Enrich Your Community...?

Thank you to The Portrait Society of America's Chairman Edward Jonas for his nod to my portrait work in his "Chairman's Letter" feature in the current issue of  International Artist Magazne. 


Love Ed's advice;" Ready to find a way of gaining exposure for your own visions? Then turn your creativity on to finding a way to enrich your own community. It will take some effort, but the rewards will bring you far more than you'll give."

 I know this to be so true. 

My current "Face of Malibu" portrait show featuring  61 portrait sketches painted from life of local residents, sponsored by The Malibu Cultural Arts Commission, continues at Malibu City Hall until Jan. 12th 2018. 

CREAM OF THE CROP? OR NOT. Art competitions...

I found myself painting cream this week in a demo as some major art competitions announced entry results. I also found myself and my art colleagues talking a lot publicly and privately about art competitions: who was the 'cream of the crop', who was in, who was out? Hot or not?

The grit of the art pitter-patter I heard was this:

*do politics come into play? (I take The Fifth on that one).

*are competitions fair?

*how did it ALL get so competitive?

*does an Old Boys' Club exist?

*why do judges miss genius?

*why don't the judges see that blue figurative painting has so many flaws?

*why are the same people getting into competitions and others not?

*what does it take to get into this "... "show, ( fill in the blank)?

* should I quit entering this particular competition?

*should I quit art completely?

The big art show "results" announced within a one week period across the USA this week were from The Portrait Society of America's International Portrait competition and The Oil Painters' of American National Show. There was also a flurry around the California Art Club Gold Medal 100th Anniversary Show opening this weekend, April 2nd, at the Pasadena Museum of California Art.

My painting "Geek Chic", above, was picked for CAC Gold. However, I was turned down for about the 11th year in a row by another competition.

Thousand of artists apply for each and all of these shows. Many of us know each other somewhat. We are all "friends" on Facebook after all. Ha!

And thanks to Facebook, Blogword and Twitter there is a sharp public sting when we see our rejection obvious along with others' rejoicement. It can be hard.

It can also be hard to judge shows. I recently judged a show and one of the entrants was allowed in at the end of the judging, groan, immediately asking me if I had picked his entry. I hadn't. I knew the news hurt but I also knew I had a judging criteria from my own art perspective just like every judge has in other shows, big or small, national or local.

I don't have the answers to any of the above questions but I have learned entering competitions is VERY IMPORTANT and helps your career when things go well. They also tell you, with a winning entry, the level you are at. But they can't define us. We paint the way we paint because, like our handwriting, we can't change it. It is just what comes out of us, a need to express ourselves. Competitions, success of failure, mustn't mess with that.

I have also learned to expect NOTHING in terms of results.

I have also learned great things happen when you LEAST expect them.

I have also learned rejection hurts for a couple of hours no matter how hard you try to 'let it go' and acceptance puts you on top of the world for the same couple of hours.

Art competitions have been going on for centuries. Art is subjective. There isn't a formula for any of it and there probably is unfairness from time to time. Most of all, an art entry has to 'speak' to the judges amid a sea of entries. Who needs to see another David Leffel copyist?

My mentor told me a story I have never forgotten in one of his workshops: that he entered the same piece in a competition, rejected one year, and awarded a gold medal the next. He kept both letters on his mantelpiece, reject and accept, to remind him of the randomness of it all. What he did with the gold medal, well, I hope he hung it from a high beam so it caught the light.

I have learned to savor the good art competition moments, like dropping my painting off at CAC Gold yesterday. It felt good to sign in right under Mian Situ's name! It might be a long while before I sign under him again.

I am learning to be selective with my entry money. If a competition continues to return no results after years of trying, it is perhaps best to move on and spend your entry fee elsewhere. After all, these entry fees add up and no-one wants to be always an art bridesmaid at the same competition reception for years and years.

I am learning not to compare myself with other artists. Chose my own path and and keep on it. If Prince Charming is visiting another artist that day, giving her or him the winning glass slipper, be happy for that artist.

Thanks to life guru of many, Seth Godin, this week for his mostly timely piece The Tryanny of Being Picked:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/03/reject-the-tyranny-of-being-picked-pick-yourself.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29&utm_content=FeedBlitz+Preview

IN THE END, let go of competition. If one is able to keep working hard daily at one's craft in a passionate way for a lifetime, putting it out there selectively, surely that is the prize? The rest cream on the cake.

