Visitors' poll

I am curious as to why you would want more people to participate in the forum.

I ask this because when I see people who are at a lower skill level posting, they are quite often ignored or receive little response. Apparently you must reach a certain skill level to get a decent response to posts.

Why is this so? Is it because those of you have progressed beyond that skill level forget where you started?

If these people were juried in, then their work was deemed acceptable. Yet the lack of replies tell a different story.

So I wonder why you seek more participation.

[Sharon Knettell]

We have ,over the years, tightened up the jurying process. Often many of the people who joined us in the inception have not improved, heeded our advice or taken advantage of the vast amounts of information available to them.

It takes a lot of our personal time- we do this gratis, to help someone. As our time is limited, we only help those we feel can benefit.

As the Forum has grown we have seen a greater increase in the level of professionals on this Forum. As this is not a generic chat room, that is the group we cater to, as this is a site dedicated to the professional portrait and figure painter.

We do jury in younger people and beginners, but only those we feel have the ability and a future in the business.

Many people erroneously feel, that all you have to do is learn how to copy a photo correctly and, voila! a portrait artist is born. Nothing could be further from the truth.

[Sharon Knettell]

My own preference in doing crits is to work with those who are doing the hard work, learning how to draw properly first, working from life, etc.

I will not help those who work from photo reference anymore.

[Steven Sweeney]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am curious as to why you would want more people to participate in the forum.

I ask this because when I see people who are at a lower skill level posting, they are quite often ignored or receive little response. Apparently you must reach a certain skill level to get a decent response to posts.

Why is this so? Is it because those of you have progressed beyond that skill level forget where you started?

If these people were juried in, then their work was deemed acceptable. Yet the lack of replies tell a different story.

So I wonder why you seek more participation.

I don't believe anyone here has forgotten what it was like to be starting out. Many many accounts have been posted by young or new artists who got their start relying primarily on this Forum and who have been counseled and instructed through to very accomplished and successful stature in the profession.

And actually, artists of even high skill levels sometimes get a delayed or minor response. It depends on who is available and able to respond and whether they feel they have something to contribute.

The question as to why more participation is solicited seems to incorrectly assume that more participation by underqualified artists is being sought, and so the question as to why the administrators would want to do that misses the point.

More participation by qualified artists would be the ideal. And ideally, almost every member, by virtue of having submitted work for peer review and having been given posting privileges, is qualified as well to actively participate, including the offering of critiques, whether extensive or more tightly focused.

But most of them do not actively participate and, so, for example, requests for critiques may go wanting. The administrators of the site, several of whom might be unavailable at any given time due to work commitments, or vacations or holidays, can't carry the whole load. Therefore it would be desirable if more qualified readers could be encouraged and persuaded to become participating members. Then there would be fewer and fewer orphaned paintings or drawings, simply because there would be more people willing to have a go at commenting on another member's work, or offering other technical suggestions.

During a period of time when I was able to be much more active on the Forum, I used to go to the critiques area and deliberately scan new threads to which no replies had yet been made. I can't speak for whether anyone else -- administrators or members -- does that these days, but it did help keep "goose eggs" to a minimum. Anyone could adopt that practice, still -- it doesn't have to be moderators.

A lack of responses can't be taken as a judgment that the work of a juried member is "unacceptable." If I'm available, I'm much more likely to critique something that needs work (that is, that's not yet "acceptable") than something that is highly polished, but there are exceptions. As Sharon mentioned, there are some members from pre-review days who have been given very extensive critiques and incisive recommendations for improvement over a long period of time, but who continue to post work with the same problems, over and over again. When I see a somewhat dated thread with "0" replies, I often check it out but with the presumption now that it may be one of those cases, because a post that doesn't elicit at least some minimal response is rare. If it is one of those cases, then as I suspect is the practice with other prospective critiquers with limited time, I accept that I've already said everything I can in the case in question and I move on. That is very much different from ignoring him or her.

Again, the ideal would be for a larger body of qualified members to accept a kind of apprenticeship relationship with the lesser accomplished -- something that is actually highly instructional for both parties. That might be accomplished through greater membership numbers, but the question, really, is how to successful rally the current membership to contribute more. If every member committed to one critique per month, the site activity would skyrocket.

Originally Posted by Steven Sweeney

A lack of responses can't be taken as a judgment that the work of a juried member is "unacceptable."

Ah, but it is. Think about it from the point of view of a new member who has not shown their work here and is unsure of what response they may receive.

