Artist Spotlight: Ellen Rhodes Moore

Ellen Rhodes Moore of Dallas, Texas, is this month's Spotlight Artist. If you would like to be in the spotlight, please email Anna at annarosebain@gmail.com to submit your information. 

Artist Ellen Rhodes Moore

Interview with Spotlight Artist for January, Ellen Rhodes Moore:

1. How did you first became interested in art? I have been drawing and making art since I could hold a pencil. I used to get into my mother’s stationery, unlimited white paper...Yay! This was when I was very little and I got into lots of trouble for this! I majored in studio art in college but couldn't find a job doing art so I got into advertising.

2. Training? Mediums? Subject matter? I have a B.A. in art but that really hasn't helped me. I've taken classes with different artists my entire life and probably will continue to do this, to constantly try to improve my work. My first love is drawing; then I progressed to pastel and lastly to oils, which I find the most challenging and complex.

I love the human figure the most but will draw or paint anything that inspires me. I do representational work although that was TOTALLY not appreciated when I was in college.

3. What do you express in your art? I am an optimist and like to have pretty paintings
around me. I love colorful paintings just as I love color in my home. I used to worry
that my subject matter might seem trite, but now I think that my art is a reflection of
who I am. I am an earnest, sincere, loving person so I am fine with trite subject
matter......parents and children, ladies in gardens, all fine by me.

4. Artists who influence you: Mary Cassatt, Degas, J.S. Sargent, Manet, Van Gogh, Matisse, Frida Kahlo, Malcolme Leipke, Rob Liberace, Rose Frantzen, and Burt Silverman....and the list continues.

 5. How do you gain inspiration? Looking at other artist’s work or magazines can inspire me. But really anything can be inspirational- a music video or a photograph in the paper can launch an idea.

6. Where would you like to be ten years from now? I’d like to be more disciplined about making time for my art. I’d love to share my work with others in a show or whatever, but my real challenge has been organizing my time to make time for my work.

7. Do you set goals for yourself? I need to set smaller goals because I do set goals every year but haven’t met them. Other than broad goals like selling my art to someone other than friends or family. I would like to be represented by someone but I'm not sure a gallery is really the right match. That might be too stressful.

8. Are you happy with your career choice as an artist? Would you have done anything differently? That is a hard question to answer. I wish I had gone to Art Center College of Design in
California for college, which is where I wanted to go but my parents wouldn't send me -- that or Parsons School of Design in New York. For my art, I would have loved that. But I love my life and wouldn't have the family or children I have today if I had taken a different path. So, in that sense, I have no regrets.

My choice as an artist? There was no choice. Loving art and seeing the world through artistic eyes is like breathing for me so there was never a choice.

My greatest good fortune has been that my husband supports my art and has supported me financially so I can make the art I love, even though it has not been financially rewarding.....it has been spiritually rewarding.

9. Any fun facts you'd like to share? The project that has been the most rewarding to me has been my recent “Fallen Soldiers Project”. I paint the portraits of fallen soldiers in the Iraq-Afghanistan war and give this painting to the family. I have met wonderful people and this has been a win-win situation for me. I get to paint portraits that are loved and appreciated and I get to thank God for my talent by paying it forward. And I get to honor the sacrifice a family has made for our country. Plus no one ever complains that “there is something wrong with the mouth”, as John Singer Sargent would say.

10. Do you have any advice for other artists? Find other artists to talk to about your struggles, goals and desires. We share common frustrations. If you keep a list of your goals, you may see over time that you have met some of them. I think it is human nature that we keep raising the bar on ourselves. Regarding my own art, I wish I had listened less to authority figures about what I “should do” and listened to my own voice more. Try not to compare yourself to others but compare yourself to your own work. Look for improvement in your own work over time to feel more satisfaction and less dissatisfaction.

