A Collection of Portraits Portrait Brokers of America 36-B Church Street Birmingham, Alabama 35213 1.800.476.1223
Published by
Whitesands Publishing, LLC 850.269.2821
Designed by Nicholas M. Turner Coordinated by Melissa McNeil Contributing Writers: Joyce Benington Sabra Snyder
“Dr. Anton Bueschen” Oil on Linen 30” x 40”
Steve
All illustrations are copyrighted by the respective artists and/or the owners of the portrait commission. © 2006, Portrait Brokers of America
© 2006, Whitesands Publishing, LLC
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically, mechanically, or by any means without prior written permission from the copyright holders. All images in this publication have been reproduced with the knowledge and consent of the artists and their subjects concerned and no responsibility is accepted by the producer, publisher, printer, designers, etc. for any errors, omissions, content, claims, or any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with the information supplied. Printed in Hong Kong
“The Perkins Family” Oil on Linen 40” x 42”
Jennifer
A Collection of Portraits
“Jamie” Oil on Linen 40” x 36”
2
Loryn
Featured Artists • John Sanden...4
(Lifetime Achievement Award)
A Collection of Portraits is published by Portrait Brokers of America, and features beautiful portraits in a full range of styles and mediums from some of the nation’s top portrait artists. Portrait Brokers of America has been helping people find the best artist for creating their portrait since 1986. With over 60 knowledgeable representatives nationwide, Portrait Brokers of America makes it easy for you to invest in your personal or corporate portrait. As a client of Portrait Brokers of America, you can expect personalized service as we handle every detail, from helping you select the perfect medium, coordinating schedules, to making financial arrangements. You will save countless hours of research and will pay no more than you would working directly with the artist. And, we promise you total satisfaction.
• ConiBelleau Adams...6
• Xiangyuan Jie...48
• Michelle Andersen...10
• Carol Baxter Kirby...50
• Fielding Archer...12
• Robert Kuester...52
• Marshal Bouldin...14
• Angela Kuprion...54
• Loryn Brazier...16
• Bart Lindstrom...56
• Thomas S. Buechner...18 • Liz Lindstrom...60 • Martha Carpenter...20
• Helen Nash...64
• John Michael Carter...24 • Michael Shane Neal...66 • William Chambers...26
• Rich Nelson..68
• Nan Coffee...28
• Katherine Norris..70
•
Addie
Heesen • Dean Paules...72
Cooper...30
• Chris Saper...76
• Ann Cowden...32
• Peter Schaumann...78
• Stephen Craighead...34
• Nancy Scheunemann...80
• Susan Craighead...36
• Linda S. Weaver...82
• Arthur Egeli...38
• Jennifer Welty...84
• Jon Ennis...40
• Gordon Wetmore...86
• Mary Flora...42
• Dawn E. Whitelaw...88
• Kerri Gibbs...44
• Jerry Whitworth...90
• David Goatley...46
• Bill Wilson... 92
Portrait Brokers of America 36-B Church Street Birmingham, Alabama 35213 205.879.1222 • 1.800.476.1223
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Portrait Brokers of America • Lifetime Achievement Award
John Howard Sanden John Howard Sanden has been, for 35 years or more, one of the nation’s leading portrait artists. He has completed more than 600 commissioned portraits of leading figures in government, business, education, and other professions. He has written five books on portrait painting, lectured and taught at the Art Students League of New York for nearly three decades, produced numerous instructional videos, and conducted nationwide seminars, workshops and master classes. He writes a regular column of commentary on portraiture for the website www.worldofportraitpainting.com.
On February 26, 2005, Portrait Brokers of America presented John with its Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1993 the American Society of Portrait Artists presented John with the John Singer Sargent Medal for Lifetime Achievement. Other recipients of the Sargent Medal have been Andrew Wyeth, Richard Schmid, Everett Raymond Kinstler, Daniel Greene, Nelson Shanks, Burt Silverman, Bettina Steinke, and Jamie Wyeth. In 1993, Houghton College presented John with the honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Degree. In 1969, Sanden decided to leave the Midwest and a long career as art director for the Reverend Billy Graham, and try his hand at New York City and the world of portrait painting. Within months, he was appointed to the teaching faculty of the Art Students League, had become affiliated with the city's principal portrait brokerage firm, and had established a nationwide portrait clientele of the famous, wealthy, and influential.
Sanden then launched into an ambitious teaching career. He founded the Portrait Institute in 1974 and began touring the nation, teaching classes as large as seven hundred at a time. Those who could not come in person studied through one of the national correspondence instructional programs that he created. In 1979, Sanden launched the National Portrait Seminar, which grew to be, at that time, the largest art seminar program in America.
John is currently at work on his autobiography. Entitled Face to Face With Greatness: The Adventure of Portrait Painting, the volume brings together the highlights of his professional career and the elements of decades of teaching and writing. When asked to reflect on his work as an artist, Sanden said, “What a great privilege it has been, these 35 years, to get to know the most interesting men and women in the world–my subjects.” He looks forward to the years and the subjects to come.
“What a great privilege it has been, these 35 years, to get to know the most interesting men and women in the world–my subjects.”
Attorney General John Ashcroft Department of Justice, Washington DC
Coni Belleau Adams
“Sisters” Oil on Linen 48” x 34”
“When the time arrives that I am to complete a portrait, I am filled with excitement. In over 20 years of painting, it
6
hasn’t changed, and I don’t anticipate that it ever will.”
Coni Belleau Adams is a keen observer of the intricacies of color interacting with light, as reflected in the simplest of objects. The impressionistic palette with which Adams works ranges from delicate, filigreed tints to rich, vibrant tones in some of her more dramatic compositions. With her deft brushwork, she portrays a range of moods and expressions in her subjects’ faces and postures, from contemplative to audacious to triumphant.
A native of the New York area, Adams attended the Parsons School of Design and graduated from the Traphagen School of Fashion Illustration and Design. At the Art Students League in New York, she studied with several of the leading portraitists but was most profoundly influenced by National Academician Robert Brackman. As a member of the Salmagundi Club in New York, Adams had the opportunity to become a Coast Guard (COGAP) artist. During this time, she painted action scenes
“Elizabeth” Oil on Linen 38” x 30”
“Ginna” Oil on Linen 38” x 30”
“Helen Anne” Detail and Portrait Oil on Linen 38” x 34”
“Will” Oil on Linen 38” x 34”
“Mike” Oil on Linen 30” x 40”
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“Caroline, Mary Sydney and Parke” Oil on Linen 50” x 50”
involving Coast Guard operations and credits this experience for helping to further develop her creative process. This artist prefers to work from life; however, in recent years she’s incorporated photography into her sourcegathering method. She employs a “wet-on-wet” technique when painting. Her portraits appear to emerge from some gentle, mysterious source of illumination. She paints a variety of subjects, including men and women of all ages and children, often shown with a pet or favorite toy.
Adams was on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Portrait Artists Foundation for several years and Co-Chairman of the American Society of Portrait Artists Advisory Board. Buoyed by the creative process, Adams works with total absorption in the portrait she is painting—sometimes for up to 12 hours a day. “When the time arrives that I am to complete a portrait, I am filled with excitement,” she says. “In over 20 years of painting, it hasn’t changed, and I don’t anticipate that it ever will.” Adams’ portraits have been described as lyrical in quality and manifest a delicate balance between
Michele Anderson
“Samuel” Oil 30” x 24”
“I take joy in knowing that I’m doing something for a client that they’ll treasure forever and pass on through
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generations. It means a lot that they have chosen me to
Michele Anderson looks upon the years she devoted to landscape design as a necessary prelude to her work in portraiture. “Design helped bring into focus what I really was supposed to do—paint portraits,” she says. Today, Anderson believes her connection with the subject is what continues to inspire and encourage her. “The interaction with my clients is what I enjoy the most,” she says. “I try to render the correct likeness of a person while capturing their character in the painting.”
Even as a young child, Anderson loved doing pencil portraits of people. As she grew older, she worked with pastels and watercolors. Her interest in representing the human form never subsided, although she did not choose to pursue her interest in portraiture until the early 1990s. At that time, Anderson was maintaining a successful landscape design business. “My heart was really in portraits,” she says. So she set about switching careers. In the following years, Anderson studied intensively with several portrait artists and took many workshops to further develop her craft.
Each time she picks up the brush, Anderson says her goal is to “create a beautiful painting—not only to capture the essence of the client but to create something that anyone can look at and enjoy.” In achieving this goal, Anderson feels fulfilled. “I take joy in knowing that I’m doing something for “Rachel” Oil 40” x 30”
“Peter” Oil 24” x 20”
“Reagan” Oil 20” x 16”
Fielding Archer
“Henry” Oil on Linen 32” x 22”
“A portrait should work as a 12
representation of a person as well as a piece of fine art.”
