I have been studying painting for more than 35 years. In that time, I have spoken again and again about how passionate I am in capturing two likenesses of my subjects: the outer likeness and the inner likeness or character. Looking at The Portrait Society, I see the same is true. How do we measure its outer likeness?
Portraiture tells our stories through time. The earliest portraits were red hand stencils discovered in a cave in Caceres, Spain, dated to more than 64,000 years ago. We are still recording our footprint through paint as in this portrait of President George Bush painted by Everett Raymond Kinstler.
Since 1998, we have grown from an idea to a thriving educational non-profit arts organization with a mission to teach, inspire and connect figurative artists from around the world. With the dedication of our founders, board of directors and our thousands of members, we have, for more than two decades, made a lasting impact on artists—from those just beginning their work to seasoned professionals. Through annual membership dues, conferences, webinars, regional seminars, and supporters purchasing donated art from our 6x9” Mystery Art Sale, we have succeeded with a grassroots effort from the start. Artists have shared their time and talents freely without compensation, and we have been supported by corporate sponsorships and annual giving. With this generous support, we host a variety of programs including four competitions, an in-person conference and virtual Wednesday Webinars, a State Ambassador Program, Signature Status and Cecilia Beaux Forum as well as a variety of special projects. We also produce a full-color quarterly journal, 10 pages here in International Artist, one full page titled “Unveiling” in sister publication American Art Collector and a monthly e-news.
The International features the best portrait and figurative work being created today. Our first Draper Grand Prize featured a $5,000 cash prize, award to William Chambers. Our 2022 winner, Luis Alvarez-Roure, received $25,000, and now in 2023, our 25th anniversary winner will be presented with a $50,000 cash prize!
Because of those contributions, it’s not too great a boast to say that thousands of artists’ lives have been changed forever, and our inner likeness is also revealed! Through a heart for giving and seeing others lifted up, information has been shared that changed the direction of artists’ works in positive ways; awards have injected perfectly-timed inspiration to artists who soared to new heights after the recognition of their skills and talents; relationships have been created that have brought an encouraging community of artists together, anxious to bolster others as they pushed their work to the next level, and this collective of artists has changed the lives of those around them by leaving a lasting legacy of beauty through their art.
The Portrait Society’s first Journal (four pages in two-color) was the February/March 1999 issue. Fast forward 25 years, and our current journal is 24 pages full color, sent to members worldwide.
With that foundation of loyal support, we have achieved a handsome portrait indeed. And we are driven to do even more!
Recently, the board of The Portrait Society launched a new initiative to celebrate our 25th anniversary which will increase funding for our many educational programs and initiate new ways of assisting artists now and into the future. The Sargent Circle, named for famed artist John Singer Sargent who also had this same dedication to his fellow artists, has been established to reach an even larger audience, which we believe will give us the necessary partnerships to impact thousands more artists in the next quarter century.
One of America’s greatest portrait and figure painters was John Singer Sargent, pictured here in his Paris studio, ca. 1883-4. His commitment to exceptional quality and education was undimmed in his lifetime and inspired the name of our new funding arm, The Sargent Circle.
We have seen time and time again over the years that the spirit of generosity of our members and supporters has never dimmed. The more the society makes every effort to provide even greater than expected programs and services, it never out-gives the many contributions of those who truly make the biggest difference—you! Please consider joining The Sargent Circle and sharing this new initiative with others you feel are willing to partner with us as we build on the success of this remarkable non-profit arts organization. With your help, we will continue to make a lasting impact on traditional portrait and figurative art practices, and the greatest and most important forms of art ever conceived by man—that of recording human history—will carry on for generations to come. For more information, contact Christine Egnoski at (877) 772-4321 or info@portraitsociety.org.
Sincerely,
Michael Shane Neal
Chairman