Contact Information:
Ellen Rhodes Moore
Dallas, TX
http://www.ellenmooreart.com/

Clayton Beck Workshop

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WORKSHOP HIGHLIGHTS  This workshop will focus on understanding what one sees and then how to translate that into paint. Areas covered will include understanding form and edges through the study of values and color temperature, the difference between representing form and light, tuning your palette and mixing color as it relates to the light source. Each study has  a different purpose and goal in order to gain a sense of control over the handling of the subject and materials. These exercises are designed to foster artistic growth and mastery over one’s materials and techniques to gain greater avenues of pictorial expression.     THE SOCIETY OF FIGURATIVE ARTS PRESENTS HEADS, FACES AND FIGURES A FIVE DAY MASTER-CLASS WORKSHOP WITH ONE OF THE WORLD'S PREMIER PAINTERS Clayton J. Beck III  March 7th-11th 9am - 4pm $650 Includes $25 model fee PAY WITH PAYPAL  $200 advance deposit is required to reserve your space for this event PAY DEPOSIT WITHPAYPAL    or make check out toTSOFA and send to TSOFA 4819 Broadway, Addison, Tx. 75001    The Society of Figurative Arts 3306 Wiley Post, Carrollton, Texas 75006   click for Map For information contact  Michael Mentler  972-679-1625 ABOUT THE ARTIST Clayton J. Beck III graduated from the American Academy of Art in Chicago. During the 1980's, he taught & studied at the Palette &Chisel with Richard Schmid. He has received awards of excellence and distinction from the Portrait Society of America, the Midwest Pastel Society, the Pastel Society of America, the Municipal Art League of Chicago, the Palette & Chisel and the Oil Painters of America. Clayton has been invited to speak and/or demonstrate at the Prix de West Annual Show, the American  Impressionist Society, the Portrait Society of America.    For additional information  visit  Clayton J. Beck III We hope you will be able to attend this event. Please check tsofa.com for information about  The Society of Figurative Arts weekly class schedule and news about upcoming workshops. 3306 Wiley Post | Studio 104 | Carrolton, TX. 75006

Upcoming Workshop: Judith Carducci

Post submitted by Dallas member, Michael Mentler:

The Society of Figurative Arts Dallas

Presents

JUDITH CARDUCCI 

Jan. 26th-30th, 2012

 5-day workshop instructed by one of today's foremost portrait painters

About the Artist:

Judith Carducci has received international recognition and her work has been shown in such venues as; The National Arts Club and the Salmagundi Club in New York City, the Cahoon Museum of American Art, and the Butler Institute of American Art. Her work has been featured in; International Artist, Pastel Artist International, American Artist, The Pastel Journal and The Artist's Magazine.

For information about the artist visit http://www.judithcarducci.com/

Cost:

$600 (Includes model fees) - $200 advance deposit required

Enroll on-line

  (Space is limited so enroll now!)

Society of Figurative Arts Studio is located at 3306 Wiley Post, Carrolton, Texas 75006 (just west of Addison airport)

Click for Map

Society of Figurative Arts

tsofa.com

For additional information contact

Michael Mentler at:

972 679-1625

A GREAT WAY TO START THE NEW YEAR

Artist Spotlight: Michael Mentler

Michael Mentler of Dallas, TX, is this month's Spotlight Artist. He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Layton School of Art in Milwaukee and Washington University in Saint Louis, where he taught figure drawing and design. Michael's work has been featured in Saint Louis magazine, Communication Arts, Art Direction, Graphis and more recently in American Artist Drawing Magazine in a feature article titled "Learn From The Sketchbooks of a Modern Day Leonardo." Michael has also been featured in Juliette Aristides' new book Lessons in Classical Drawing (Essential Techniques From Inside the Atelier). More on Michael at Artist Daily.



Interview with our December Spotlight Artist, Michael Mentler:

1) When and how did you first become seriously interested in Art? About age 8 or 9

2) What is your training, and what medium(s) / subject matter do you work in? Study with Howard Sidman at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Ill. 1958 to 1963

- First Solo X 1959 at Mac Center for the Arts

- American Academy of Art  and The School of the Art Institute (Figure Drawing) 1963
- Layton School of Art in Milwaukee 1964

- Washington University in St. Louis 1964-1970

   (Instructed at Washington University 1972-74

I work in any and all mediums in drawing/painting/sculpture

Figurative/Formal Representation
    

3) What do you try to express in your work? For me the expression is in the creative process not the product.  The product is only a faint reflection of the original experience.