Fielding Archer paints portraits reminiscent of the French Impressionists. His subjects are of all ages and backgrounds, but his artistic heritage is most evident in his portraits of children and family groups. These are studies of innocence and joy and are often set in outdoor spaces where subjects are at home with pets and other animals. Archer is most influenced by the artists who were enthralled by the quality of summer sunlight at Argenteuil, those who loved the effect of a gentle sustaining light. Not overly idealized, his subjects appear at once ethereal and lifelike. Archer strives to create paintings that function both as images of specific in-dividuals and as timelessly beautiful works in their own right. “A portrait should work as a representation of a person as well as a piece of fine art,” he says. Archer earned a degree in painting and printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Fine Arts. He later
developed an interest in portraiture, studying at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Skowhegan, Maine. Archer has traveled and painted in Spain and North Africa, where he further refined his colorist technique. Among Archer’s portrait subjects are a Federal Reserve Bank president and a niece of President and Mrs. Laura Bush. An award winner in national juried exhibitions, Archer is represented in numerous private and corporate collections, including those of Ethyl Corporation, Tredegar Industries, HampdenSydney College, the Virginia Historical Society, the Federal Reserve Bank, Mays & Valentine, Owens & Minor, Inc., the Marymount School, and the Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, South Carolina. In addition to his portraits of individuals and families, Archer has painted businesspeople and
“‘Grandduaghters’ Tea Party” Oil on Linen 62” x 44”
“Mother and Son” Oil on Linen 13” x 11”
“Debutante” Oil on Linen 60” x 60”
“Boy in Garden” Oil on Linen 38” x 22”
“Eli” Oil on Linen 12” x 10”
Marshall Bouldin
Private Commission
“John Singer Sargent’s friend Henry James said that there is no greater work of art than a great 14
portrait. This I believe with all my heart.”
Marshall Bouldin, recognized internationally for his perceptive eye, disciplined brush, and imaginative backgrounds, has been described in the New York Times as one of America’s foremost portrait artists.
ful illustrator in New York before finding his true calling in portraiture. Today, when he is not crossing the country on behalf of his clients, he can be found painting in his studio, located on the grounds of his Mississippi Delta plantation.
Born in Mississippi, Bouldin received his formal art training as a scholarship student at the Art Institute of Chicago. He then worked as a success-
For Bouldin, a successful portrait is the ultimate test of a representational painter’s mettle. “God’s people possess grace, style, and dignity,” he says. “It is the goal of the portrait artist to capture these particular qualities of likeness and presence which are both seen and felt. The portrait artist must put them into paint in the perfect balance between the literal and the ethereal. This goal must be added to the existing goal of creating a work of art that will stand the test of time. Is it any wonder that a great
During a career spanning almost five decades, Bouldin has created over 750 commissioned portraits. His roster of subjects reads like a Who’s Who in government, business, and education. He has painted the portraits of governors, generals, senators and congressmen, university presidents, executives, and board members as well as philanthropists, private collectors, and celebrities. Bouldin’s work has hung in the White House and has been mentioned in Time, Southern Accents, and numerous other publications. He has also exhibited at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in London.
Private Commission
Private Commission
Influenced by portrait masters such as Rembrandt, Velásquez, Raeburn, and Sargent, Bouldin has spent a lifetime actively developing his talents, continually experimenting and challenging himself with each painting.
Private Commission
Loryn Brazier
“Jamie” Oil on Linen 40” x 36”
"One of the joys of my profession 16
is the people it brings into my
Loryn Brazier strives to create portraits that tell “interesting stories.” With fresh and lively paint application, she produces a step-out-of-thatpainting-and-talk-to-me likeness that she hopes will capture viewers’ imaginations for generations to come. Brazier’s years as an advertising agency owner, art director, and illustrator all play a role in her ability to bring her subjects to life in paint and to portray the essence of each individual’s character in a truthful and natural way.
Brazier graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a concentration in illustration and commercial art. She is an alumna of the Master-Artist program at the Santa Fe Institute of Art. She is a member of Plein Air Painters of the Southeast, Alla Prima International, the historic National Arts Club in New York, the Portrait Society of America, Inc., and the American Artist Professional League, and she’s an associate member of Oil Painters of America and Allied Artist.
“Private Collection” Oil on Linen 30” x 24”
“The Trustees” Oil on Linen 84” x 144”
Her portraits are included in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery; federal and state courtrooms; corporate, governmental, financial, and religious institutions; and universities and private homes all over the country. Her work has been published in the following books: The Best of Oil Painting (1996), Portrait Inspirations (1998), The Best of Portrait Painting (1998), and How Did You Paint That? 100 Ways to Paint People and Figures (2005). Recent articles about her work have appeared in the October/November 2002 issue of International Artist magazine and in the August 2002 issue of American Artist magazine. She has received awards from the Portrait Society of America on three occasions. A year of travel, painting, and study in the great museums of Europe has influenced her desire to be a narrative painter. Among the artists she has appreciated and learned from are P.S.
“Private Collection” Oil on Linen 48” x 36”
“Judge George F. Tidey” Oil on Linen 30“ x
Thomas S. Buechner
“Mrs. W.” Oil 80” x 40”
“A portrait is about a person—not 18
a moment.”
Thomas S. Buechner’s approach to portraiture is most often to show the figure emerging from a plain background, with no extraneous elements to divert the viewer from the contemplation of the subject’s character. “A portrait is about a person—not a moment,” he says. His art is part of the ongoing tradition of realism. His earthy palette has variegated richness; his brushwork, spontaneous yet controlled, has subtle refinement. Meticulous craftsman and astute observer, Buechner is able to extract many levels of nuance from his subject. Buechner graduated from the Lawrenceville School and attended Princeton University. Following a stint as a cadet in the Naval Air Corps, he began art studies at the Art Students League. He later studied in France at the American School at Fontainebleau and École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He had an apprenticeship in Amsterdam with M.M. Van Dantzig, a respected art theorist.
“Mr. H.” Oil 30” x 24”
Not only is Buechner one of the most respected artists in the country, he has also enjoyed a highly successful career as a museum administrator. His museum posts include service as founding director of the Corning Museum of Glass and director of the Brooklyn Museum. He has served as president of Steuben Glass, the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, and the Rockwell Museum, which he helped establish. The artist is a widely respected author, teacher, and lecturer in the United States and abroad. His work has been presented in many group and solo exhibitions and is represented in prestigious collections. These include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Musée des Arts Decoratif in Lusanne, Switzerland, and the Museum for Kinst and Gwerbe, Frauneau, Germany. Prominent sitters include Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, a work commissioned by Time, re-
“Fletcher” 42” x 28”
Martha Carpenter
“Morgan” Pastel 48” x 26”
“I accept each portrait as a learning process and a passage to the next 20
painting.”
“Isabel” Oil on Canvas 20” x 16”
Martha Carpenter considers such factors as theme, scale, content, and picture plane proportion. “I try to think of these guidelines as avenues rather than restrictions,” she says. “It can be very exciting working through challenges they may present.” Intrigued equally by the subject and the art form, Carpenter says, “I accept each portrait as a learning process and a passage to the next painting.” With the realization that great paintings can incubate for years, Carpenter views painting as a lifelong endeavor. A native of Sheffield, Alabama, Martha Carpenter graduated in 1973 from the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham. She then acquired a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, supplemented by attendance at the Kentucky Institute for European Studies in Bregenz, Austria, and extensive European study-travel on three occasions. In 1983, she exhibited her paintings at the Centre International D’Art
“Miles” (Detail) Oil on Canvas 40” x 30”
“Kent and Watson” Oil on Canvas 42” x 54”
Commissioned by Duke University Oil on Canvas 26” x 36”
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Contemporain in Paris, as a participant in a Salon des Nations Exhibition promoting independent American artists.
Throughout her career, Carpenter has had numerous exhibition experiences and publications, which have culminated in a consistent influx of private and corporate portrait commissions. Awards include American Artist magazine National Portrait Competition, Portrait Society of America annual portrait competition and repeated “Top Ten” awards within the firms who represent her work. In addition to her career as a portrait artist, for eight years she served as art director, designer, and illustrator in the advertising field and as art instructor for the University of Wisconsin/Green Bay. Since 1991, Carpenter has occupied a studio in the historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jekyll Island, Georgia. Martha Carpenter has enjoyed a progressive career that began in the early 1970s. She admires and is inspired by other artists and their works, but her passion for portrait painting ultimately derives from the subjects she paints. She recalls as a child having a strong
“Britain” Oil on Canvas 20” x 16”
“Caroline” Oil on Canvas 20” x 16”
“Jessica” Oil on Canvas 20” x 16”
John Michael Carter
“Amanda” (Detail) Oil 48” x 36”
“I like to begin a portrait by first painting the likeness and then proceeding out in all directions until the canvas is covered—like a
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John Michael Carter describes his work as “painterly realism—good solid drawing executed with broad brushwork. I feel this technique gives a sense of vitality and freshness to the portrait,” he says. Though Carter finds inspiration in the work of late 19th-century artists Sargent, Sorolla, Serov, and Antonio Mancini, he ascribes to a unique approach to portraiture. “I like to begin a portrait by first painting the likeness and then proceeding out in all directions until the canvas is covered—like a blossom opening,” he says. “This method lends itself to the painterly quality which I like.” Born in Chicago, Carter enjoyed a childhood immersion in portraiture thanks to his parents, who were both accomplished painters. “My parents provided me with the opportunity to meet working artists and see original work as a child,” he says. He began drawing at age 14. He attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago and received his BFA from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles.