Got Cream?

Daily Painting Demo

8"x6"

$200, free shipping

WISH I COULD PAINT LIKE THAT!

Master artist Morgan Weistling Hosts The Portrait Society of America's CA  Teaching Academy in Los Angeles, November 2008, Glendale.

Images copyrighted.

Morgan Weistling has long been on my "I wish I could paint like that" list. I remember the first time I saw one of his paintings of a blond child dressed in yellow holding roses. My mouth dropped to the floor and remained bruised for quite a while. I consider him one of the masters in my painting orchestra. I am the conductor but when my art baton is shaky (quite often) I pull out these greats to help me solve problems, create harmony in my work,  and I learn from them. 

I was lucky enough to do a rare workshop with Morgan a few years  ago. I left it, yes bruised again, because I painted terribly but he was, and is, one of those rare painters who can teach well. He is gracious and sharing giving his students everything he's got. Brutally honest sometimes which is for the good! He has been very kind to me over the last few years taking time to do a critique of my work once every so often when I am sure he was so super busy carrying home all his awards and shipping paintings to museums' permanent collections.

When The Portrait Society of America first approached me, in my role as a Co-State Ambassador for CA,  about the idea of Los Angeles hosting one of its national teaching Academies for the first time, and who I thought might teach it, well, Morgan was the first name that came out of my mouth. I was 100 per cent sure this was our guy! I was blown away when he agreed to do right away.  I thought I might have to do some severe arm twisting. But that is gracious Morgan for you and we were lucky to have him. And no-one got, yes, you guessed it, bruised in the process. 

Skip forward a few months, and after a lot of preparation, hard work and volunteer hours there he was doing a demo at the Brand Library in Glendale for 100 eager artists a weekend ago followed by a workshop for 32 the next day.

True to form, Morgan did an effortless demo talking, and entertaining the crowd the whole way through taking questions as he went.  Patient with a few wacky questions at that. Just look at those piercing blue eyes! No, not on Morgan, on the model. Although Morgan does have nice eyes too. However those eyes in the painting are copyrighted just so you know, as are all images here.  Most everything about Morgan is copyrighted as so many have tried to lift his award-winning work. The price that a super successful artists pay. Can't wait to be ripped off myself.

The following day he worked on each artists' canvas making his teaching statement more clear. Values: light family and shadow family, keep them apart. Five values: three for the light and two for the shadow. (Students in my class at LAFIG will be used to this!)

Four types of edges, hard, soft, firm and lost. Color and temperature. Get the value correct -color will follow. How true. Shapes...there are good and bad ones. Think "line meets curve", not wiggly Cheesit looking things. Morgan talks a lot about the importance of good drawing.

I have never forgotten in the workshop I did with him, he said the only difference between him and me was drawing. I think that a slight understatement but I got his point and those that know me, know I have worked hard at improving my drawing since. This will continue. I have also learned the value of impeccable draftsmanship from the one and only Mr. Everett Raymond Kinstler, N.A. (www.everettraymondkinstler.com) See earlier posts for more on this marvelous man and one shortly to follow about HIS magical workshop in New York this weekend.

These days I drool over Charles Dana Gibson, Monty Flagg, Howard Chandler Christy, and Harrison Fisher. These are my drawing idols. There is a famous quote that Mr. Kinstler often shares about Charles Dana Gibson being able "to draw white paper". Few people draw like these guys today, in unforgiving pen and ink too! It is a lost art.  Certainly a lost level of drawing.

Morgan talked about the value of Anders Zorn etchings. They fall into the above category. Copy them...as Morgan advises. I now do. You won't regret it.

I don't think people get better at painting, they get better at seeing, observing, and quite simply drawing it with more fluidity and skill.  Students come to class complaining about their progress. I ask them, are you practicing your drawing outside of class, your forms, the structure of the features? I KNOW the answer already. I have often shared what Morgan said to me about my drawing.

For those of  you that couldn't make the Academy, go as fast as you can to Morgan's website and purchase one of his DVD's. I had someone this week tell me it was the best she has ever seen after purchasing it at the workshop. This artist is a professional herself of quite some standing. A good testimonial I would say. I also have both Morgan's DVD's and agree they are fantastic.

Morgan Weistling's website is http://morganweistling.com/

All thanks to Morgan!