Prodigy portrait artist

[Richard Monro]

Molly,

Thank you. You are absolutely correct. What I am fascinated by are the number of negative reactions derived from the relatively scanty information that was found on Akiane's website.

I appreciate my fellow artist's concern about the exploitation of children, but does the evidence support that concern? Read her poetry. It shows a very caring and engaged young lady. Wonderful traits for any person. Also. the website states that Akiane donates a significant number of her paintings to various charities. Doesn't that indicate that rather then exploiting Akiane, her parents have taught her to be a loving, generous child? If so I applaud them. Those are qualities very lacking in our self serving world.

What about the marketing of her art? Isn't that helping her to do the very things she loves while simultaneously teaching her very valuable business skills she will need when she does go out on her own?

What about the copying and tracing? Copyright holders would have been on her like a bad rash if she were doing that. Apparently that hasn't happened even with all the publicity she has received. Doesn't that indicate her art is original?

Cynthia Daniels has set a very high ethical and moral standard for this forum. i applaud her for setting the bar so high. Forum members have been extraordinary in helping and encouraging each other in keeping with those standards. Therefore why not continue to keep that wonderful spirit alive and vibrant by looking for the best? It is easy to find the negative, but it is focusing on the good that really helps people grow.

[Mary Reilly]

Richard, well said.

[Allan Rahbek]

Richard,

Since I am the only one that has written about tracing I assume that you have misunderstood my post.

This is what I actually wrote.:

"It looks as these big paintings are tracings from photos, transferred via an overhead projector. The drawing has all the characteristics of a photograph in contrast to the surroundings such as backgrounds, fabric structure, sky and light effects that are done in a childish manner."

Allan

[Richard Monro]

Allan,

You are a very mature artist and produce work that I think is absolutely fantastic. Your skill and experience bring much to this forum. However, I wonder if a fair, studied and objective asseessment has been made by some of us in the case of this young prodigy.

If one goes to her web site and clicks the the tab "paintings", they would see a progression of steps in the painting of one of her Christ figures. There is also an explanaition of how she paints after taking reference photos and making many sketches. She also prefers to paint big paintings 40x 60 inches (101x152cm). That step progression clearly shows she is working from a smaller sketch. However, what if she did use a tracing? Haven't we all done that at one time or another? Projection? Some of the forum members admit they do that also. What we should find stunning in that step progession and some of her other paintings is her use of soft and disappearing edges and her very effective use of value ranges. Astounding for, at the time, a 9 year old child.

We owe it to each of our fellow forum members to give each critique or comment our very best effort. Somehow it didn't seem that we did that in this case. In any case I hereby give up my soapbox on this thread as I think all the points have been addressed.

Keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing your new paintings as they come off the easel.

[Allan Rahbek]

Dear Richard,
I agree that this case became a bit overexposed and that there must have been some misunderstandings, sorry.

Allan

[Rob Sullivan]

There are countless artists out there who are twice to 8 times this girl's age whose work is technically inferior, be that with the assistance of projections, photography, et al. To criticize her abilities at her tender age is surely an unfair, hairtrigger response (and, speaking of psychology, does the word "envy" perhaps come to mind?).

Personally, I have no problem with the subject matter. I will admit that it seems marketed in a rather heavy-handed manner (Scott B. has it right when he suggests sending her "Supper At Emmaus").

Akaine herself is marketed in a rather heavy-handed manner, as well. This I don't like. It smacks of the attitudes at a beauty pageant or those of the typical "tennis parent" (q.v. Mary Pierce and her past, if this idiom is unfamiliar). It robs the child of their identity and holds them up to a standard set by adults who forget that this is a child and not a product.

Of course, I may be assuming too much with this opinion, but that is the feeling I got from the site. But, if I'm wrong (and I hope for this girl's sake that I am), then the work from her in the future will be beyond amazing.

Or - she may get sidetracked by her junior high school soccer team.