Carter has exhibited and received numerous accolades from organizations across the United States. Noted awards include a position as finalist in the 2002 and 2003 Portrait Society of America International Portrait Competitions and First Place and Artist’s Choice Award at the 2002 American Society of Portrait Artists International Portrait Competition. Carter received the Artist’s Magazine award for his painting “Summer Reading” at the 2003 Oil Painters of America National Exhibition, and in 2004, his painting “The Yellow Canary” won first prize at the same showing. Also in 2004, he was awarded for Best Impressionistic Oil at the Hoosier Salon and his portrait of “Amanda” was a finalist at the 2005 Portrait Society of America International Portrait Exhibition. He was also awarded first prize at the Hoosier Salon for his portrait “Reading on the Veranda” in 2005. Sitters for Carter’s portraits have included governors, senators, and university presidents as well
“Amelia Sleeping” Oil 68” x 36”
“Danielle” Oil 36” x 24”
“Eleanor” Oil 68” x 36”
“Senator Huddleston” Oil 46” x 36”
“Stewart” Oil 28” x 22”
William Chambers
“I approach the painting with excitement, 26
William Chambers creates remarkable portraits, reflecting the discipline of a meticulous craftsman. He is a master colorist, commanding a full range of the palette. Working in oil or pastel, Chambers paints subjects of all ages. His paintings of executives exemplify the highest standard for corporate portraiture. His portraits of children are evocations of youthful charm, innocence, and gaiety.
Chambers’ works are featured in public and private collections throughout the United States. His clients include former fourterm Illinois Governor James R. Thompson and two-term Governor Jim Edgar, numerous corporate figures, individuals and families. All attest to a wonderful experience in having had a portrait commissioned by him.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, he graduated from
the American Academy of Art and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northeastern Illinois University. Before he earned acclaim as a portrait painter, Chambers was a successful illustrator who exhibited repeatedly in the prestigious Annual of the New York Society of Illustrators. He has won numerous awards for his portraits as well, including both the Grand Prize Award and the People’s Choice Award in the Portrait Society of America’s international portrait competition. M r. C h a m b e r s h a s a n impeccable sense of design, and each portrait setting is sensitively constructed as a compliment to the subject. He feels that portraiture combines the best of all aspects of painting, landscape, and still life and demands the utmost skill and heart.
“When I begin,” Chambers says, “I approach the painting with excitement, ready to depict the true
Nan Coffey
“Josh Leary” Oil 24” x 32”
“I see a portrait as capturing a moment in 28
Nan Coffey specializes in portraits ranging from people to their beloved animal friends. A traditional realist, Coffey achieves a three-dimensional perspective, as her subjects emerge from typically neutral backgrounds into the viewer’s space. Coffey’s oil palette has a depth and richness reminiscent of the 17th– century masters whose work she most admires—Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Velásquez.
A realistic painter, Coffey apprenticed at the Stevenson Academy of Traditional Painting with Harold Stevenson, a protégé of Norman Rockwell. Later, she studied with noted portraitist Daniel E. Greene.
Coffey begins her process by photographing the subject in a variety of poses and backgrounds and then reviews the photo session with the client. A pose and background are then selected. Coffey takes photographs and sometimes requests sittings from life, especially when the work is to include a high level of detail. Once a specific image is chosen from the photos and a pencil sketch is approved, the final decision about composition is made. When work on the portrait nears completion, the artist may request a final sitting from life.
Along with her fine portraits in oil, Coffey creates beautiful charcoal likenesses. She enjoys the challenge of each medium and finds charcoal especially suitable for achieving sensitive, delicate representations of children.
Her works have won awards in numerous exhibits on Long Island, in New York City, and in other shows around the country. She is a member of the Portrait Society of America, the American Society of Portrait Artists, and the Academic Artists Association, and has served on the board of the Suburban Art League.
“Hannah” Oil 30” x 36”
Coffey’s portraits can be found in private and corporate collections throughout the country, including the American Kennel As-sociation, International Adjustors, Ltd., and the New York County Bar Association.
“Henry” Oil 24” x 32”
Addie Heesen Cooper
Federal Judge “The Honorable Raymond J. Broderick” Oil on Canvas 34” x 44”
“I put my whole heart into each painting. That’s not a hard thing to 30
do. It’s a joy.”
Addie Heesen Cooper, a nationally acclaimed portrait artist and native of Philadelphia, has painted more than a thousand portraits since she created her first portrait, a rendering of her grandmother. Her elegant, painterly, and masterful style of portraiture is immediately recognized and much sought after, and she has painted for very satisfied clients in both the public and private sectors. Cooper is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and the Philadelphia Water Color Society. She is also a Crest Medal recipient for the Philadelphia Water Color Society and a member of the Portrait Society of America. Her paintings have been featured in American Artist magazine, Artist magazine, International Artist magazine, and North Light’s book, The Best of Portrait Painting. Cooper’s compelling paintings are distinguished by warmth and vitality. She fully immerses herself in the
“Meredith” Oil on Canvas 29” x 40”
process of painting each portrait. “I’m enraptured by the person I’m painting in that moment,” she says. “I want to portray my subject in the best light possible and do my best to say something of their personality with my work.” The result is that her clients are emotionally moved by her uncanny ability to capture the essence of her subject in a strikingly lifelike and immediate manner. This insight, added to her command of the painting medium, careful attention to detail, skilled draftsmanship, luminous color, and deft brushwork, characterizes her assured style. The most important person Cooper has ever painted is always her current subject, to whom she devotes all of her time, energy, and effort. “It’s the process that is important,” she says. “I put my whole heart into
“Jeanne” Oil on Canvas 23” x 32”
Ann Cowden
“It is wonderful to be able to give the client a good representation of 32
who and what they are, both inside and out.�
Ann Cowden’s love for painting dates back to her childhood. “I have painted since I was old enough to hold a crayon; around age two,” she says. “I have had a life long love affair with art and all I have ever wanted to do was paint.” Ann is a constant student of successful composition, most concerned with capturing the spirit and essence of her subject, in addition to their likeness. “The most rewarding part of painting portraits is to achieve a really strong painting first, no matter what the subject matter, with good compositions and values,” she says. “Then, capturing the spirit and the personality of that person in addition to their likeness is total joy.” She has successfully painted landscapes, still lifes and figurative subject matter all of her life, selling her work in local galleries and taking commissions. A native of Nashville, Ann has a degree in art from Vanderbilt University. She has also studied extensively with Michael Shane Neal, Dawn Whitelaw, Anne Rodgers and Tony Ryder, all nationally recognized portrait artists and teachers. She spends as much time in museums as life allows, studying
the old masters. She is particularly influenced by the works of Sargent, Zorn and Sorolla, and 19th–century painting. “I always strive to let the light give three dimensions to the figure and bring them forward,” she says. “The masters were so good at this. I study their work constantly to emulate the light they bring to their work, bringing the figure forward and getting that depth I always seek.”
Ann is a member of the National Portrait Society and the Oil Painters of America. One of her por-
Stephen Craighead
“Dr. Anton Bueschen” Oil on Linen 30” x 40”
“With each portrait, I’m interested in getting the threedimensional quality of the subject, their true likeness, 34
the right composition, and the play of light.”
Working in oils or pastels, Stephen Craighead paints subjects of all ages. He constantly seeks to expand his vision of beauty by exploring the art of portraiture.
Craighead’s portraits of children are especially engaging. He often depicts them in casual attire and in natural and expressive poses. Even in more formal portraits, Craighead achieves an appealing naturalness, whether the subject is a young child, a dignified judge, or a beautiful woman. His style has been described as soft but realistic.
The artist began his career while still in his teens and thus has been painting portraits for more than 25 years. Early in his career, filled with wanderlust, he traveled throughout his native Texas and as far north as Canada, sketching and painting hundreds of subjects. He became adept at capturing a realistic likeness of his subjects in a short amount of time, all the while refining his artistic concepts and drawing techniques. Craighead
furthered
“Carter” Oil on Linen 26” x 36”
“Mr. Harden Marion” Oil on Linen 30” x 40”
his
art
educa-
tion by attending the National Academy of Design in New York, the Cape School in Massachusetts, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Maryland studio of highly acclaimed portrait painter Cedric Egeli.
Craighead has enjoyed meeting many distinguished people throughout his career. Ethel Kennedy was especially complimentary when he painted two of her grandchildren at Hickory Hill. Virginia Governor James Gilmore was a patient subject during the posing of his official portrait that hangs in the state capitol. His travels have taken him to Hollywood, where he is working on portraits for a movie actor, and to England, where he painted portraits of people from the financial world.
