Go for excellence in portraiture

[Julie Deane]

Originally Posted by Steven Sweeney

If nothing else comes of this thread, it may be an appreciation of the fact that you are the artist, and you are in control of your artistic expression, and you, not a photograph, are responsible for what you put on the canvas (and for what you put on your palette, and so on).

An analogous pitfall that is heard by every teacher of fiction writing is that, well, since it "really happened!" (or, since it's in the photo), it is therefore a believable and good story. That is as false in visual as in written art.

From "Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art" by Madeleine L'Engle:

"Credibility in creativity is a hard lesson to learn, and I

[Enzie Shahmiri]

Julie,

It is interesting to me that you are going through a time of reflection as well. It seems as artists, we set these goals and as we achieve them we are never quiet satisfied and yearn for more.

Commissioned work has many benefits, but it places also many constraints on the artist. Most portrait commissions are like a nice acquaintance, you are happy to see them, you do everything in your power to make the time you spent with them a success, but when it's all over you yearn for something more fulfilling.

I yearn for a love affair, a commission that gives me sleepless nights, has me up in my studio at 6am and keeps me enthralled until the sun sets.

This search for artistic fulfillment happens only when a client is so enamored with your painting style, that price becomes no objection and you are offered the "carte blanche".

I believe the only way to reach that point and to attract such clients, is to break free from the mundane. This might involve hiring a model or bribing family members to pose in garments and staged settings, that allow the artist to be as creative as he/she wishes.

By creating such a body of work the artist is thus able to not only explore his/her artistic expression, but also push the art of portraiture to new heights.

[Julie Deane]

Hope it is possible, Enzie. I think of artists like Thomas Eakins, whose (I think) best portraits were ones of family and friends, or of Rembrandt, with no paying commissions, doing his own work, free from constraints.
I doubt I will ever get to their level, but want to do the best, most honest work I can.

[SB Wang]

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

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