I understand exactly what you are saying, Steven, and am not blaming anyone for the situation.

I am simply pointing out why I believe there is such a high number of people who have been juried in and who have never posted.

By and large, the work here is not of very much substance and the discussions also lack depth.
Perhaps it is not that you are too exclusive. Quite the contrary...

I paint to escape grief. The portrait is the greatest challenge.

i enjoy the forums - the opportunity to gain information/knowledge is great. Thanks

Elizabeth

I am one of your unregistered users. I want to say "THANK YOU!" for allowing me to read your posts, even though I am not a member of your esteemed group.

Deep in my heart, I harbor a secret desire to be a portrait painter. In my dreams, I paint beautiful paintings filled with invigorating color, brush stokes that are "alive" and inspiring composition. I paint works that capture the essence of our humanity and the human condition.

Then cold, harsh light of reality hits me; I live in the sticks, drive 100 miles, one-way, each day, to a job I hate, and have never been able to find an instructor or someone to mentor me. I even ran ads in a few art magazines and wrote to a couple of very well-known artists to find someone I could work under--all to no avail.

I want to apply, but am too embarrassed by my work. Your site says it's for professionals. My uninstructed, uninformed attempts to paint are not suitable for view by such wonderful artists. And at this point in my life and in light of my skill level [more like lack-of skill-level], it has to remain a hobby.

So, on nights when its quiet and I am alone with my thoughts, when hubby has gone to bed, and I am away from the pressure and stress of work, I grab a glass of wine and settle in to read your Web site. I have been reading it for years, and it has provided me with much joy and elation. It's my escape into bliss. I feel like I know many of you from having read so much about you and from looking at your work. I have LOVED looking at the critiques--it has been the closest thing to instruction I could get. I live for looking at those new critiques!

I hope you continue to leave the Web site open for view. You all are my idols and, through your posts, have allowed me to vicariously experience the thrill of being an artist. I am eternally grateful for your openess, your willingness to share your knowledge and your inspiration!

May God Bless you all, and may your work continue to prosper.

[Steven Sweeney]

I'm sure many of the contributors to the Forum will take great satisfaction in your gracious comments. They form a weighty counterpoint to some of the complaints about the moribund state of the Forum.

If the portrait work doesn't come to fruition, you should pursue writing, at least at a freelance pace. Your generous and thoughtful post was openly from the heart, articulate and artistically crafted. Writing is also something that can be managed logistically from "the sticks," given the availability of both the postal and internet mails to either submit work or even to participate in very high caliber online instruction. It is not difficult to understand why someone who writes as you do also craves a similar facility with expression in paint.

Progress in portrait painting is undoubtedly impeded by a lack of access to instructors and models or subjects (though there are many excellent instructional DVDs available). Don't overlook the value of honing your skills through still lifes and landscapes. Years before I ever thought of doing my first life drawing of a human figure, a classically trained painter and friend retrieved from her library and gave to me her copy of John F. Carlson's "Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting ." [Aside to Cynthia -- I'll change that to an SOG URL, if available, when I get to my work computer.] That book, still available, incredibly, for about $10, is very often cited by excellent painters as containing the simple but essential fundamentals of any kind of realistic painting, landscape or other genre. Try it. I re-read it at least annually. If you would be willing to email me, I'd be happy to offer additional suggestions. ([email protected])

I grew up in the "sticks" and have now spent the past 30 years or so in metropolitan areas. In a few minutes, I'll begin a commute to work that will take much longer than my old trip from remote farm to nearest small town. Part of my daily fantasy is how to get back out of this human gridlock called the city. I suppose that what we're both looking for, in our own way, is an interior life with breadth and depth, and whole lot less driving to get there. And I suppose the secret is that it's closer than we think.

Good luck.

[Mischa Milosevic]

Your words of appreciation have forced me to respond. I am sure that many of us understand and have been there. Even from a youth, I have longed for the chance to express my self through the art of drawing and painting. My day came and I am exceedingly happy and grateful.

Today, I paint portraits of people, figurative works of my choice, landscapes, still life's, old master copies and many every day cafe sketches. There are also commissions and students that occupy my time as well, which in turn give me grate pleasure.

I, also, have a number of long distance on line students. These students receive instruction how to draw the Bargue plates, paint still life's and how to paint a portrait. Landscapes are an option as well. My fees are quite reasonable and work on the barter system. I do not accept cash, credit card or pay pall.

So, if you truly would like to study, contact an artist from this forum, that you prefer, and give it a try.

All the best to you.