His portraits have been seen in Artist Magazine, American Artist, and International Artist. Craighead’s portraits have won honors, 1st honors, and second place at successive Portrait Society of
“Maggie” Oil on Linen 30” x 40”
“Mrs. Lister Bradley” Oil on Linen 30” x 36”
“Aidan” Oil on Linen 32” x 36”
“Governor James Gilmore” Oil on Linen 36” x 48”
Susan Craighead
“I consider myself an enormous noticer of 36
Susan Craighead was born and raised in the scenic Hudson River Valley, where the art of nature was always close at hand. “One only had to look to the landscape for inspiration,” she says, “and see the beauty that had drawn great artists like Thomas Cole and Frederick Church to the area.” Craighead’s talent for art was first discovered by her teacher. “She was a savvy transplanted New Yorker who alerted my mother to the possibilities that lay before me,” Craighead says. Her mother was encouraging and supportive of her talent as well. Sketchbooks, art classes, and trips to museums were often the order of the day. After graduating from high school, Craighead pursued art education at Potsdam State University, and furthered her studies at the Corcoran Museum School of Art in Washington, D.C. Later, she fortuitously attended one of the first Portrait Art Conferences in New York City, hosted by critically acclaimed portraitist John Howard Sanden. Craighead later studied at the
Maryland Atelier of Cedric and Joanette Egeli and spent summers in Provincetown, Massachusetts, studying with colorist Henry Hensche, who taught her how to see the beauties and intricacies of light.
Craighead has worked considerably from live models, drawing in charcoal and pastel, and painting in oils. “I consider myself an enormous noticer of people,” she says. In executing a successful portrait, she works assiduously to achieve an appealing likeness. Pose and lighting are important elements in her work as well. Working in a painterly, representational style, she avoids the overly sentimental and hard-edged approaches. “Pleasing colors and soft passages are paramount and help evoke the sensitivity and uniqueness of my sitters,” she says.
Craighead’s works are in private and corporate collections primarily along the East Coast. She was a finalist for the American Society of Portrait Artists’ competition in 1995, where she won honorable mention. One of her award-winning portraits is on perma-
“Jimmy” Pastel 16” x 20”
Arthur Egeli
“Heather Egeli and her Dog Kinnie” Oil 32” x 44”
“I hope that my painting style honors the traditions of the past, 38
but adds to that legacy by reflecting our times.”
Arthur Bjorn Egeli is a third generation painter. His grandfather Bjorn painted official portraits of Nixon and Esienhower, and his parents, Joanette and Cedric, are among the most sought after portrait painters in the country. There are more than twelve working painters in Egeli’s family, including his parents, his two sisters Ingrid and Anastasia, his uncles Peter and Bjorn James Egeli, his aunts Mary Lois Ekroos and Caroline, and cousin Lisa. Egeli’s work is timeless. “As an artist, I hope to show the viewer things he has never seen before, or a new way to look at his everyday world. It could be a warm afternoon on a gracious and grand structure, the emptiness in a high desert landscape, or an intimate moment shared by two young women at a café. I hope that my painting style honors the traditions of the past, but adds to that legacy by reflecting our times.”
Having studied color with impressionist Henry Hensche, and determined not to be a portrait painter, Egeli moved to Pasadena in 1989 to
“Charolotte Boy” Oil 24” x 32”
follow his interest in filmmaking. His parents disapproved. Away from his family, however, Egeli was finally able to fuse the influences of Hensche color and his parents’ realism into his own style, a style that combines light and form to create images that reveal more than the objects depict. He also found a sympathetic atmosphere in California, where a strong tradition of Plein Air painters, both past and present, seemed to welcome him. Egeli is still painting today, and regularly exhibits his paintings at shows across the United States, including the California Art Club’s Annual Gold Medal Exhibition. His paintings are in numerous private and corporate collections, including McGrawHill Publishing in New York City. In 2001, he was awarded the William Schultz Award for Oil Painting by the American Impressionists’ Society. In 2001 and 2002, he won the Award of Merit from the Portrait Society of America. He is also the re-
“Little Princess” Oil 24” x 30”
John Ennis
“Charlie” Oil 28” x 20”
“In portraiture, nothing is more important than the subject. Getting an insight into the personality of the sitter—and capturing that nuance—is the 40
essential ingredient.”
John Ennis renews his commitment to the sitter each time he picks up his paintbrush. “In portraiture, nothing is more important than the subject,” he says. “Getting an insight into the personality of the sitter–and capturing that nuance—is the essential ingredient.” A native of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Ennis grew up surrounded by the influence of Bucks County Impressionist painters. He began taking private classes as early as the seventh grade. Ennis later earned an AFA from Bucks County Community College and a BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art. He then moved to New York City, where he received instruction at the Art Students League. There, rich teachings in the traditions of William Merrit Chase and Robert Henri were pivotal in Ennis’ development as a figure painter.
“Kyle” Oil 30” x 24”
Ennis was recruited out of art school by the publishing industry to illustrate book covers, a career that spanned two decades and included over a thousand illustrations, published in over 26 countries. Since returning to Pennsylvania in the 1990s, Ennis has devoted his passion to the fine arts. In this endeavor, he has garnered numerous awards, including both the Honors Award and the Certificate of Recognition from the Portrait Society of America. His work is influenced by such great painters as John Singer Sargent, Joachin Sorolla, and Diego Velásquez. He has immersed himself in the works of these artists for many years, traveling from museum to museum to study their craft. Ennis takes great advantage of the time he has with each of his sitters, acquainting himself with the small details that make them unique. “I think
“Robert Robotti, Founder and President Robotti & Company, NYC” Oil 36” x 32”
Mary Flora
“Julie” Oil on Linen 26” x 42”
“When I’m finishing a painting, I have to stand back and look at it. I have to make sure that it feels like the
42
person. Then, it’s final. That’s the difference between a good portrait and a great one.”
Mary Flora strives to portray an accurate likeness of the subject, bringing forward the unique character and spirit of the individual. “The painting must also stand on its own merit,” she explains. “Of significant importance is creating a painting that will become an integral part of the home or the space where it will be displayed.” She finds joy in every painting. “I’ve just always loved color relationships,” Flora explains. “I innately know how to show dimension. I also enjoy creating a relationship with the client and I especially love working with children.”
Flora is a graduate of the American College in London, where she received a degree in Design and Art History. She also understudied at O’More School of Design in Franklin, Tennessee, and taught at Watkins College in Nashville.
Despite her foray into the world of design, the
“Robin” Oil on Linen 24” x 40”
longing to create portraits lay close to the surface. As a child, she adored a neighborhood artist, frequently lingering at the woman’s mailbox in hopes of an invitation to watch the process (which often happened). It wasn’t until later in her life, however, that she took up the brush with serious intentions. “At 36, I knew I could paint,” she says. “At 42, I painted my first oil.” The artist spent ten years in Interior Design and Architecture. She also worked with professional photographers Slick Lawson and Melanie Gimple. “Experience in residential and commercial design gave me the discipline for detail so essential in portraiture,” she says. Flora says one of the most exciting challenges in portrait painting is depicting the subject’s character and personality. “When I first start the
“McKenzie” Oil on Linen 26” x 36”
Kerri Gibbs
"As an artist, my intention is to create and paint from my inner self, portraying the highest qualities, capturing the 44
essence of a person, particularly through the mystique
Kerri Gibbs devotes all aspects of her being to the paintings she creates. Using the brush almost as a meditation tool, she remains present and focused in each moment of her artistic process. “As an artist, my intention is to create and paint from my inner self,” she says, “portraying the highest qualities, capturing the essence of a person, particularly through the mystique of the eyes.” Gibbs developed an interest in drawing from early childhood, when she would often make books with beautiful covers. “In my teens,” she says, “I loved to copy faces, from beautiful women to old faces of various nationalities, with weathered, introspective eyes that told a story.”
freelancing and producing artwork for the advertising industry. At 21, she worked on such prestigious accounts as Mercedes, BMW, Ford, and Revlon. In 1992, while still living in Australia, New York art buyers Hankins & Tegenborg LTD began representing her in the publishing industry. As a result, she received commissions from Doubleday, Harlequin, and Bradford Exchange. In 1995, Gibbs moved to New York and received permanent residency for “Extraordinary Ability.” She has since studied with James Childs at the Drawing Academy of the Atlantic and with Nelson Shanks at the Art Students League of New York.
Gibbs, who hails from Australia, is almost entirely self-taught, and has forged an impressive artistic career through valuable illustration and painting experience. At 18, she was offered an apprenticeship with one of Australia’s leading illustrators. Then, Gibbs began
It was not until age 28 that Gibbs used oil paints for the first time, again without training, to paint a dazzling and striking portrait of an Indian meditation master. “I fell in love with oils then,” she says. “Their depth, richness, and the flow of blending colors
David Goatley
“The Right Honorable Kim Campbell, Prime Minister of Canada” Oil 48” 36”
“Most people say that my subjects seem very present and very real—as though
46
they can step out of the canvas and talk
David Goatley’s work is at once dynamic and inviting. He strives to capture his subjects in real life moments—casually palming a basketball, sitting comfortably on the front lawn, or leaning against a front porch pillar. “Most people say that my subjects seem very present and very real—as though they can step out of the canvas and talk to you,” he says. Born and educated in England, Goatley received his initial artistic training at Camberwell School of Art in London. His skills also benefited greatly from the expert mentorship of Johnny Jonas, one of Britain’s finest portrait painters.
