[Clayton J. Beck III]

Wonderful to read the words you are writing. As a painter from life, I am thrilled to read someone encouraging the rest to get out of their dark studios where the overwhelming majoring of 'professional' painters are tracing away without the least bit of confidence and are wallowing in their guilty denials.

Painters today are taking money and accolades for something that once took skill and turning it into a patience contest call 'Who Can Copy the Photo Tighter'. I have no problem with tight work as long as it is good work. Most is tight only to overwhelm the uneducated buyer.

Portrait painters used to be painters first and then specialists. This has been reversed to the point where most portrait artists cannot paint anything but their portraits. Sad to say these words and if they weren't backed up by 25 years of observing, I wouldn't write them at all.

I hope painters find encouragement in the push to work from life from painters like Bill and realize that their work will greatly improve in color and design by working from life.

Lastly, the idea that a powerful influence on the work is created by the EXPERIENCE of being with your subject not just copying the shapes of value and color captured by a photo. Photos have their place as a valuable tool but they are a crutch that many lean on to the detriment of the art in their work.

I hope this came off as a call to arms for us to rise up and make ourselves better painters and not just snippy. I'm passionate about the ART of portraiture and find so very little of the last century. The Great Masters weren't magicians, they worked harder. They had no secrets.

Clayton