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

Welcome to the Forum, Joy! I'm another artist who has followed your career for years. I hope you will enjoy the SOG artists here as much as I have. Congratulations on your book and I'm really looking forward to reading it!

My artistic license has been suspended, and my paper fortune has been attached (with prejudice).

Welcome Joy. I too have admired your work for years.

Welcome, Joy! Let me chime in and say that I'm another one of the forum artists who has admired your work for years. I especially like your portrait of the Secretary of the Navy. It's not that often that you see a casual official portrait. A refreshing change from all the black suits! We all hope to see you posting often here.

Linda Brandon, Mike McCarty (with or without that paper fortune) and Michelle Rushworth...I am flattered to discover that pros like you know my work...thanks for the kind remarks!

I keep an eye on you folks too... Congratulations Michelle on your official portrait of the Governor of Washington...(NOW is the time to raise your fees!! Trust me!)

Linda, I like your portraits... that "Dog Pack" painting really caught my eye...it has a sophisticated aesthetic.

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

I have to add myself to the list of your admirers. Sorry to be so late, but Welcome!

Jean

Dear Joy,

I am yet another who has greatly admired and have been inspired by your exemplary works on your Stroke of Genius website. Welcome!

Several of your paintings have an immediacy for me that is unforgettable; among them: Secretary of Navy, Richard Danzig; Caroline; Dr. Ronald Kurth; Merritt Chase; Will in Boat; and, Fireside. Alexandra Tyng has coined and started a thread of portraits that are so moving and unforgettable that they contain a "retina burn factor". I've been thinking about contemporary portrait painters right here at Stroke of Genius that qualify in my mind to this categorical status, and yours come to my mind immediately.

Members are responding well to your introduction, and with the pace of your kind and humble responses, I can assure you that you will attain immense popularity here rather quickly. So brace yourself! You have so much to offer, and I look forward to your contributions.

I shamefully have no website links yet to share. I will try to fix that in the coming months. In the mean time, my click-able signature links to my painting "Apotheoun" in the Figurative Unveilings section. " Jane and Iona", and "In the Matter of Color", have also enjoyed nice responses here. I hope you enjoy meeting and conversing with the many serious portrait artists populating this Forum; all of whom stand to benefit.

I can't wait to see the level of responses your portraits will gather. I hope you are pleasantly surprised, and are inspired to share much with us. Again, welcome, and I am glad and fortunate you are joining the Forum.

Garth

Thank you Garth for you generous comments... I must confess, I am not usually described as humble, but it made me feel warm and fuzzy to think I might be giving you that impression!

I did visit "Apotheoun" today and was impressed with the concept and composition, nice palette and execution of technique (and the response from other forum members!) then my heart skipped a beat when I read that you had made it into National Portrait Gallery finals!...(so many mixed emotions and a flood of recent memories)
...you see...I'm still sad that my suggestions during the planning of that event were not heeded, having gone to great lengths to submit a proposal detailing how at least one part of the competition should include painting from life on location. Such competitons existed in the past and I assume the National Sculpture Society still conducts their annual sculpting competition in that manner, in fact....I actually served as photographer of that amazing sculpting competiton in 1994.

The proposal explained that the public would be educated and pulled into the passion of the process if at least some of the finalists were to take part in a "painting from life" competition, perhaps it could be in addition to the overall competition...there was some discussion of the idea, but ultimately they seemed to think the whole notion was old-fashioned. Alas, after they published the requirements, I entered and -- you guessed it---my painting was rejected...sniff!

So my sincere congratulations, to you my new artist friend, Garth....you do seem so very bright, talented and...nice.
Now that you're in, I really do hope you win!
(...but deep in my heart , I wish it had been me...does that make me bad?)

Joy, it looks like I am in the minority here and was not familiar with your work. So glad you posted here so I could look you up and be dazzled. I know this is a portrait forum, but I particularly liked seeing your still lifes. Everyone here is talented and unique and you will fit right in. Welcome aboard!

Heidi, I looked up your lovely site and I especially like the bronze in the lower left hand corner!! I really enjoy seeing the evidence of surface texture.