Since his move to North America in 1992, Goatley has painted such prominent subjects as the Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell and House Speaker Gilbert Parent, both exhibited at Canada’s Parliament Buildings. Other sitters have included distinguished wildlife painter Robert Bateman,
“Huebner Boys” Oil 48” x 36”
fellow artist Ted Harrison, musician Larry Norman, and the great tenor Richard Margison. Goatley works from both life models and photographs. After he meets with his client, he requests a photo session where various poses, settings, and outfits are tried. When the photos are ready, Goatley renders several compositional drawings for the client to consider. When client and artist agree on the pose, he may do sketches of the portrait figure and a head study in oil for later reference. He finishes his work in the studio but considers it truly finished only after the client is completely satisfied.
Goatley says his pieces are often described as painterly. “The brushwork is confident and quite bold,” he explains.
Robert Bateman characterizes Goatley as “a fine painter in the [John Singer] Sargent style who works with confidence, grace, and a true respect for the
“Sasha” Oil 13” x 24”
Xiangyuan Jie
“Caroline” Oil on Linen 30” x 24”
“My purpose is to capture 48
the essence of the sitter.”
Xiangyuan Jie’s expressive and painterly approach is largely influenced by the direct and fluent style of early European, Russian, and American impressionists and realists. The artist enjoys painting people directly from life and “en plein air” landscape. He strives to observe and capture the inner beauty and characteristic quality of the subject. “My purpose is to capture the essence of the sitter,” he says. Jie received his formal art education in China, Europe, and the United States. In 1982, Jie graduated with a BFA in theater set design from the Central Academy of Drama at Beijing, one of the top art schools in China. He then taught art and design at Hunan University. In 1987 and 1988, Jie studied and lectured at the École Cantonal d’ Art de Lausanne, Switzerland. Upon immigrating to the United States, Jie taught at
“Alexandria” Oil on Linen 30” x 24”
Auburn University as a visiting professor. In 1995, he received his master’s degree in industrial design from Georgia Tech. Since then, he has been working at the Disney and Fox Feature Animation studios as a background stylist and visual development artist.
In the past few years, Jie’s artworks were featured in national and regional juried art exhibitions. He has been published in Artist magazine, International Artist magazine, and Southwest Art magazine. He also received second place in 2003 and the honor award in 2002 and 2005 at the Portrait Society of America’s international competition. Jie also received third prize in Artist magazine’s portrait competition in 1999. His landscape paintings were selected into the Top 100 in the 2002 and 2003 “Art for the Parks” competition, and received the Landscape Art Award and Grand Teton Natural
“Magnolia” Oil on Linen 36” x 36”
Carol Baxter Kirby
“I feel profoundly blessed and grateful to God for the gift of painting and for the 50
opportunity to pursue a career I dearly
Carol Baxter Kirby is a native Georgian and a leader in the field of portraiture. Her work is housed in private and public collections throughout the United States, including universities, corporations, medical facilities, and the state of Georgia, for whom she painted the official portrait of Governor Roy E. Barnes. Kirby has been profiled in several national publications, and her paintings have won numerous awards in juried exhibitions and competitions. The foundation of her painting philosophy is the pursuit of an exquisite portrait that brings a deep satisfaction to the client while upholding the hallmarks of great design and painting. Each painting is carefully thought out and a drawing submitted for approval before the canvas is built. With a desire to create distinguished portraits that speak to many, Kirby searches to convey a quiet, sensitive insight into
the life of the sitter. Her visual understanding is greatly enhanced by painting from life when possible. Kirby graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration from Georgia State University. She continued her studies in an atelier and with such distinguished artists as Marc Chatov, Richard Whitney, and Nelson Shanks.
Kirby has been involved with many art organizations, including the Hudson Valley Art Association, the Portrait Society of America, and the American Society of Portrait Artists, and has served on the Board of Directors for the Portrait Society of Atlanta, holding the roles of Past President and Member of Merit. Kirby has also given much of her time serving as a member of the Advisory Board and enjoys encouraging other artists through speaking engagements, critiques,
Robert Kuester
“Chief District Judge N.M.” Oil 40” x 30”
“The best portrait is well grounded 52
in observation but created with intuition.”
Robert Kuester’s portraits always guarantee an excellent likeness, including facial features, expression, mood, and lifelike depiction of the subject. Each portrait will stand on its own as a fine art painting and will demonstrate his sensibilities, knowledge, and skill in the creation of masterful portraits. Kuester incorporates a satisfying composition, rich, tasteful color, and painterly brushwork in his pieces while maintaining a convincing illusion which is never merely photographic. A graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, Kuester also studied in New York with Robert Brackman of the Art Students League and with John Howard Sanden. Since the mid-1970s, he has received top awards at prestigious art competitions around the United States for portraits, still lifes, and landscapes. Kuester, who started his artistic career as an il-
“Du Pont Children’s Hospital” Oil 60” x 40”
lustrator, has painted several actors. For CBS Fox videos, he has done paintings of Shelly Duvall, Jean Stapleton, Matthew Broderick, Pam Dawber, Treat Williams, and others. In his portraits, Kuester achieves accurate likenesses. His commissions in oil portraiture have included Milburn Stone for the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, college presidents, CEOs, judges, attorneys, doctors, institution benefactors, and many others. The artist works primarily from photographs and for the larger portraits, may paint an initial oil sketch from life. He prefers an informal meeting with his subject prior to beginning a portrait to become acquainted and to observe gesture, temperament, coloring, environment, and expression. This meeting, combined with the photographs taken in one or more two-hour location sessions, provides the basis for the portrait, which is painted in the studio and shipped to the client.
“University of Alabama” Oil 30” x 24”
Angela Kuprion
“My first thoughts are of the person’s character. Then I try to design a composition for the 54
painting that portrays the spirit of the person.”
Angela Kuprion’s natural talent finds its outlet in impressionistic landscapes, evocative still lifes, and portraits that are an astounding mixture of the subject’s physical features and the mystique of personal character and sensitivity. “My first thoughts are of the person’s character,” she says. “Then I try to design a composition for the painting that portrays the spirit of the person. I work painterly with some thick and thin passages.” When Kuprion and her husband restored an 1897 Victorian home, it renewed her childhood interest in art. In an effort to fill the home with art, she enrolled in a local community education class in oil painting. Inspired, she went on to study with master artists. Kuprion credits this study with her development as an artist, citing Michael Shane Neal, Cedric Egeli, Daniel Gerhartz, Matt Smith, Quang Ho, Scot Christensen, and Scott Burdick as particularly influential teachers.
“Cousins” Oil 34” x 50”
Kuprion’s recent shows include solo exhibitions at the Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville and the Centennial Club in Nashville, as well as group exhibitions at the Hanson Gallery in Knoxville, The Southgate Gallery in Franklin, Tennessee, and a four-woman show at Capitol Arts Alliance in Bowling Green, Kentucky. She has won numerous awards including an Honorable Mention at the Atlanta Portrait Society 2005 Fall Exhibition, Atlanta; First Place at the Karstland Juried Art Exhibition in Mammoth Cave National Park; participation in the 12th annual National Juried Art Exhibition for the Oil Painters of America; and numerous merit awards in the All Kentucky Juried Art Show in Bowling Green. Kuprion also enjoys the distinguished honor of having been the Artist in Residence at Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park. Kuprion is a member of the Portrait Society of
“Sarah Beth” Oil 32” x 26”
Bart Lindstrom
“Each painting should be more than just a pretty face. It should be an echo of an enduring love and of shared lives. It should be a love story. A poem that is recited 56
each time the painting is glanced.�
Bart Lindstrom paints portraits, but he tries to make it secondary to his love of making art. That’s what he tells every client. “We are each trying to do different things. You are trying to record a moment in time, while I am trying to make an exquisite work of art that will endure for ages. But take hope, because when these two things overlap, magic happens.” Bart encourages his clients, who often become friends, to go beyond a simple likeness, to patiently search for expressions, unique lighting, and unusual poses, that stir in their minds a special moment, an evocative memory and feeling of that person. That is why Bart reviews drawing and photo ideas with his subjects. He walks with them step by step to create a symbol of their greatest treasure, the love they share with each other. “Each painting should be more than just a pretty face. It should be an echo of an enduring love and of shared lives. It should be a love story. A poem that is recited each time the painting is glanced,” he says.
