Friday Night Lights and Shadows this Week

This post submitted by Plano member, Gene Dillard:

Fellow Artist,

This week our model will be Chris, a favorite model who has posed for our group
a number of times.

We had a good group last Friday and hope to have more folks back this week for a cool Fall sessions.

Fluff up your brushes and sharpen your chalk or pencils and enjoy this great session this Friday evening of creating art.

Remember our excellent location...Brookhaven College! The location is easily accessible (see two maps below). Because it is on a college campus, exterior lighting and security are excellent.

Best of all, the fee for each artist is only $15 per session!

Our session starts at 7:00 pm and lasts till 10:00 pm.  Come early and get a good spot for a good angle for this excellent model and enjoy a terrific evening with artists and friends!

See you on Friday!

Gene Dillard
214-403-9171

Studio location is in Building F. The campus is located on Valley View Lane just East of Marsh Lane. This is just a short distance North of LBJ Freeway.

Once you enter the campus, turn left at the first opportunity and proceed to the West 2 Parking area in front of Building F. Walk between buildings F and J and enter the second double glass doors  on the North side of building F.  Studio is two doors down the hall on the right, Rm F111.

In Memoriam: Gordon Wetmore

This from a recent e-mail sent out by Christine Egnoski:

Gordon Wetmore

July 9, 1938 – August 25, 2011
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of founder and board chairman Gordon Wetmore.  Many members have been writing to me over the past couple of days expressing their admiration and love of Gordon. Nina Stahlberg wrote, “Those of us who have been members since the first conference grew to know and love Gordon and looked forward to his ‘southern charm’ each year.” 

Tom Edgerton reminded me about a time he spent with Gordon in 2002 (it shows how Gordon was open, sharing, generous, kind and altruistic); “When we had the first Philadelphia conference, I was walking into the hotel when Gordon and Ed were leaving to go out to the Wyeth compound at Brandywine, they graciously invited me, and all the way there Gordon and Ed conversed about their goals and aims for the Society. One thing they said repeatedly--which really struck a chord with me--was, ‘It's about the members--it's bigger than any one person.’  Joanna McKethan wrote, “I love Gordon, such a personable man who has given the society the mark of his generous personality, as well as the necessary ingredient of faith.”

Almost 15 years ago Gordon called and asked me to become the Executive Director of a non-profit art organization that he was starting along with fellow artists Edward Jonas and Tom Donahue. Through the years Gordon and I spoke often and had become very close, working long hours on projects together and sharing a pride in the on-going success of the Portrait Society. Gordon and all the board serve with no remuneration, and he was always willing to put aside his own art work to assist in endeavors of the Portrait Society.  He was very proud of the tremendous growth and impact made by the Society in the art world. In the beginning I thought of Gordon as my boss, but through the years he became my mentor and my friend. He was always gracious and kind. Gordon leaves behind the legacy of passion – for his own art, for helping others develop their talent and for his family.  He was a true leader and influenced the resurgence of representation art in America.

We are all grateful for knowing Gordon and benefiting from his passion for his art and the Portrait Society.

Christine

P.S. Gordon’s wife, Connie, has requested that a scholarship be set up in Gordon’s name.  So we are pleased to announce the Gordon Wetmore Legacy Scholarship Fund.  You can visit our website at http://www.portraitsociety.org/ to read about the details of the scholarship and there will be a button to click if you wish to make a donation.

An Introduction from your Newest Texas Co-Ambassador

Welcome to the Texas Portrait Network! This blog is brand new and still a work in progress. I will be adding much more material within the next few months. For the first post, I thought I'd share the introductory letter I sent out to Texas members.

Dear Artists,

My name is Anna Rose Bain, and I am thrilled to introduce myself as the newest TX co-ambassador for the Portrait Society of America! My hope is that in filling this role, I will have the opportunity to get to know as many of you as I can, and to help you and serve you to the best of my ability. The Portrait Society is truly a wonderful organization, enabling artists to connect with each other and learn from the best in the business. There is so much amazing talent right here in the state of Texas, and we shouldn't have to wait until the annual conference to start connecting. Hopefully, over the next few months, Kathy Gray and I will be able to organize one or more get-togethers for artists in different parts of the state. I am so looking forward to meeting you!

In the mean time, though, I'd like to share a little of my own artistic background with you.

I was born and raised in rural Wisconsin, and started drawing from the moment I could pick up a pencil. I started doing portraits at around the age of 10, and by the time I went to college, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be a professional portrait artist. I majored in art at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI. After graduating in 2007, I lived in Madison, WI, for about a year and worked for a portrait photography studio, where I learned to master Photoshop, as well as utilize web design and marketing how-to's. I was married to my wonderful husband Steve in 2008, and that's the year that we moved to the Dallas area. We have been here ever since, and I work at home in my studio here in Garland, specializing in commissioned portraits. I also enjoy figurative painting, still life, and plein air. I teach some private lessons, but some of you may remember me most for a mini-workshop I taught in Austin a couple years ago on "Photoshop for Painters."

As your new co-ambassador, I hope to contribute by:
1) Connecting artists by organizing more get-togethers around the state
2) Empowering artists with technological tools - I will share as much as I can about Photoshop, web design, social networking, blogging, and so forth.
3) Maintaining a blog (this blog!) for TX members where they can access member news, resources, upcoming events and competitions, and much more. We will have featured artists on the blog -- not historical figures, but real live TX portrait artists!

Remember, artists are always better in groups! We thrive in an environment where we can grow and learn from each other.

Thank you for your time, and again, I am so excited to be here!

Happy painting!

Sincerely,
Anna Rose Bain