Welcome, Joy! Let me chime in and say that I'm another one of the forum artists who has admired your work for years. I especially like your portrait of the Secretary of the Navy. It's not that often that you see a casual official portrait. A refreshing change from all the black suits! We all hope to see you posting often here.

Linda Brandon, Mike McCarty (with or without that paper fortune) and Michelle Rushworth...I am flattered to discover that pros like you know my work...thanks for the kind remarks!

I keep an eye on you folks too... Congratulations Michelle on your official portrait of the Governor of Washington...(NOW is the time to raise your fees!! Trust me!)

Linda, I like your portraits... that "Dog Pack" painting really caught my eye...it has a sophisticated aesthetic.

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

I have to add myself to the list of your admirers. Sorry to be so late, but Welcome!

Jean

Dear Joy,

I am yet another who has greatly admired and have been inspired by your exemplary works on your Stroke of Genius website. Welcome!

Several of your paintings have an immediacy for me that is unforgettable; among them: Secretary of Navy, Richard Danzig; Caroline; Dr. Ronald Kurth; Merritt Chase; Will in Boat; and, Fireside. Alexandra Tyng has coined and started a thread of portraits that are so moving and unforgettable that they contain a "retina burn factor". I've been thinking about contemporary portrait painters right here at Stroke of Genius that qualify in my mind to this categorical status, and yours come to my mind immediately.

Members are responding well to your introduction, and with the pace of your kind and humble responses, I can assure you that you will attain immense popularity here rather quickly. So brace yourself! You have so much to offer, and I look forward to your contributions.

I shamefully have no website links yet to share. I will try to fix that in the coming months. In the mean time, my click-able signature links to my painting "Apotheoun" in the Figurative Unveilings section. " Jane and Iona", and "In the Matter of Color", have also enjoyed nice responses here. I hope you enjoy meeting and conversing with the many serious portrait artists populating this Forum; all of whom stand to benefit.

I can't wait to see the level of responses your portraits will gather. I hope you are pleasantly surprised, and are inspired to share much with us. Again, welcome, and I am glad and fortunate you are joining the Forum.

Garth

Thank you Garth for you generous comments... I must confess, I am not usually described as humble, but it made me feel warm and fuzzy to think I might be giving you that impression!

I did visit "Apotheoun" today and was impressed with the concept and composition, nice palette and execution of technique (and the response from other forum members!) then my heart skipped a beat when I read that you had made it into National Portrait Gallery finals!...(so many mixed emotions and a flood of recent memories)
...you see...I'm still sad that my suggestions during the planning of that event were not heeded, having gone to great lengths to submit a proposal detailing how at least one part of the competition should include painting from life on location. Such competitons existed in the past and I assume the National Sculpture Society still conducts their annual sculpting competition in that manner, in fact....I actually served as photographer of that amazing sculpting competiton in 1994.

The proposal explained that the public would be educated and pulled into the passion of the process if at least some of the finalists were to take part in a "painting from life" competition, perhaps it could be in addition to the overall competition...there was some discussion of the idea, but ultimately they seemed to think the whole notion was old-fashioned. Alas, after they published the requirements, I entered and -- you guessed it---my painting was rejected...sniff!

So my sincere congratulations, to you my new artist friend, Garth....you do seem so very bright, talented and...nice.
Now that you're in, I really do hope you win!
(...but deep in my heart , I wish it had been me...does that make me bad?)

Joy, it looks like I am in the minority here and was not familiar with your work. So glad you posted here so I could look you up and be dazzled. I know this is a portrait forum, but I particularly liked seeing your still lifes. Everyone here is talented and unique and you will fit right in. Welcome aboard!

Heidi, I looked up your lovely site and I especially like the bronze in the lower left hand corner!! I really enjoy seeing the evidence of surface texture.

I'm wondering if you are familar with the National Sculpture Competion that I was describing to Garth?(..it may be called the Walter Johnson competition...) I certainly envy your sculpting, I studied it one summer at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts...but my husband/business manager/framer threatened to leave me when I talked about learning it in earnest, I guess he was afraid I might try to quit my day job as a painter.

Thanks for welcoming me.

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

Wow - Joy Thomas on a computer! Wow! ;)

Glad you are visiting Joy, I'm sure the book is wonderful! Did you tell them about the DVD? I just did a quick glance at the post, so sorry if you did mention it.

Post lots of goodies from your favorite sections!

:thumbsup:
Beth

Dear Joy,

I am honored and humbled to learn more how you have been advocating and advising on these great competitions. Your idea certainly has merit. In fact at first I almost skipped entering the National Portrait Gallery competition thinking erroneously the submitted works were to have been entirely produced from live sittings. Obviously the criteria is broader than that. A live painting demonstration or competition would draw the public's interest, I would think. Perhaps this still should be persued. I've had some competition experience too:

As a student (painting major) at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, I entered the annual Stewardson Competition to sculpt a finished figure in an 18 hour window over three days. This competition is open to students from any school to participate. I was the only painter in the competition, and no one ever expected me to win. There was a muffled shock wave when I did! It certainly surprised me too. These competitions are so subjective and unpredictable. Unfortunately established egoes can get bruised in the competitive heat of the event process. I am glad to see PAFA is now co-sponsoring the National Sculpture Society Competition on a bi-annual basis. One gets 28 hours in this one!

It must have been exciting to be the photographer in the 1994 event! What was the atmosphere like? In a sense I bet competitors were learning and benefiting from each other's methodology. What a treat it must have been to circulate and weave throughout the competition with a documenting eye.

You know, even if several portrait painters were invited to paint at a live, documented event, it would have a competitive feel even if it weren't actually an official competition. It's just human nature. It would be valuable, educational and informative to the public that can attend and witness such an event, and I share with your thought it would have wide appeal. Perhaps you should continue to persue this possibility.

I am sorry you are not included among the semifinalists this year in the NPG competition. I guess this competition will cycle every three years for painters and sculptors, or something like that. I hope you fare much better in the next go around! I still have no idea who else is a semifinalist this year. When Artex picked up my painting last month, three other semifinalists were also in that truck, but under wraps and anonymity. One was quite huge, and another had the finest custom shipping case I have ever seen. Thanks sincerely for your kind and thoughtful wishes for Apotheoun! I appreciate the care and professional experience you contributed to the design and plan of this competition, even though it was not heeded entirely. I have been rejected from competitions I have planned, authored and chaired too. It leaves one with mixed emotions, but in the end Joy, you can be proud of the leadership role you played, whoever wins.

Best.

Garth

Hi again, Joy,

I really feel your pain over the Smithsonian portrait competition. Many of us can relate, having submitted and not been selected as finalists, but of course you had the added blow of having contributed to the planning of the event. I'm guessing you won't give up, but I just want to back you up with a little added encouragement. Your work is great, and you deserve recognition, so just keep trying. I'm in the process of planning a few events and I can forsee there may be some difficult and awkward times ahead for me, so it has helped me somewhat to read what you went through.

Alex