10th Anniversary Art of the Portrait
Conference
A Celebrated Milestone
The Portrait Society of America returned to Philadelphia for
its 10th anniversary celebration the weekend of April 10-13,
2008. The entire program was built upon the Portrait Society’s
tradition of excellence and inspiration, and served as a time
of reflection and reunion for many artists and supporters. Since
its founding in 1998, over 3,000 people have joined the Portrait
Society, reaffirming the organization’s role as a leader
in the field of fine art portraiture.
A series of Thursday evening demonstrations kicked off the
weekend on a high note. Featured faculty members, Dawn Whitelaw
and Wende Caporale, as well as the 2006 People’s Choice
winner, Jamie McMahan, demonstrated simultaneously for groups
of attentive artists. Feelings of excitement and anticipation
permeated rooms filled to capacity, as participants got a glimpse
of what was to come throughout the weekend. One new member commented
that having the opportunity to watch three demonstrations progress
through a two-hour period was a truly unique experience.
WILLIAM F. DRAPER GRAND PRIZE
Jean-Paul Tibbles, England Josephine, Laura, and Carolyn
Oil, 28"x40"
Congratulations,
Jean Paul Tibbles
2008 William F. Draper
Grand Prize Recipient
10th Annual
International Portrait Competition
2008 marks the 10th anniversary of both the Portrait
Society of America's International Portrait Competition
and the Art of the Portrait® conference. With over
1,100 entries to the competition, narrowing the selection
to only thirty paintings was a challenging process. The
artworks selected as the top 32 were outstanding, and
we are pleased to recognize the effort and skill of these
artists.
Announcing
the Winners of the
2007 Members Only Competition Taking It Outside:
The Figure in an Outdoor Environment
2007 marked the 3rd year of our annual
Members-Only Competition, a competition where all
Portrait Society members were invited to submit entries
with subjects relating to that year's theme. This
year we decided to challenge our members by asking
for portraits and figurative works set in an outdoor
environment, in the hopes this topic would encourage
our members to stretch their boundaries and encourage
exploration of light, composition and their ability
to truthfully capture their sitter in any situation
or environment.
Congratulations to:
First Place
William A. Schneider
Springtime, 40" x 24", oil Second Place, Rich Nelson Third Place, John Seibels Walker
Honorable Mention
John Ennis
Gavin Glakas
Garth Herrick
Ying-He Liu
Paul Newton
Dan Schultz
Alexandra Tyng
Click
here to see all of this year's
Members-Only Competition winners
2008
PORTRAIT ACADEMIES
An important part of our mission is to help guide artists
to the best art training. In keeping with this goal, we
are pleased to offer, for the fifth year, a series of
fall Portrait Academies. Join us at prominent art museums,
universities, art schools and studios around the country
for a unique educational experience.
Friday evening, from 6:00p.m. to 9:00p.m., the featured
artist will demonstrate the painting process from start
to finish. The cost of the Friday evening event is only
$35. Saturday includes a full day workshop from 9:00a.m.
to 5:00p.m., at which attendees paint with instruction
from the featured artist. The fee for the full workshop
is $159, and includes admission to the Friday evening
demonstration.
The 2008 Fall Portrait Academy Series is right around
the corner, and we'll shortly be announcing instructors
and locations.
The Portrait Society of America is a not-for-profit organization
directed by a governing board of artists dedicated to
fostering and enhancing the practice, aesthetics and applications of traditional,
fine art portraiture.
Membership is open to all individuals with an interest in the art of the portrait.