“India Jane” Oil 18” x 22”
“Margaret” Oil 32” x 22”
“Artists are very fortunate to be infected with this crazy desire to create art,” he says. “We are the people who encourage others to see the beauty around us. We try to slow down the world
for a few years. However, additional studies at the Art Center in Pasadena convinced him to pursue a career in painting. His primary medium is oil.
so we can point out the sunsets, flowers, and miracles of everyday life.” Born in Riverside, California, Lindstrom graduated from the University of Southern California, and worked for an advertising firm
“Alex” Oil 32” X 48”
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Lindstrom is a nationally recognized artist, conference speaker, former board member of the American Society of Portrait Artists, and participant in the founding meeting of the Portrait Society of America. His paintings hang in state capitals and federal courtrooms. Among his prominent collectors are United States Senators William Armstrong and Jesse Helms, Tennessee Governor Ned McWhorter, Roots author Alex Haley, former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, professional golfer Nancy Lopez, former Vice President Dan Quayle, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Lindstrom’s works are also featured in many private and corporate
“Daniel” Oil 32” x 48”
“Robert Keogh” Oil 24” x 36”
Liz Lindstrom
“Gretchen” Charcoal 20” x 24”
“I love making something out of nothing. Where there was once blank paper, there is now face,
60
hands, light and shadow, emotion, movement, and personality.”
Liz Lindstrom is a Chattanooga native who has always been surrounded by beautiful art. Her father, Bart Lindstrom, is a nationally renowned portrait artist. Liz began learning about art at a young age. “My dad would let me sit and watch while he worked on a painting, and gave me projects to work on. It’s amazing how much I was able to learn by just being around him,” she says. Lindstrom’s desire to be an artist began in high school as she contemplated her future after graduation. “I knew I wanted to create things and show life through my eyes,” she says. “Every school I considered and every program I researched failed to offer me anything close to what my father could give me,” she says. “I stayed in Chattanooga to apprentice under my dad. It is the most important thing I’ve ever done as an artist.” After three semesters of apprenticeship with her father and four months abroad, Lindstrom found her niche in figurative art. “During my time in Europe, I photographed more beautiful towns, rivers, and coastlines than could be appreciated. However, when I was back in the studio, the
“Aubry & Caroline” Conté
“Peter” Charcoal 12” x 16”
people I met along the way became the only subject I was interested in pursuing. That’s when I realized which direction to take my art.” The inspiration for Lindstrom’s artwork comes from her admiration of the human figure and her passion for ballet. The enthusiasm stems from years of dance lessons and a great admiration of Degas. Whether it is in portraiture or in ballet, Liz’s ambition is to capture a moment in time that deserves to be noted. The very process of creation is a driving force for Lindstrom. “I love making something out of nothing,” she says. “Where there was once blank paper, there is now face, hands, light and shadow, emotion, movement, and personality.” In December, Liz had her first one-woman show in Chattanoooga, entitled Liz Lindstrom: A Dancer’s “Jack” Conté 16” x 20”
“turry” Charcoal 20” x 24”
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“Mother and Daughter” Conté
Helen Nash
“Jessie” Oil 16” x 20”
“The spirit of these fine champions is what inspires me to preserve their memory the best 64
way I know how—in paint.”
Helen Nash developed a great love for nature as a child growing up in the woods of Tennessee. She continues to draw inspiration from these surroundings even today. She always knew she was an artist, but it wasn’t until her 20s that Helen began her formal art training. This included studies at Watkins Institute of Fine Art, The Harris School of Art, and Nashville Technical College, where she also studied photography. Training continued as she studied with some of the finest artists in the United States, including Robert K. Abbett, Joseph Sulkowski, Michael Shane Neal, and Daniel Greene. Her first commissioned portrait, a sporting dog painting, won the Ducks Unlimited Kentucky Sponsor Print in 1990. In 1995, she began her full-time art career in her new studio near Nashville. Helen Nash is the chosen artist for the National Bird Hunters Association and the National Vizsla Association, and her paintings have garnered top-awarded prizes for field-trial excellence in sev-
“Bayou-Teché Bob” Oil 22” x 28”
“Brittany and B.B.” Oil 16” x 20”
eral divisions. In addition, she has been featured in articles and covers of magazines including Sporting Classics, Retriever Journal, Pointing Dog Journal, and Field Trial magazine. Recently Tennessee's Wildside, a public television outdoor program, featured her during the process of developing a painting from the initial photo shoot in the field to the finished piece. Her artwork is currently exhibited in the National Bird Dog Museum and in private collections throughout the United States and abroad. Capturing a true likeness is foremost to Helen as she works, honoring the individuality and spirit of each subject. Her immense respect for the relationship between pet and owner is undeniable. “Whether it be a champion hunting dog with his timehonored instinct, a prize-winning show dog, or the wet-nosed champion of our hearts,” she says, “that special bond between people and their dogs is unrivaled. A dog’s honest intensity, undying devotion, and pure joy just having us
“Chunk” Oil 16” x 20”
“Kal-Cam’s Red Thunder” Oil 18” x 24”
Michael Shane Neal
“Alexander Russell” Oil on Canvas 34” x 44”
"I have had two lifelong passions–art and people. I love interpreting people on canvas and am constantly searching to capture the essential character and personality of my
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Michael Shane Neal, internationally recognized and critically praised, has been painting portraits since the age of 21. His work seems to sparkle with an immediacy that engages the viewer in something like a personal dialogue with the portrait subjects. “I have had two lifelong passions,” he says, “art and people. I love interpreting people on canvas and am constantly searching to capture the essential character and personality of my subject.” Master of his bravura brushwork, Neal realizes painterly creations that are personal and spontaneous. At the same time, his work exemplifies the time-honored standards of classical portraiture. This Nashville native received his Bachelor of Arts degree from David Lipscomb University and continued his studies at the Santa Fe Institute of Fine Arts, The Scottsdale Artists School, and the Lyme Academy of Art. He is a protégé of one of the nation’s foremost portraitists, Everett Raymond Kinstler, with whom he recently participated in a show entitled Realism Now: Mentors and Protégés at the Vose Galleries in Boston, Massachusetts.
Winner of the 2001 Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait Competition, Neal has painted such subjects as Senator Arthur Vandenberg for the United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. Vandenberg’s portrait is the first commission of its kind in nearly 50 years. Receiving the commission at the age of 32, Neal is among the youngest artists ever commissioned by the United States Senate. He also recently painted jazz legend Dr. Billy Taylor for the National Arts Club, New York City, and Whitney MacMillan, Chairman and CEO of the Cargill Corporation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, the largest privately held company in the world. Neal’s work is included in major educational collections such as Yale, Vanderbilt, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and Tulane Universities. He recently received the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Award from the National Arts Club and the Tara Fredrix Award from the Audubon Artists of America, both for landscapes. In 2004, he received The Artist Magazine Award of Excellence at the Oil Painters of America National Exhibition. His work has also been featured in
“Kathleen Estes” Oil on Canvas 36” x 52”
“Phyliss Fridrich” Oil on Canvas 46” x 84”
“Greg Daily” Oil on Canvas 36” x 48”
“The Honorable Edward Becker” Oil on Canvas 36” x 58”
Rich Nelson
“Mark Watson” Oil 60” x 42”
“My goal as an artist is to accurately capture a 68
subject while maintaining the energy and vitality of the paint.”
Rich Nelson is committed to creating museumquality portrait, landscape, and stilllife paintings. “My goal as an artist is to accurately capture a subject while maintaining the energy and vitality of the paint,” he says. Nelson has delivered over 200 oil portraits and sold many gallery paintings since earning his BFA from Detroit's College of Creative Studies in 1988. Nelson has won many awards, including three Certificates of Merit and two Best Portfolio prizes from the Portrait Society of America. His work has been featured twice in International Artist magazine, and also other publications. Notable commissions include former General Motors Chairman Jack Smith and ABC’s Ted Koppel.
He has taught drawing, painting, and anatomy at his alma mater, in workshops, and in his new hometown of Tryon, North Carolina. When not working on portraiture Nelson regularly has one-man and group
“Sam” Oil 14” x 11”
shows of his gallery work. He has also been doing a large number of charcoal portrait commissions in recent years.
When circumstances allow, Nelson prefers to paint portrait commissions from life. When this is not possible he photographs the subject and usually does a preliminary drawing or color study to prepare himself for the painting process. He enjoys spending as much time as possible with subjects, as doing so helps him capture their character on canvas.
Keeping with his goal of personal craftsmanship and quality, Nelson stretches and primes his own linen canvases and uses only traditional archival oil paint and varnish. He also personally frames and hand-delivers his finished portraits whenever possible. The preliminary studies are given to the subject in appreciation for their patronage.
“Kim” Oil 48” x 36”
Katherine Norris
“Caroline” Oil on Linen 24” x 30”
“I am truly blessed to meet each subject 70
and record a special time in that person’s
Katherine Norris has shown a talent for art since a young age. “Crayolas ignited the flames of creativity in me,” she says. “As far back as I can remember, drawing and painting were my favorite activities. My first paint-by-number experience was a portrait. I was fascinated with the colors and texture of paint and struck with the magic of combining shapes to form a face.” Today, Norris says client interaction gratifies her immensely. “My favorite part of the portrait process is getting to know the subject and his or her family,” she says. “I am truly blessed to meet each subject and record a special time in that person’s life.”
