This past May, the Portrait Society of America welcomed hundreds of artists to the 27th Annual The Art of the Portrait Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference center was filled with a vibrant community of artists from across the globe—united by a shared passion for one thing: the portrait. This year, we were honored to host participants from 41 U.S. states and 15 different countries! I hope you were able to be there. If you were unable to attend this year, I hope you will make plans now to join us next spring in Atlanta, Georgia.
Eliot Maxfield and John Darley receive a warm round of applause as they stand to be recognized during Friday morning’s opening ceremony at the Portrait Society of America conference.
From its very beginning, the Portrait Society of America has been rooted in a central mission: to connect practicing artists with emerging artists in order to pass along time-honored techniques, knowledge and inspiration to the next generation. While the annual conference is a great place to make connections with other artists, we also know that throughout the year many of you are carrying out that mission by connecting with each other, teaching, learning and mentoring each other.
During this year’s conference opening, I shared a story that beautifully illustrates what our mission looks like in action. One of the scholarship applications we received this year came from a young artist named Eliot Maxfield. Eliot is just 12 years old and is a budding young artist trying to soak up everything he can from his teacher and the other artists he was able to meet and learn from at the conference. The following is an excerpt from Eliot’s scholarship application:
“For the last year I’ve been studying portraiture with John Darley, who recently received Signature Status. I tried drawing a portrait before I started working with John, and it looked like a kid cartoon. I didn’t know what I was doing. But as I’ve learned to really see, not just draw what I think I see, I’ve discovered that I can draw portraits that actually look like people. I don’t know exactly what it all means yet but drawing people’s portraits feels like magic.”
Eliot had the unique opportunity to delve into the finer points of bas relief sculpture during Alicia Ponzio’s engaging and insightful pre-conference workshop.
I couldn’t agree more with Eliot’s words, and I know that many of you feel the same way. Creating portraits is like magic!
Eliot’s letter ended with this sincere goal: “More than anything, I want to see more great portraits up close, and I want to see artists making them. I want to get better at blocking in and getting my values right. Most of all, I want to learn how to make my portraits feel more alive. I’m not sure I’m ready for color just yet, but I want to see how great artists handle it.”
Draper Grand Prize winner Frances Bell shared a moment with Eliot after the gala banquet and awards presentation. Surrounded by a supportive artistic community, the conference experience was both an inspiring and educational milestone for Eliot.
We are so grateful to Eliot for sharing those inspiring words and goals with us, and we are thrilled that John Darley is actively carrying out our mission by mentoring this remarkable young talent. I hope that you are inspired, wherever you may be in your artistic journey, to share your knowledge with other artists. I remember when I first started teaching thinking that I didn’t have anything worth sharing, but I was wrong. Each of us has something we have learned that can be passed on to another artist. Stories like Eliot’s affirm what I believe is the core purpose of our society: to build bridges between artists—young and old, seasoned and aspiring—so that we can grow together, share what we have learned, and carry the art of the portrait into the future.
Sincerely,
Michael Shane Neal
Chairman