I'm wondering if you are familar with the National Sculpture Competion that I was describing to Garth?(..it may be called the Walter Johnson competition...) I certainly envy your sculpting, I studied it one summer at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts...but my husband/business manager/framer threatened to leave me when I talked about learning it in earnest, I guess he was afraid I might try to quit my day job as a painter.

Thanks for welcoming me.

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

Wow - Joy Thomas on a computer! Wow! ;)

Glad you are visiting Joy, I'm sure the book is wonderful! Did you tell them about the DVD? I just did a quick glance at the post, so sorry if you did mention it.

Post lots of goodies from your favorite sections!

:thumbsup:
Beth

Dear Joy,

I am honored and humbled to learn more how you have been advocating and advising on these great competitions. Your idea certainly has merit. In fact at first I almost skipped entering the National Portrait Gallery competition thinking erroneously the submitted works were to have been entirely produced from live sittings. Obviously the criteria is broader than that. A live painting demonstration or competition would draw the public's interest, I would think. Perhaps this still should be persued. I've had some competition experience too:

As a student (painting major) at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, I entered the annual Stewardson Competition to sculpt a finished figure in an 18 hour window over three days. This competition is open to students from any school to participate. I was the only painter in the competition, and no one ever expected me to win. There was a muffled shock wave when I did! It certainly surprised me too. These competitions are so subjective and unpredictable. Unfortunately established egoes can get bruised in the competitive heat of the event process. I am glad to see PAFA is now co-sponsoring the National Sculpture Society Competition on a bi-annual basis. One gets 28 hours in this one!

It must have been exciting to be the photographer in the 1994 event! What was the atmosphere like? In a sense I bet competitors were learning and benefiting from each other's methodology. What a treat it must have been to circulate and weave throughout the competition with a documenting eye.

You know, even if several portrait painters were invited to paint at a live, documented event, it would have a competitive feel even if it weren't actually an official competition. It's just human nature. It would be valuable, educational and informative to the public that can attend and witness such an event, and I share with your thought it would have wide appeal. Perhaps you should continue to persue this possibility.

I am sorry you are not included among the semifinalists this year in the NPG competition. I guess this competition will cycle every three years for painters and sculptors, or something like that. I hope you fare much better in the next go around! I still have no idea who else is a semifinalist this year. When Artex picked up my painting last month, three other semifinalists were also in that truck, but under wraps and anonymity. One was quite huge, and another had the finest custom shipping case I have ever seen. Thanks sincerely for your kind and thoughtful wishes for Apotheoun! I appreciate the care and professional experience you contributed to the design and plan of this competition, even though it was not heeded entirely. I have been rejected from competitions I have planned, authored and chaired too. It leaves one with mixed emotions, but in the end Joy, you can be proud of the leadership role you played, whoever wins.

Best.

Garth

Hi again, Joy,

I really feel your pain over the Smithsonian portrait competition. Many of us can relate, having submitted and not been selected as finalists, but of course you had the added blow of having contributed to the planning of the event. I'm guessing you won't give up, but I just want to back you up with a little added encouragement. Your work is great, and you deserve recognition, so just keep trying. I'm in the process of planning a few events and I can forsee there may be some difficult and awkward times ahead for me, so it has helped me somewhat to read what you went through.

Alex

Ode for Joy
 

Joy,

As a moderator I have erased
whole sections of prose
from the Forum base,
whilst learning the skills of Cyberspace.

Welcome to our chat room ( my husband's words). I look forward as well as many here, to someone of your accomplishment and talent joining us.

I did not enter the Smithsonian contest but awhile ago I was rejected for a local show. Talk about a downer.

Sharon wrote: They were probably looking for "anarchist feminist performance art" (the subject of a recent local show here).

Oh my goodness! Thank you all for sharing rejection stories, especially you Garth...now I call that gracious! I'm pleased as punch that you know about the sculpting competition Garth (wha-a-a? he won that too?)