After graduating from Georgia College and State University, Norris attended Andrews University in Michigan, where she studied photography, sculpture, design, color, and printmaking. She has also taken workshops and master classes with some of our nation’s finest artists, including Daniel Gerhartz, Daniel Greene, and Burton Silverman.
“John Rhett Frazier IV” Oil on Linen 22” x 28”
Norris has exhibited with the Portrait Society of Atlanta and was a finalist in the Artist magazine competition. She is also a juried member of the Portrait Society of Atlanta, the Plein Air Painters of Georgia, and the Southeastern Pastel Society. Norris is known for her paintings of children though sitters have also included golf professionals and prominent businesspeople.
Norris’ goal is to capture that fleeting expression that escapes the camera but mirrors the soul of the sitter. Her approach is client-focused. “The portrait process is a leap of faith for the client,” she says. “I try to put the client at ease and make the process a pleasant and memorable experience for everyone involved.” To that end, Norris says, “Communication is the most important ingredient in the portrait process.” She seeks to understand an individual’s character through conversations with clients as well as through visual and nonvisual cues.
“Catherine Frazier Reynolds” Oil on Linen 30” x 24”
Dean Paules
“Dr. Levin” Oil 32” x 40”
“It is a challenge and a thrill to be a portrait 72
painter.”
Dean Paules emerges as a standout in a room full of contemporary masters, an artist of unsurpassing brilliance. His oil portraits are refined, representing in the painted face and form the very personification of the subject. Paules’ brushwork flows with unparalleled technique. In his work, he calls forth the humanity of his subjects—highlighting both the public and private person. Whether his portraits emphasize emotion or restraint, however, they are always unerringly true to life. Painting in oil on linen, Paules uses his brush to animate even the most inanimate objects. He paints such palpable textures as lustrous satin, delicate laces, and richly burnished wood. This artist works closely with his subjects. He typically requests one, possibly two, photographic sessions prior to beginning a painting. He also requests subsequent consultation with the “Jane” Oil 18” x 24”
“James Brothers” Oil 36” x 44”
“Honorable William Goodling” Oil 36” x 50”
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subject to discuss the most appropriate photographs to use as references for the portrait. During his career, Paules has painted such prominent individuals as Nobel Laureate George Hitchings; Governor Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania; U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Dick Armey; John Cornyn, Attorney General for the State of Texas; Judge Alberto Gonzales of Texas and Washington, D.C.; Hans Becherer, CEO of John Deere Corporation; Ralph Larsen, CEO of Johnson & Johnson; Peter Dolan, CEO of Bristol-Meyers Squibb; Chuck Williams, founder of Williams-Sonoma; M. Anthony Burns, CEO of Ryder Systems; Edward Zore, CEO of Northwestern Mutual Insurance; and Paul Harden, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina. Paules enjoys his work immensely. “It is a challenge and a thrill to be a portrait painter,” he says. A native of Pennsylvania, he holds certification in the American Portrait
“Fred Kirby” Oil 28” x 36”
“Ben” Oil 26” x 40”
Chris Saper
“Mayra” Oil 24” x 18”
“The reasons people commission portraits are lofty and they’re important—love, honor, and
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respect. It’s a privilege to be charged each day
Chris Saper published her first drawing at the age of nine, and she maintained an active “love affair with drawing” through college, when she earned a fine arts degree from Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin. After earning a Master’s degree in hospital administration, Saper worked as a healthcare executive for 17 years. Her love of art never left her, however, and she attended drawing classes whenever time permitted. At age thirty-eight, after the birth of her first child, Saper decided to pursue portrait painting. Her first formal portrait teacher was Ann Manry Kenyon, who taught at the Scottsdale Artists School. Both Ann and William Whitaker continue to provide support and to serve as mentors. Saper’s approach is highly collaborative. “Every portrait begins with a shared vision,” she explains. “The partnership with each client guides me in every aspect of the portrait’s creation, from focal point
“Andrew” Oil 24” x 18”
to mood to composition.” While Saper recognizes the importance of likeness in a portrait, she also embraces the interpretive quality of each commission that is rendered only through an artist’s hand. Since the subject is paramount, her backgrounds tend to be more impressionistic than literal. “Some paintings will convey the feeling of a lively outdoor setting, telling the spontaneous story of color and light—what I think of as capturing a moment in time,” she says. “Other portraits are created as quiet cameos that reveal themselves over time, employing subtlety of color, form, and edge transition.” Saper holds her profession in the highest regard. “The reasons people commission portraits are lofty and they’re important—love, honor, and respect. It’s a privilege to be charged each day with finding beauty,” she says. “If you look for it,
“Alexandrea at 13” Oil 24” x 18”
u
Peter Scha mann
“Corinne” Oil on Linen 50” x 40”
“I want to paint light – to portray the sitter with a straightforward look, and to capture a faceted,
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gestural quality that suggests the subject’s interest and personality.”
Peter Schaumann’s work is often described as luminous. “I want to paint light,” he says, “to portray the sitter with a straightforward look, and to capture a faceted, gestural quality that suggests the subject’s interest and personality.” A member of the American Society of Portrait Artists, Schaumann hails from Pennsyl-vania and currently resides in St. David’s. He received his BFA from the Philadelphia College of Art and has served on its faculty as well as the faculty of the Moore College of Art and Design. To add to his experience, Schaumann spent ten years as an illustrator in New York. His work has been cited by the New York Society of Illustrators, Graphis magazine, and the New York Art Directors Club. Prominent collectors include author John Grisham, the Union League
“William” Oil on Linen 30” x 25”
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Hospital, and Bryn Mawr College. Schaumann is the recipient of the First Award of Merit at the 1993 National Portrait Seminar in Atlanta, and was a finalist at the 2000 International Portrait Arts Festival in New York City. His latest solo exhibition occurred at the Benjamin Mangel Gallery in Philadelphia in spring 2004. When he accepts a commission, Schaumann discusses the planned portrait with the client. Specifications covered are size, style, and setting, among others. He then asks the subject to sit for photography and makes sketches and notes on color. The subject’s gradual appearance on the canvas, Schaumann says, is the most exciting phase of creation. His portraits are inspired by art history’s masters—those most famous for their attention to the impact of light on our perception of the human form. “The tradition of
“Robert A. Oden Jr.” Oil on Linen 40” x 30”
u
Nancy Sche nemann
“Hallie” Oil on Linen 24” x 30”
“People, personalities, and characters have always fascinated me. While portraiture can be
80
challenging, it is also exciting to capture that certain emotion.”
Nancy Scheunemann expects the best from herself with regard to her work. “I want each painting to be the best one I’ve ever done,” she says. Following in the footsteps of Sorolla and Sargent, she strives to achieve the suggestion of form with the fewest brushstrokes possible. Her signature style, she says, lies in her choice of color. “I want more of today’s palette—lighter and brighter,” she explains. Scheunemann has always been interested in and surrounded by art. Throughout her school years, she designed and drew, both for herself and others. She received a degree in biology, but continued with her drawing and painting until finally settling on portraits as her favorite form of expression. “People, personalities, and characters have always fascinated me,” she says. “While portraiture can be challenging, it is also exciting to capture that certain emotion.” Although primarily self-taught, Scheunemann has studied with and participated in various workshops by a variety of artists, including Daniel Greene, Frank Covino, Chuck Kapsner, James Daniel, Paris Alexander, and Joe Bowler. Scheunemann loves the beauty of art, the process of bringing life to canvas, and most importantly, a client’s smile in viewing the completed work. “I consider classical poses, but I also look for a new twist on a classical theme,” she says. “I want to create a piece
“Will” Oil on Linen 24” x 30”
“Lucy” Oil on Linen 24” x 30”
of fine art. I want to paint a portrait with a certain emotional appeal which goes beyond likeness.” When asked about her primary goal as a painter, Scheunemann says that when a portrait is done well, “not only do you have a wonderful likeness of the person, but you have a painting of them to be enjoyed for years to come. I’d love for people to
“Hannah” Oil on Linen 24” x 30”
Linda S. Weaver
“Andrew” Pastel 20” x 24”
“My portraits are realistic with an impressionistic flair. They are bold yet sensitive, capturing the 82
Linda Weaver, a confident artist with distinguished experience in professional photography, combines in her portraits an impressionistic background with a higher level of detail in the face of the portrait subject. “I love faces and I love to paint,” she says. “It is my passion.” Works featuring children are her forte, and she is known for successfully capturing the subtle yet poignant expressions of childhood in her work. When asked to describe her work, Weaver says, “My portraits are realistic with an impressionistic flair. They are bold yet sensitive, capturing the innocence of a fleeting moment.” The artist has an uncanny ability to portray the world of a child in a seemingly endless gamut of emotional interplay. Using a richly varied palette of oils, she records the playful child, pausing in a happy moment to respond to the call of a loved
“Friedman” Oil 26” x 36”
one, the lingering drowsiness brushing the youthful face after a long nap, the ambivalent countenance of an adolescent grappling with both determination and shyness. When she sits down to begin a painting, Weaver says her goal is “to make the current portrait the best one I’ve ever done. The challenge is very exciting.” She was Distinguished Guest Lecturer in Willingen, Germany, for an association of over one thousand European portrait photographers. She has lectured and conducted numerous seminars on portrait painting and photo restoration in the U.S. and abroad, including a workshop at Preus Foto Laboratorium in Horten, Norway. Weaver has received numerous professional awards including an American Society of Photographers Fellowship, the Eastman Kodak Gallery of Excellence Award, the Fuji Masterpiece Award, and recognition as a Professional Photographers of America Master Artist.
