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 "Face to Face with the Faculty"
By: Christine Egnoski
PART 1
Christine Egnoski speaks to faculty members about this year’s Portrait Society program planned for the conference in Philadelphia.
The importance or artistic legacy and necessary tools passing from Master to student is an integral part of an artist’s education. This has been a strong emphasis in much of the Portrait Society’s recent literature and programs. In the last issue of International Artist magazine, we profiled ateliers’ history and influence of artists’ development. This fall, the Cecilia Beaux Forum, a Portrait Society committee which is devoted to advancing women in the arts, launched a groundbreaking mentoring program that pairs applicants with notable, seasoned artists to provide guidance and support in improving the participant’s work. Our conference provides yet another forum for exploring the value and importance of traditional instruction from Master to student. In addition to demonstrations and presentations by the leading figurative artists of today, there will be a panel discussion, titled The Value of Mentoring and Teaching, featuring Robert Liberace, Anthony Ryder, Judith Carducci, and Dawn Whitelaw. For this issue I asked several of the 2008 faculty about their education and experiences with mentoring.
1. Every successful artist can name another key artist who has taught or influenced them in their development. For you, who was that person? As a mentee what was your greatest obstacle or breakthrough lesson from your mentor?
NEAL: The most significant mentors in my career as an artist have been Dawn Whitelaw, my first painting teacher, and Everett Raymond Kinstler, my long time mentor and friend. Dawn taught me many things about painting and managing a career as an artist. Something that stands out to me 20 years later was her pressing me in my college art class to “look into the shadows… do you see the color?” I had never thought of shadows having color or multiple layers of color. She gave me a small gray card with a hole in the middle to look through… it opened up a new world of color for me. Mr. Kinstler has taught me so much about every area of painting since I began studying with him in 1992. Ten years ago I visited him in his New York City studio with several portraits in tow. One was a man in a business suit; I had spent considerable time painting each wrinkle! He asked me “why did you put all those folds in the arm of the coat?” My response was “because they were there!” He stared at me for a moment and said, “what are you trying to say in your portrait? Is it about the wrinkles of the coat? Only include the information you need that adds to what you are trying to say. You don’t need all those wrinkles to express what kind of fabric it is or to illustrate the bend of the arm. SELECT! Do not slavishly copy because you can. If it does not add something to the statement, take it out!” I’ll never forget that moment of the importance of selecting and interpreting as an artist.
2. Teaching is a skill which is a delicate combination of patience, understanding and insight. What challenges have you encountered when guiding or mentoring other artists?
NEAL: I think the biggest challenge is sitting back and letting someone struggle from time to time. I may know what will help, but sometimes it is important to let a student struggle through something. Most often after this digging and struggling they are more ready to learn than if you help them too quickly.
3. Great teachers and mentors are always with us in our studio, they live on through their sayings and words of encouragement. What words do you still hear today?
NEAL: “VALUE, VALUE, VALUE!” “EDGES… SQUINT!” “What are you trying to say… what is the painting about?” “Dig, Dig, Dig… push the form, feel the structure”; and “SCULPT with the paint!”
Faculty featured in this issue: Wende Caporale, Rose Frantzen, Everett Raymond Kinstler, David Leffel, Michael Shane Neal, Anthony Ryder, Burton Silverman, Dawn Whitelaw.
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