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Minh Thong · 10-31-2002, 10:50 PM

Thanks for the info everyone, it is greatly appreciated.

I've dreamed of attending a workshop by pros like William Whitaker, Frank Covino, or Virgil Elliot since I started last year. Unfortunately, a $500 workshop is absolutely impossible for me right now. However, I think I could swing a moderate monthly fee for instruction ($50 - $100 range) this Winter, and I feel I'd be better served with something more long-term.

It's very frustrating because though I've been painting in oil for less than a year, I feel - and I have been told - that I have a fair amount of potential and I certainly have the drive to learn. I apologize for being so blunt, but the few portrait teachers I've seen locally that aren't exclusively into modernist or folk 'art' just aren't that good. I know this probably sounds arrogant and dismissive, and I'm really not an arrogant person, I just don't know any other way to say it.

Not everyone will become as technically accomplished as Jeffery Mims or Ben Long, no matter how many years they do it. But if I'm ever going to see how far I can go, the only way to do it is to study with someone close to that caliber. So, I have arranged my Fall and Winter schedule to allow time to pursue painting, and in addition to paying $$$ I'd also gladly sweep floors, clean studios, mix paint or clean brushes for the opportunity to study with someone like that nearby.

So, if anyone has Classical Realist connections in the Triad area, make sure they know that there are still students out here ready and willing to learn the correct way, that aren't looking for shortcuts, and aren't willing to settle for the 'Art Brut' that appears to be so fashionable round these parts.

Thanks Again Everyone!

Minh "Teacherless" Thong

10-31-2002, 10:50 PM	#5
Minh Thong Associate Member Joined: Feb 2002 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 114	Thanks for the info everyone, it is greatly appreciated. I've dreamed of attending a workshop by pros like William Whitaker, Frank Covino, or Virgil Elliot since I started last year. Unfortunately, a $500 workshop is absolutely impossible for me right now. However, I think I could swing a moderate monthly fee for instruction ($50 - $100 range) this Winter, and I feel I'd be better served with something more long-term. It's very frustrating because though I've been painting in oil for less than a year, I feel - and I have been told - that I have a fair amount of potential and I certainly have the drive to learn. I apologize for being so blunt, but the few portrait teachers I've seen locally that aren't exclusively into modernist or folk 'art' just aren't that good. I know this probably sounds arrogant and dismissive, and I'm really not an arrogant person, I just don't know any other way to say it. Not everyone will become as technically accomplished as Jeffery Mims or Ben Long, no matter how many years they do it. But if I'm ever going to see how far I can go, the only way to do it is to study with someone close to that caliber. So, I have arranged my Fall and Winter schedule to allow time to pursue painting, and in addition to paying $$$ I'd also gladly sweep floors, clean studios, mix paint or clean brushes for the opportunity to study with someone like that nearby. So, if anyone has Classical Realist connections in the Triad area, make sure they know that there are still students out here ready and willing to learn the correct way, that aren't looking for shortcuts, and aren't willing to settle for the 'Art Brut' that appears to be so fashionable round these parts. Thanks Again Everyone! Minh "Teacherless" Thong