Portraiture teachers in central NC?

Minh Thong · 10-30-2002, 02:08 PM

Are there any teachers of classical portraiture working in central North Carolina? I'm in the Winston/Greensboro/Lexington area and believe me when I tell you, the pickings are mighty slim.

I 'beat the bushes' pretty hard last winter when I first started painting and came up with zilch. So, I thought I'd try again this year. Ben Long has a school in Asheville and D. Jeffery Mims has one in Southern Pines, but there's realy no one within an hour and a half of me. And unfortunately the majority of local painting teachers that I've seen are into either abstract/modernist or art brut/folk.

Whatta bummer ...

Minh Thong

Cynthia Daniel · 10-30-2002, 04:32 PM

You might write John de la Vega who lives in Kitty Hawk. I know that's not central North Carolina, but he might be able to refer you to someone. John is on my main site.

Mari DeRuntz · 10-31-2002, 01:42 AM

Coincidentally, I'm in Macon, Ga, as I write this, taking a workshop with John de la Vega, and with such synchronicity, I am compelled to also recommend you look him up. He has another workshop in Ashville coming up in the very near future, which might already be full, but I HIGHLY recommend it.

John is a very accessible instructor, and I am floored by the paintings he brought in as examples. Though I was already completely in love with his work represented on this site, the color of his current work is striking. Seeing his use of brilliant, vibrating color in real life crystallized so many of the lessons I've come across over the years. And I am very comfortable exploring these criteria in my own work.

Among others, he studied with Henry Hensche (I might be spelling this incorrectly, but I can barely stand being online with a standard dialup connection and a laptop), of the Cape School, with whom another of my favorite SOG artists studied with as well (Margaret Carter Baumgaertner).

Look up their work on this site, incredible portfolios. He paints with a 36-color plus white palette, but also describes a 24-color palette that is very similar to the one Baumgaertner uses in her instructional tapes.

Bottom line, I connect to your frustrating position of searching for an instructor. I am going to try also to spend some time at D. Jeffrey Mims' atelier. But after this week with de la Vega, I feel I finally have some of the raw materials, the painting "language skills" to really begin to grow into the painter I want to be.

Good luck with your journey, and if you can get away for even a short, week-long workshop, it will fill your mind so you are no longer working in a vacuum but understanding what the issues are as you come across them in your work.

Renee Price · 10-31-2002, 11:48 AM

Minh,

I am in your backyard -- literally (Eden, NC). I have also looked for a portrait teacher and have discovered that I need to be careful of what's out there. There are two excellent seasoned portrait artists in the area. If there was enough interest, maybe we could approach them about doing a workshop. You can contact me off the list at [email protected] and maybe we can get a game plan together.

Renee Price

Minh Thong · 10-31-2002, 10:50 PM

Thanks for the info everyone, it is greatly appreciated.

I've dreamed of attending a workshop by pros like William Whitaker, Frank Covino, or Virgil Elliot since I started last year. Unfortunately, a $500 workshop is absolutely impossible for me right now. However, I think I could swing a moderate monthly fee for instruction ($50 - $100 range) this Winter, and I feel I'd be better served with something more long-term.

It's very frustrating because though I've been painting in oil for less than a year, I feel - and I have been told - that I have a fair amount of potential and I certainly have the drive to learn. I apologize for being so blunt, but the few portrait teachers I've seen locally that aren't exclusively into modernist or folk 'art' just aren't that good. I know this probably sounds arrogant and dismissive, and I'm really not an arrogant person, I just don't know any other way to say it.

Not everyone will become as technically accomplished as Jeffery Mims or Ben Long, no matter how many years they do it. But if I'm ever going to see how far I can go, the only way to do it is to study with someone close to that caliber. So, I have arranged my Fall and Winter schedule to allow time to pursue painting, and in addition to paying $$$ I'd also gladly sweep floors, clean studios, mix paint or clean brushes for the opportunity to study with someone like that nearby.

So, if anyone has Classical Realist connections in the Triad area, make sure they know that there are still students out here ready and willing to learn the correct way, that aren't looking for shortcuts, and aren't willing to settle for the 'Art Brut' that appears to be so fashionable round these parts.

Thanks Again Everyone!

Minh "Teacherless" Thong

John de la Vega · 11-10-2002, 01:39 PM

Hi Minh, I am here on the Outer Banks. I only teach workshops, look for announcement very soon for Spring workshops on this site, where you may also look up my work.

Affectionately,
John de la Vega

Minh Thong · 11-11-2002, 01:22 PM

Thank you Mr. de la Vega, I'll keep an eye out for the schedule. I looked at your work and I thought 'Mrs. Phillip Morrisette IV and Daughters' was beautiful. That's what I have wanted to work towards since I started last year.

I still can't believe how difficult it has been to find someone who works at that level who is willing to teach. I've canvased every town in a two-hour radius around Winston-Salem and I've gotten nothing. I've knocked on a few more doors since the original post and I'm still not getting anywhere.

From the portrait work I've seen locally, the three people in my immediate area who are represented on the SOG pages are among the absolute best around here. It's a shame that they either don't teach, or can't take on more students. It's definitely my loss.

Thanks again for the reply Mr. De La Vega.

Minh

Rebecca Hemstad · 01-17-2003, 04:02 PM

Hi y'all,

Minh and Renee,
Just wanted to touch base because I'm in Raleigh. The situation in Raleigh is pretty much the same.

Renee,
I'll write you off line because I am definately interested in your workshop idea.

Thanks,
Rebecca

Minh Thong · 01-17-2003, 06:03 PM

Rebecca

Tracy Atkins in Raleigh was recommended by someone who I'm pestering for instruction in Greensboro. Do you know her work? She charges $20 per hour and considering who recommended her she's probably pretty sharp.

If you want her number I can PM you.

Minh