Tri-state PSOA competition finalists

[Tom Edgerton]

The Portrait Society of America is holding a first-ever tri-state portrait competition in conjunction with their upcoming Portrait Academy (featuring a demo and workshop with Dawn Whitelaw and Ed Jonas) in Raleigh, NC, on November 3-4. The tri-state was open to all artists in NC, SC, and VA.

The paintings are now hanging in Gallery 2 of Artspace, a really terrific gallery/studio complex in Raleigh. Final winners will be chosen and awards presented at the opening reception for the Academy on November 3 at 3 PM. Dawn's demonstration is from 6-9 that night, also in Raleigh.

There are two groups of artists participating in the exhibit, a group of invited artists and the competition finalists. Here are the two groups, which include some of our esteemed Forumites:

Invited Artists: Loryn Brazier, John de la Vega, Michael Del Priore, Tom Edgerton, Edward Jonas, Robert Liberace, Michele Mitchell, Jim Ostlund, Dawn Whitelaw, and Luana Winner.

Juried Artists: Alexander Bostic (Virginia), Lindy Bruggink (Virginia), Susan Craighead (Virginia), Susan Dawkins (North Carolina), Lori Hey (North Carolina), Cantey Kelleher (North Carolina), Brian Neher (North Carolina), Rich Nelson (North Carolina), Aaron Pavelis (Virginia), John Reidy (North Carolina), Patty Rice (Virginia), Daniel Rodgers (North Carolina), Michelle Snead (North Carolina), Karol Tucker (North Carolina), Kelly Wilkinson (Virginia), Julia Williams (Virginia), and Henry Wingate (Virginia).

Dawn's and Ed's workshop is sold out, but there is still room to watch Dawn's demo Friday night. Y'all come down to Raleigh and hang out with us! If you plan to come, be sure and register with Christine Egnoski at the Tallahassee office, though.

Blessings on all the finalists, and all artists everywhere!

[Alexandra Tyng]

Sounds like a great idea and a great show! Congratulations to you, Tom, for being one of the invited artists! And congrats to everyone else who was either invited or juried in. I wish we had something like that here. How did the idea germinate, and how was it organized?

[Tom Edgerton]

Thanks, Alex; I did feel honored to be asked. But I wanted to publish the list because a lot of folks who have posted on this Forum are included in the show. I saw it for the first time this weekend and was excited about the quality of the group.

Tying the competitions to a PSOA Academy is a trial balloon by the folks in Tallahassee. It makes sense for several reasons:

1) Local artists who might feel they don't have a chance in the International Competition are encouraged to come forward.

2) It strenghthens local artists' awareness of each other--"community" in other words. We will meet each other face-to-face during the weekend's events.

3) The regional Academies become a larger draw because the public attends the show, instead of just thirty artists coming for the workshop.

4) Local art teachers and art students are contacted and urged to attend the show and the demo at no cost, increasing interest in the young in portrait and figurative art. They begin to consider additional artistic possibilities.

5) All of this--of course--raises the visibility, and advances the mission, of the Portrait Society (a non-profit organization).

We publicized it largely through the state ambassador program within PSOA. We e-mail regularly with over a hundred artists here in North Carolina, and we directed interest to the PSOA site for additional info. PSOA also mailed a call for entries to all their members in this region.

In short, everybody wins.

[Alexandra Tyng]

Great points, Tom. Thanks for articulating them. It only strengthens my conviction that we must try something like that here--and hopefully other places, too.