Over 20 years ago, when I was setting up my art files, I decided to keep up with my Win/ Losses...so I had one file that said "Accepted" with a big happy face and another that said "Rejected" with a big sad face. It did not take long to trash that filing system as the Accepted File remained skimpy while the Rejected File expanded at an alarming rate! And besides that, I can't even keep up with my coffee cup, much less a bunch of extra papers.
I
My 26 year old daughter who lives in Los Angeles has been encouraging me to join this forum for years (she belongs to one all about PURFUME! can you imagine?) and wanted a report on how my introduction was going, so I started reading everything to her and she responded with lots of "Awww"..."That's so nice!" and "What great people, Mom, you are going to love this" then when I read my response to Garth...she shreiked "don't you dare post that, Mother!"...I argued that I suspected there would be no hard feelings, because everyone would relate. Then I said, "It's too late, dear...I've already done it." So I nervously looked this morning to see what everyone thought and what a relief..."Whew"

Now I must set the record straight on my leadership role...my advice was not solicitated by the good folks at the National Portrait Gallery, I just called them up when I caught wind of the whole thing a couple of years ago and interjected myself! I suspect it was just an attempt to "shoo me away" when they suggested that I submit my ideas in writing. Of course I threw myself into it like a mad woman and had some conversations (everyone was very nice actually). But to no avail. You know, I've been at this song and dance for ten years...in hopes that the societies, schools or some other organization might pick up the idea of a painting from life competition or event...of course I'm way too lazy to organize something like that myself.

BETH! BETH! BETH! How the heck are you! You computer diva, you! Yes, I am on the !#$% computer and you are partially to blame of course (after you and others shared such mirth over my 19th century forms of communications).

I bet you didn't even notice Beth, when Western Union announced that they would no longer offer their TELEGRAM sevice last week!! Horrors! So, I immediately joined this forum and bought a used FAX machine...I mean, I had no choice.
I do my part to keep time honored traditions alive...admit it Beth, you will miss those terse messages on yellow paper that you got from me.

And now that I don't have to pay for every word I say...How will I ever....STOP

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

Holy Moly Joy, 1/2 days on the computer and you crash the whole forum! HA! I must say I had to laugh at the coincidence, well I still am laughing!

See I told you we shouldn't have shot that pony express guy!


You better watch out, Garth is going to get upset with the good response to your introduction replies. He watches these things, but he knows I still hold the record!

;)

Well Beth, I am not upset, but I do watch these numbers with utter amazement from time to time. I've served my term at #1, and it's time for new and deserving talent here to showcase, don't you think?

Joy, you are on a roll! As I've suggested already, you are soon to shatter the record of responses here which currently sit at 43, but not for long it seems. Go for it! Soon enough you will be added to the four digit hall of fame too (Oh why did I start that silly thread?). :oops:

Garth :sunnysmil

Well don't count on it...

Some of the forum members have not come through, they claimed to be on the take but obviously they had no intention of actually helping me fix this little "reply race".
--So it was money wasted on my part...bribes just aren't what they used to be!

Joy

0H... well I still 0bserve that my 0ld, 0riginal intr0, 0f myself, 0bviously will 0ccupy the 0bscurest p0st, albiet s0me felt 0bligated t0 n0t 0mit me after my 0bseravation were made public.

They were nice en0ugh to 0ppose this 0ffensive treatment t0 said self, unless 0f c0urse they were 0rchestrated by Garth t0 0paquely 0bliterate my 0fficial intr0duction standings.



;C

What 's going on here? I failed to decode the cryptic talk....fill me in for heaven's sake!!!
I'm as lost as an Easter egg....

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

Joy I used to hold the record for the "0" responses, but I believe it was broken because of Garth's thread, you'll need to read the "four digit hall of fame" to see what I 4-telling you 4 the moment.

;)

Don't worry, Garth and Terri are likely the only ones that got it!

Okey-Dokey now I see. Thanks for shedding light...Terri who?
Where is the 4-digit Hall of Fame? How do I get there?...
oh no! I'm still as lost as an easter egg. I know... I'll just type in my name and web address again, that should help

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas