2003 ASOPA San Francisco seminar

Chuck Yokota · 07-21-2003, 01:12 PM

The ASOPA seminar "Holistic Portraiture - Being and Artist First" was held at the San Francisco Academy of Art College on July 18-20. The attendance was smaller than I had expected; it seemed like less than twenty. The leaders were Carl Samson, Virgil Elliott, and Craig Nelson.

On Friday evening, Carl Samson gave the welcoming remarks, and a slide show that emphsized how still life and landscape painting can inform and improve your portraiture. The three leaders presented slide shows that highlighted their daily lives, studios, families, and some of their works.

On Saturday morning, Carl Samson gave a demonstration of sight-size technique doing a head study. In the afternoon, There was a workshop where we were divided into small groups to paint head studies, with the leaders giving advice and critiques. With six models available, we were able to get very close and paint close to sight-size. In the late afternoon, Craig Nelson presented a slide show that featured some of his works from various phases in his career. In the evening, Virgil Elliott gave a head study painting demonstration, and the three leaders held a panel discussion on launching a career in portait painting.

Sunday morning was another workshop to paint another head study with different models.

Overall, it was a valuable experience for me. Due to the small attendance, I was able to get quite a bit of one-on-one critique from the leaders during the workshops. The presentations were informative, and at the seminar I was able to meet Enzie Shahmiri and Deladier Almeida from this forum.

Enzie Shahmiri · 07-25-2003, 10:57 AM

Hi Chuck,

Nice write up on the seminar/workshop. I enjoyed meeting you, Deladier and all the other attendees and had a great time.

Here are some photos I took...

Enzie Shahmiri · 07-25-2003, 10:59 AM

From left to right Chuck Yokota, Deladier Almeida, Carl Samson and a student of the Academy.

Enzie Shahmiri · 07-25-2003, 11:18 AM

Left to Right: Craig Nelson, Carl Samson and Virgil Elliott.

The gentlemen pointed out ways that have helped them to market themselves.

- Submitting one's work on a regular basis to well recognized and/or publicized art
competitions. Receiving awards should be looked at enhancing one's "artistic
pedigree".

- Painting complimentary portraits for recognizable figures in one's community. This has been mentioned in other threads and during this panel discussion it was again emphasized that word of mouth is the best way to attain new clientele. If you do a complimentary portrait for someone, discuss with the client that you prefer that no one knows that this is a donation and that the regular price should be given out. Request an unveiling party and make a big deal of it.

- Keep a client list and keep in touch with the people on that list through seasonal greetings.

- The pros and cons of working with an agent.

- Approaching galleries with your portfolio.

At the moment I can

Enzie Shahmiri · 07-25-2003, 11:32 AM

I forgot my camera at the hotel when Carl Samson did his demo and regret to say that I have no photo of his wonderful work.

When Carl did his demo it seemed I recognized how Sargent must have worked. Carl was soooo far away from his easel. He would look at the model, then on the canvas, launch towards it, put a stroke down and retreat back to his original position. Every stroke was very deliberate.

Virgil Elliott has been photographed during his demo, but he requested I do not show his demo piece. So, honoring his wishes I can only show you Virgil and not his work. Virgil loves to mix piles of colors before he begins any painting. When I looked at my sorry dabs of paint on the palette I felt like a pauper in comparison. According to him you have to have enough paint on your palette to not waste time mixing and matching. When enough skin values are on the palette a tiny modification gives you enough paint to cover the canvas and recreate the skin tone nuances of your subject.

Virgil also loves HUGE brushes and we all got a kick out of it when he took a brush that had a handle as long as a mahl stick. I would be afraid of poking someone in the eye with that thing.

Virgil likes to sit in a wheelchair when he gets tired standing and zooms back and forth. The long brushes also help to stay far away from the canvas to better view model and work in progress.