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

May 5 Meet-and-Greet with Kay Polk

We had a GREAT turnout on May 5 for the Kay Polk demo and member get-together in Dallas! There were just over 30 people in attendance, some even coming from as far as Austin, the Woodlands, and San Antonio. Kay's demo was fantastic; our model was a WWII veteran named Jim (so much character!), and Kay did a wonderful job explaining her process, and generously sharing her knowledge. Afterwards, members had a chance to view and critique each others' work. The fellowship and mingling continued as several stayed to have dinner and drinks at a nearby restaurant.

THANK YOU to everyone who attended (we had over 30 people!), and a HUGE thanks to the lovely Kay Polk for giving of her time and talents.

For those of you who have asked about an event happening in Houston, I have good news! Our next meet-and-greet will be in The Woodlands, some time this fall.

Meanwhile, please let your ambassador know (email Anna at annarosebain@gmail.com) if you plan on attending the Art of the Portrait conference next week in Philadelphia. We have tentatively planned for a Texas members breakfast on Friday, May 25. More details to come.

A shot of attending artists in the studio, at the Society of Figurative Arts, owned by Michael Mentler (standing in doorway). 

Kay's finished demo.

A group shot, including state ambassador Anna Rose Bain (in turquoise) and Kay Polk (next to Anna, in yellow)

Recap: Judith Carducci Workshop, January 2012

Hi everyone,
This is your TX ambassador, Anna Rose Bain writing...
I hope that this spring is finding you happy, successful, and painting up a storm! I thought I would share a little about a recent workshop I attended with one of the Portrait Society's most esteemed faculty members, Judith Carducci. If you've ever had the opportunity to learn from her, or hear her speak at PSOA conferences, you know that Judy is a firm believer in working exclusively from life. Because of her purist dedication to life drawing and painting, and her passion for her craft, Judy's work is incredibly strong and vibrant. She is also a great storyteller and for every point she makes in her teaching, she can give an example from her wealth of experience. Personally, I have gained a great deal from her instruction and advice, and I hope that if you get a chance to study with her, you will take advantage of the opportunity! She is a great artist and person, but... she won't let you off easy. Prepare to be challenged! The 14 of us who took her January workshop in Dallas, certainly were!

Here are some pictures from the 5-day workshop.

Judy at the beginning of her demo, day 1. The model was WWII veteran, Jim.

Explaining the anatomy of the ear.

Measuring the length of the face.

Judy's finished charcoal demo of Jim (with a sketch of eye - part of her demonstration of the anatomy of facial features)

Our wonderful host was Michael Mentler, head of the Society of Figurative Arts. The workshop took place at his studio (samples of his artwork in the background). I really love this shot of him! :-)

Judy would demo in the morning, and then the students got their shot at it in the afternoon to impliment what they learned. Above: artist Christen Benat, working on a profile view.

The first day was focused primarily on values, so we stuck to black and white, or in my case, brown and white. Here is my little monochromatic sketch of Jim, in oil on canvas. I only used Rembrandt's transparent oxide brown and white.

The model for day #2: Sylett, an artist's model with 30 years of experience! Judith really enjoyed doing this demo for us, and we enjoyed watching! She was working on a brand new line of Canson pastel board, courtesy of Canson via Michael Mentler (Michael represents their brand).

The finished demo. A solid, colorful, and exciting portrait!

The students hard at work.

My little 12x9 profile study of Sylett.

 Michael Mentler posed for Judy on day 4.

She began and finished the portrait in charcoal, realizing early on that it didn't need any color; it was already a strong impression! 

The finished portrait of Michael... or should I say, Gandalf the wizard? (Sorry, Michael, couldn't resist!)

Our afternoon model, Buck, was no less exciting! Here he is posing with a wolf skin hat, turquoise jewelry, and a staff. 

Artist Rebecca McClure off to a very strong start. You could really feel the energy in the room!

An exciting rendition by Ellen Moore.

 Here's mine. I really took Judy's advice to heart: no matter where you are positioned in front of the model, find something you LOVE about the pose and run with it!I loved the backlighting on the furry hat, as well as the mysterious shadow that the rim cast over Buck's eyes.

On the last day of the workshop, Judy did a self-portrait as her demo. 

The progression was very exciting to watch! We all sat riveted and humbled by her masterful execution of the self portrait.  

Here it is finished. One of the students purchased this piece.

Finally, a group photo (sans two of the students, Carole Fadal and Connie Erickson -- we missed you, ladies!), with Judy holding her magnificent portrait.

Here's what Judith herself had to say about the workshop after it was done:

I've just returned from Dallas where I was a guest of Becky and Hank Pearson (Becky is the pert redhead on the right in the group photo) and the workshop was hosted by Michael Mentler of The Society of Figurative Arts. Michael's studio is an ideal place for a workshop, with good lighting, space, easels, materials, and absolutely splendid models with variety of characteristics to challenge the por...traitist. Michael, and his assistant, the artist Anna Bain, were always available to make things work for our comfort.

It was a wonderful group! VERY enthusiastic artists. Three of them had been in my workshop in southern France last summer.

One of them bought the self-portrait I'm holding. She had asked earlier "Why would anybody want to buy a portrait of a person they didn't know?"

I told her that sometimes people are intrigued by the character, or it reminds them of somebody they know and love or a member of their family; I have a painting over my desk of a young man I don't know but he looks like my son and could be an "ancestor" - portraits of one's ancestors being prized where I come from. And sometimes they are bought by artists who are impressed by the work, the composition, the color, the brushwork, the lighting - and want to go to school on it. Or they are just beautiful or wonderful works that the person wants to own and enjoy looking at. Ironically, she then fell in love and couldn't resist mine!

To find out more about Judy's workshops and see more of her amazing portrait work, visit her website at:
http://www.judithcarducci.com/, or her Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Judith-Carducci-Artist/293819957331633

Also, if you would like to share about any workshops you may have benefitted from recently, PLEASE do! Send your written blog post, along with some photos, to Anna Rose Bain at: annarosebain@gmail.com. Your fellow Texas portrait artists look forward to hearing from YOU! :-)



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