A portrait career only from live sittings.

[Sharon Knettell]

*

[Michael Georges]

Sharon, I find this really intriguing and attractive.

These days, painting a pretty accomplished portrait from a photo can be had quite inexpensively from literally thousands of artists in China and other countries. And the work from many of these artists approaches what we see here from pros in this country.

Now, there are serious questions of quality of materials in these works for sure, but the skill to copy a photo, and even to make it better are evident and progressing. And they have been reaching into our marketspace for more than a year now.

I attended the Decor show in Baltimore two years ago. There were canvases stacked 4 feet high - thousands of original oils, copies of masters, copies of contemporary artists..most of it mediocre, but some of it startlingly good and the most you paid for any of those canvases was around $125.

So how will we distinguish ourselves as artists and portraitists in this upcoming explosion of "art by the yard"?

I think the ability to create a portrait that "approaches life" by painting it from life is one way to distinguish ones self. And, it is frankly how we all should be doing it, or able to do it, IMO, because then we are not just "Technicians", but true "Artists".

Get to your Life Drawing classes people!

[Alexandra Tyng]

Here's another artist, Paul DuSold, who paints only from life. He is well-known in my neck of the woods for his portraits (and still life). Here is a link to his website:

http://www.pauldusold.com/

[Michael Georges]

And Sharon, you make a good point. I started out -only- painting from photo reference, and frankly it became a crutch from which I am still limping away from.

We all generally have, or are currently, or may in the future, paint from photo reference. I have seen though, that drawing and painting from life has improved my work and my understanding of what I am seeing and translating even when I work from photos. It is a tool, but one whos limitations must be understood.

And like I said in my reply, this market is only going to get harder and more competitive as cheaper alternatives flood in from China and Russia and effect the "perception" of not only portraiture, but original art, in the public eye and mind.

Some will see the difference and appreciate it...but the vast majority, I believe, will not.

Thus, we all have our work cut out for us.

[Richard Bingham]

Originally Posted by Sharon Knettell

. . . truth be told, [we] are afraid of our clients . . . a photograph best captures the moment . . .

Sharon, I think this points up how problematic it is for individual painter to market their work. "Price shopping" is something entirely aside the question (or should be).

To enable an artist to impose the conditions under which a portrait will be produced, the only "handle" we painters have on the client is that this person wants YOU and you alone to paint the picture. Only when that barrier is breached are we free to "demand" and get life sittings and dispense with photo references.

The person who only wants "an oil painting" at 10% below dealer cost - (i.e. the market niche for Chinese factory paintings) is neither a prospective client nor a worthy subject for a painting. We fear these people only because we want so badly to sell paintings we're willing to take commissions under conditions imposed by the client, rather than pass on a bad situation.

It's my belief the "camera instant" is the antithesis of extended life sittings. Absorbing the small movements of the sitter, engaging them in conversation, and studying their presence and day-to-day changes over an extended period is the essence of a painted portrait which provides the raw material that makes a painting transcend the merely superficial . . . otherwise, why are we bothering?

For nearly 170 years photography has made superficial replication of images in paint redundant, yet through this length of time, "good" portraiture continued to flourish, and endures still . . .

Michael "Verdaccio" Georges !! So good to "see ya" in cyberspace once again !

[Stanka Kordic]

It is very important to keep raising the bar no matter how difficult it is. It has never been easy to make really splendid works of art.


This is what its all about, Works of Art. In the end, the way to get there is unimportant. We are painters, first and foremost. Portraiture is secondary. I agree with the notion that a background of life drawing/painting is crucial. Its helps one to see color. After learning to do this, suddenly the world is full of color. Purples, greens, beautiful grays all jump around. The coolness of that shadow, the warmth of that light....as you stand waiting for your change, it is seen.

We need to learn to see, so that we can express that in paint, in our own language.

I paint from life when possible for my own use, but folks, I would never complete a commission from start to finish this way. Studies, fine.

Here's why: Language stops. I'm in that magical place called the right side of the brain where the last thing I want to do is speak. Then, my sitter falls asleep because of course, I'm not speaking. I prefer to struggle, to explore, to sigh, to mutter, to swear, on my own with no one there. It takes me a looooonng time to finish a portrait because I often agonize over my own expression. Not so much the technical aspects, but because I want it to be Real, I want it to breath as only Art can.

Trust me, I'm no expert at anything, but I have to be ME.

Thank you for seizing the day Sharon. I appreciate the fire.

I'm off to the wilds of the UP in MI with my sketchbook to see the world anew...

[Michael Georges]

I think it is lovely that we are all guided by our own unique "truths" in our art. From high realism to abstract in style, monochrome to violent color it truly "takes all kinds".

Art is the marriage of "expression" and "skill" or "application". All of us fall in different locations on the scale of each - some "express" what they see, others what they think, still others what they feel, or combinations thereof, and all at a level of "application" that is appropriate to them and their art.

There is a line from one of my favorite movies - Joe vs. the Volcano. Meg Ryan's character is talking about life:

"My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement."

Living, and then expressing, in a state of "constant total amazement" is what artists do, or should strive for, IMO.

[Donna Johnson]

Hi Sharon,
I couldn't agree with you more! Drawing from life is such a joy. Drawing from photos makes me frustrated. I did have a class a while back where the teacher did a whole lecture on tracing photos (showed his own tracings even), I was shocked, still am, big, big name.

Originally Posted by Sharon Knettell

Most of you have learned portraiture by copying photos.

Is that true??? I am under the impression that most of the SOG members have learned to draw from life. That is the advice I took very, very seriously (from here) and arranged my training to follow.

Thanks,
Donna

[Richard Bingham]

Not true in my case. The camera hadn't been invented yet when I learned to draw . . . (joke!)

Truth is, the focus of my early art education was to work entirely from the life .

[Michael Georges]

On the other foot, I am probably the poster child for learning to paint from photos exclusively and frankly, much to my detriment even to this day. I was already painting portraits professionally before I attended my first life drawing session.

It's a bit like being a one-handed boxer...