Go for excellence in portraiture

[SB Wang]

Hard to cross, isn't it?
http://www.ushistory.org/washingtonc...whatswrong.htm

Be courageous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM

[Clayton J. Beck III]

Wonderful to read the words you are writing. As a painter from life, I am thrilled to read someone encouraging the rest to get out of their dark studios where the overwhelming majoring of 'professional' painters are tracing away without the least bit of confidence and are wallowing in their guilty denials.

Painters today are taking money and accolades for something that once took skill and turning it into a patience contest call 'Who Can Copy the Photo Tighter'. I have no problem with tight work as long as it is good work. Most is tight only to overwhelm the uneducated buyer.

Portrait painters used to be painters first and then specialists. This has been reversed to the point where most portrait artists cannot paint anything but their portraits. Sad to say these words and if they weren't backed up by 25 years of observing, I wouldn't write them at all.

I hope painters find encouragement in the push to work from life from painters like Bill and realize that their work will greatly improve in color and design by working from life.

Lastly, the idea that a powerful influence on the work is created by the EXPERIENCE of being with your subject not just copying the shapes of value and color captured by a photo. Photos have their place as a valuable tool but they are a crutch that many lean on to the detriment of the art in their work.

I hope this came off as a call to arms for us to rise up and make ourselves better painters and not just snippy. I'm passionate about the ART of portraiture and find so very little of the last century. The Great Masters weren't magicians, they worked harder. They had no secrets.

Clayton

[Carol Norton]

Your words provide inspiration and encouragement. No wonder Chris Saper told me that you are an outstanding teacher!!! (loved your portrait of her at SAS) You have provided a clear pathway to progress. Thank you for taking the time to write.

[Richard Bingham]

Sharon, absolutely!

However, for many of us (both professionally and logistically) photo reference continues to be a necessary deal with the devil. I feel how badly this "dependence" affects one's work is an inverse proportion to how much time one can put into workng from the life.

I was amused by a conversation I overheard the other day . . . a gent whose work isn't half-bad (in fairness, it's also not half-good) was enthusing over the prospect of buying (for around $5k) a new Canon digital camera, with the expectation of "seeing" what he is not currently able to see in photographs . . . I don't believe he'll ever "see" until he looks with his own eyes.

On another tack, I happened to catch a recent documentary on Chuck Close . . . he said what interested him in the thematic of the work he's been producing, is how a photograph is the sitter's image in a split-second of time . . . the usual artspeak bulls**t followed, philosophizing over that single point.

In contrast, it struck me that the very thing that interests me, that separates painting from the life from photography, is the continuum that reveals the sitter's being through a session, and multiple sessions. To me, the resulting "in flux" composite is what contributes (one hopes) to a wholeness of expression in the image that is the antithesis of instantaneous photography.

[Michael Fournier]

Well I am back and had to comment on this subject.

Can't get a model to paint?
Paint what ever you have paint a Apple until you could identify that one apple in a basket of apples.
Paint a vase of flowers not so it a generic vase of flowers but so it is that vase of flowers. If you can paint you can paint anything.

Sure the human face and skin is by far more interesting then painting a still life but a great still life requires all the skill as a painter that does a portrait in fact I might even add it is harder to breath life into a still life then to paint what already has life.
Now painting from a photo you are now trying to breath life into a dead image.

I almost lost my daughter to the same mental heath problem I also have and it brought things to a much different perspective to me. I find I now understand what life is and although I am now painting again I will not paint from a photo any more.

I spent 3 years not painting at all because of depression that caused me to doubt not just my art but my self being. I needed to paint and produce art to pay bills to support my family but every time I took a commission I would feel overwhelmed with producing art from reference that left me empty I would destroy paintings even though my ability to pay my bills depended on selling that painting. In the end I just had to stop painting and find other sources of income.

Now it was not just painting from photos that caused my fits I had a serious medical problem but I feel I started selling portrait paintings out of a need for income so I did what ever I could to make money in the end I failed because for that very reason I lost my perspective and my sanity over it. So I say yes it takes years of practice to become a great portrait painter (or any realistic painter) but once you become a professional artist and your income is tide to producing art it is easy to try and shortcut what it takes. DONT DO IT.

You may not have the same reaction I had due to my own mental state but unless you don't care about anything but money at the very least you will know inside that you are a fake. If you can't paint from life you can't paint life in your art. Many times I would doubt myself and the target of a lot of it was the methods I used to produce art became second to how much money can I make. I cheated myself and my clients I would paint only when I had a paid commission I lost all the joy I once got from my art.

Now my experience is unique but I have to agree completely with Bill that the ability to copy a photo is not going to make you an artist and I would add it won't give you the satisfaction of producing work from life.

Also do not try and become a professional until you are actually ready.The pressures of producing a great painting are one thing but adding to it the pressures of life and you could set yourself up for more then just a failed career.

[Steven Sweeney]

Welcome back, Michael. Glad you found your way. The "wind of the wings of madness" is chilling and brings a lot of torment.

Your posts from the past always came from the heart and the head, and it's no surprise that you have arrived at the convictions to which you're now committed.

Best wishes

[Cecelia Cox]

[QUOTE=


Now painting from a photo you are now trying to breath life into a dead image.

Also do not try and become a professional until you are actually ready.The pressures of producing a great painting are one thing but adding to it the pressures of life and you could set yourself up for more then just a failed career.[/QUOTE]


Michael,

I so agree with you. I have so much still to learn and think working from life is much more enjoyable and helpful in learning to paint.

Cecelia Cox