4) What artists/professionals have been your biggest influences? Francis Bacon, Isabel Bishop, Charles Bragg, Bruegel, Corot, Coubert, R. Crumb, Daumier, De Kooning, Delacroix, Diebenkorn, Dubuffet, Durer, Frank Duveneck, Giacometti, Arshile Gorky, Goya, Franz Hals, Hans Hofmann, Hokusai,   Holbein, Wassily Kandinsky, Ingres, Wolf Kahn, Klimt, Franz Kline, Lautrec, Mantegna, Javier Marin, Matisse, Michelangelo, Modigliani, Henry Moore, Rembrandt, Rodin, Medardo Rosso, Rubens, Schiele, Sorolla, Antonio Tapies, Tiepolo, Titian, Euan Uglow, Anthony Van Dyck, Velazquez, Rogier van der Weyden, Whistler, Zurbaran and Zorn to name a few.

5) What do you do to gain new inspiration for your work? Get out of bed.

6) What would you like to be doing with your art ten years from now? Breathing

7) Do you set goals for yourself concerning the making of your art? Yes, but they change every few minutes.

8) Are you happy with your job choice as an artist? Do you have any regrets in this career choice or things you would have done differently? In the end if you had a choice you are probably not an artist

9) Any fun or interesting facts about yourself that you'd like to share? Yes

10) Best piece of advice for other artists?  Being an Artist is not for sissies.

Contact:

http://www.michaelmentler.com/

mentler@mac.com

Upcoming Workshop with Don Mullins

Texas PSoA members: consider attending this workshop by master artist, Don Mullins!

About the Instructor:  Don Mullins is one of only five Texas artists who have won awards from the Portrait Society of America. Don started his professional painting career in landscape, and then fell in love with figurative art.  He attended the renowned Lyme Academy of Fine Art  in Connecticut where he studied in the classic tradition of figurative anatomy. His colorful and distinctive style attracts clients from families and the business community. He has also received awards for his work from Oil Painters of America, Artist’s Magazine and the Lyme Academy of Fine Art. Don is a participating artist at Legacy Portrait Painters at Rail Station Studios in historic downtown Plano. 

Where:

Visual Expressions Creative Art Studio


Artist Don Mullins



 1425 N. Hwy 67 

(10 minutes from Downtown Dallas)

Cedar Hill, Texas 75104

972-293-1117

When:

January 11, 2012 every Wednesday evening for 6 weeks

Time:
6:30pm-9:30pm

Contact the Visual Expressions Creative Art Studio at 972-293-1117 (info@veartgallery.com) for registration and your supply list, or contact Don Mullins at 817-465-6064 (mullinsd@sbcglobal.net). 

We look forward to seeing you in January!

Upcoming Event and News from Pastel Artist, Daggi Wallace

This post submitted by Dallas member Daggi Wallace:

Please, join me this Saturday, Oct 15th, 2011 at 7pm at Luminarte Design Gallery in Dallas, Tx, for my first solo exhibition. The show features the first series of portraits from my nonprofit Moni's Kids, plus all new work from my Up Close & Personal series. The proceeds from sales of the Moni's Kids portraits go towards the library we started at their orphanage in Haiti this past summer.

If you know anyone else who might like to stop by, please feel free to forward this to them.
Thank you for your support!
Best,

Daggi

Other exciting news from Daggi:

Innocence Lost, 22x16, pastel

This painting won the Degas Pastel Society Award at the 39th Annual Pastel Society of America Exhibition at the National Arts Club in NYC last month. I achieved signature membership earlier this year.

"Secrets" 12x24 pastel

"Secrets" is showing at the National Arts Club this month as part of the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club 115th Annual Juried Exhibition.
I was also recently juried in as full member of the CLWAC.

I had three paintings juried into the Richeson 75 Figure/Portrait competition, two as part of the gallery exhibit and all three to be included in the catalogue. (Juror: Everett Raymond Kinstler)

Two paintings were accepted into the Pastel Society of the Southwest National Juried Show (Juror: Doug Dawson). The show runs from Nov 1-28 at the Eisemann Center in Richardson, TX. The reception and awards ceremony is on Nov 15th, from 6-9pm.

My website - Pastel Paintings that Capture Life's Moments http://www.daggistudio.com/
"Moni's Kids", my non-profit project http://www.daggistudio.com/page/358/monis-kids-non-profit-project
My blog, http://www.daggistudio.com/blog
My studio facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/daggiwallacestudio
Moni's Kids facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Monis-Kids/124149241002344?sk=wall

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.

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