The love of learning has always been a powerful motivator for artists. The methods we use to gather knowledge and hone our skills are as diverse and creative as the artwork we produce. For many, the primary drive to create comes from the learning process rather than the finished product – and as artists, we are always learning. Becoming a skillful painter of portraits presents a unique set of challenges. Portrait artists must be adept at capturing subtle differences of personality yet remain painterly and expressive. This takes study, practice, and learning. The question then becomes: what are the different paths we can take to learn? Artists’ personal paths to learning are as rich and varie
As the story goes, Sargent declared a moratorium on Portrait commissions late in his career, fleeing the demands and irritations of entitled clients for the joys of painting for pleasure with his friends. (Society wouldn’t let him, though, and he compromised by doing charcoal portrait drawings and charging the same as he had for the oils.) It seems Sargent and the rest of us share the conundrums of how to deal with our (difficult? demanding?) clients. The subject is the most frequently asked question that comes to the Society’s office. So what might some of the dynamics be? What factors might contribute to feelings a client brings to buying art: He may feel like a stranger in a foreign land
A welcome to the Cecilia Beaux Literature Committee Blog as well as an examination of an inspiring trip to New England. The Literature Committee for the Cecilia Beaux Forum is excited to announce that we are increasing our efforts and writing a new and exciting blog. Up until now our articles focused on contemporary and historical women artists and have appeared in the Portrait Society’s Quarterly Journal. These articles are a staple for the committee and we will continue to write and share these articles in the Quarterly Journal. However, we are expanding to bring you more articles that cover a wider range of topics. This year, our calendar includes articles that are meant to inspire you: c
