Going out of the comfort zone.

[Sharon Knettell]

Thanks Julie, Cindy and Allan,

I believe I posted that so I personally would not be tempted by the same old, same old as I have been in the past.

I think that we have too continue to seek out new ways to refresh the genre or it will sink under the weight of boring, repetitive themes.

Sargent painted the era he was in, he did not try to make it look antique. His paintings were probably the fashion illustrations of the day and very contemporary to his time as tattoos, nose rings and green hair are to ours.

[Marvin Mattelson]

I have witnessed, time and again, through the eyes of many of the students I've had the privilege to teach, the dream of finding "the correct answer" for any problem. Being safe is basic human nature.However, this quest for rules to dictate how each situation should be properly addressed is the ultimate avoidance of personal responsibility in picture making. This kind of formulaic blueprint can only lead to redundancy, in my opinion, a far greater danger to producing lifeless painting than all other rocks combined.

When I see the work of any artist which remains essentially unchanged over the course of time (same colors, same composition, same complexions, same brushwork etc.) I see self imitation, not painting. I believe by being motivated by fear and insecurity and by avoiding taking chances, artists put themselves between a rock and a hard place!

Therefore, I feel it is my number one responsibility to squash this dream and make people realize that the opportunity to create, discover and invent new solutions is what made the great masters great.

[Chris Saper]

Dear Sharon,

The ring of truth in your post is extraordinary. I think that every portrait painter has in his or her history a "but..." and afterward a litany of excuses as to why the portrait fails: " The client insisted..." ; "The only photo I had was..." , "I really needed the money..."etc. I have the same history, and like many of you, I'd like to go collect a lot of those pieces and do them over.

The only path to excellence is the one under your control. Each of us can preserve the potential for excellent work, but none of us can do so with substandard elements along the way ( ie, poor photo reference, poor design or a variety of other fatal flaws [at least Hamlet wasn't trying to paint]). My thought on the matter is that every painting should move the potential point of failure from the beginning to the end. I have screwed up more paintings than I care to count.Now, I think, if I will have a failed painting, better it be at 11:59 than right out of the chute. Because if I can almost make it this time, I can definitely make it the next. It's about optimism, and there's no way to get that, except by putting in the work..

[Sharon Knettell]

Ah yes Chris,

The only time I have thought of doing something truly illegal, such as breaking and entering is to retrieve one of those unfortunate oeuvres that had more excuses than merit.

Oh the pain of the thought of those execrable paintings sitting on a wall in full view. I wince!

[Mari DeRuntz]

Amen.