Jennifer Welty
“The Dicksons” Oil on Linen Panel 38” x 50”
“Perhaps I can discover a quality that the sitter was too modest to boast of, or a strength of character 84
that defines them uniquely.”
Jennifer Welty, an artist based in the seaside town of Santa Cruz, California, paints portraits that show both a firm foundation in the art of figure drawing and a commitment to conveying the dynamic and individual personalities of her subjects. She brings out the best in her subjects, concentrating not just on their likeness but on the elements of their character as well. “I interpret the person, using a combination of life studies and photographs as tools to help me bring to light some facet of their personality. Perhaps I can discover a quality that the sitter was too modest to boast of, or a strength of character that defines them uniquely,” she says.
Welty was born in San Jose, California in 1958. A published book illustrator at the age of 14, she was successfully represented by the Gallery Americana in Carmel, California, for many years before her growing portrait clientele eclipsed her gallery work. Welty is a self-taught artist, though she briefly studied under noted painter Daniel Greene.
“Hillary” Oil on Linen Panel 9” x 12”
The artist was a top ten Honors Finalist in the Portrait Society of America’s international competition in 2003 and 2005, and received a special recognition award from the Portrait Society in 2002 and 2004. She was a two-time finalist winner in the Artist magazine portrait division. Her work has appeared in International Artist magazine, and her clients include Julie I n k s t e r, m e m b e r o f the Golf Hall of Fame; the Founders of Intuit; Advanced Micro Devices C E O To n y H o l b r o o k ; and CNBC anchor and managing editor of the Wall Street Journal Maria Bartiromo. Welty also designed 21 collector plates for the Bradford Exchange, one of which was commissioned by Sears and featured on 5,000,000 covers of their famous Christmas catalogue.
“The Flanigans” Oil on Linen 40” x 42”
Gordon Wetmore
The Sunbeck Collection, Mississippi Oiul 30” x 24”
“My main concern is to have an uninterrupted flow from what my eye 86
sees to what comes from my brush
Gordon Wetmore is “a friendly, open person, uniquely suited to portrait painting,” according to American Artis t magazine. He is known for his accuracy and vivid interpretations of people. In his paintings, he captures the true character of his subjects, and his brushwork flows with a feeling of responsiveness toward each person he paints. Wetmore describes his process as instinctive. “When people ask me how I get a likeness,” he says, “I tell them that I don’t know. It is a mystery to me. My main concern is to have an uninterrupted flow from what my eye sees to what comes from my brush onto the canvas.”
Wetmore has created over 500 portraits in the course of his career. Many distinguished and well-known subjects include President Richard M. Nixon, Jack Nicklaus, Fred Couples, Dr. and Mrs. Norman Vincent Peale, noted author Leon Uris, Princess Grace, Prince Rainier, and Prince Albert of Monaco, and members of the English, Irish, and French nobility. Gordon Wetmore’s painting assignments have
Private Collection, North Carolina Oil 40” x 30”
taken him all over the world. With his family, he has lived and worked in Ireland, France, and England. His paintings are in collections around the globe, including those of the Royal Palace of Monaco; the Knessett in Jerusalem; the White House; Harvard, Duke, Northwestern, and Emory Universities; and the Hunter Museum of American Art. A collection of Wetmore’s paintings was published in several English and German editions of his best-selling art book, Promised Land, with accompanying text by Leon Uris and Israeli statesman Abba Eban. Other books showcasing his work include Ireland , with text by the artist and a foreword by the late Princess Grace, the 1987 book, Gordon Wetmore’s Prayers for Boys and Girls , the Watson-Guptill art book Learning from the Pros, and in 2004, Vanishing Kingdoms– The Irish Chiefs and their Families , with twenty portraits by Gordon Wetmore. Wetmore earned a degree in art and studied at the Art Students League in New
Dr. Fred M. Rosen, Harvard Medical Center, Boston Oil 42” x 32”
Dawn E. Whitelaw
“Dana” Oil
“I am looking for the moment when the light, atmosphere, or viewpoint displays my 88
subject in an uncommonly interesting way.”
Dawn Whitelaw still thinks of herself as a student, even after more than thirty years of teaching painting. Like the painters she so admires–Sorolla, Sargent, and Zorn–she fully understands the importance of not only painting from life but also rendering simply beautiful results. “It’s not about rendering every eyelash or tree limb but also about finding the character of your subject and presenting the essential information,” says Whitelaw. Her ability to capture life in paint is corroborated by the accolades she has received. Whitelaw’s awards include a Certificate of Merit for her portrait at the National Portrait Convention in 1991, Best of Show at the Portrait Society of America’s International Competition in 2001, and Award of Excellence in the regional Oil Painters of America exhibition in 2002. Her work can be found in the permanent collections of the Third National Bank, the Dominion Bank, and
“Carrie” Oil
“Brandon and Cowan” Oil
Northern Telecommunications. Her work is also displayed at the Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Lipscomb University in Nashville, the Southern Sports Medicine and Orthopedics Center in Nashville, and the town of Dinan, France. Whitelaw has been featured in the inaugural issue of Workshop magazine and has served on the faculty of the Portrait Society of America Conference for the past several years. Whitelaw credits the community of teachers and students around her for both her success and growth as an artist. She has studied under Lois Griffel at the Cape Cod School of Art and prominent Atlanta portrait painter Tom Nash. She has attended additional workshops with Clyde Aspevig, Cedric Egeli, Jim Pollard, and Scott Christensen. Most of her instruction and inspiration has come from portraitist Everett Raymond Kinstler. The artist describes her painting as reactive
“Bracey” Oil
“Mallory” Oil
“Annie” Oil
“Solomons’” Oil
“McKinna” Oil
Jerry Whitworth
“selene” Oil on Canvas 28” x 44”
“My goal is simple—to make the most 90
beautiful portrait possible for each and every client.”
Jerry Whitworth achieves compelling realistic images while also conveying a sense of vibrancy with his paintings. His respect for the traditions of portraiture are evident in his work as he has developed his style from extensive study of the Old Masters. At the same time, he effects a spontaneity in his portraits that renders them distinctively contemporary.
A native of Alabama, Whitworth earned a BFA in painting from the University of Alabama and studied at the Art Students League of New York. He has been a recipient of the Edward G. McDowell Traveling Scholarship, and was a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome. His paintings have been featured in solo and group exhibitions, including shows at the Art Students League and in numerous commercial galleries in New York City. Whitworth has painted various public officials, including retired Alabama Supreme Court Justice Oscar Adams, Jr. and NASA’s Wernher Von Braun. His sub-
jects also include business executives, civic leaders, children, and family groups. Whitworth paints with a specific objective in mind. “My goal is simple—to make the most beautiful portrait possible for each and every client,” he says. He paints commissioned portraits in his studio after an initia l meeting at the client’s location. During his visit, he takes many photographs of his subject or subjects and reviews them with the client when printed. Together, they choose the best pose to be used as a reference for color, mood, and composition. When the completed portrait is shipped to the client, suggested edits can be made, whereupon the portrait is returned to Whitworth so that he may make the necessary changes. Upon completion, the portrait is then shipped back to the client. Whitworth has spent considerable time in the museums of Europe looking at the masterpieces. Having studios in both New York and Paris gives
Bill Wilson
“It is the joy of creating something of beauty where once only blank 92
canvas and raw paint existed.�
Bill Wilson values the relationship between painter and client tremendously. “I always try to keep in mind that although I’ve been painting for nearly twenty years, for them it’s all very new. I try to do everything I can to make the client feel that the trust he or she has put in me has not been misplaced,” he says. When he begins a client consultation, Wilson uses a laptop computer and digital camera to photograph the sitter. For him, communication is key. “I always explain to the client that, of course, a painting is fundamentally different from an image on a screen, but it helps to them to know exactly what I will be working from. I like for the client to be as comfortable with me and the process as possible.”
A graduate of Belhaven College with a Bachelor’s degree in art, Wilson began painting in 1987. He has painted three of Mississippi’s Supreme Court Justices, two presidents of Regent University, and numerous men and women who have been recognized as leaders in their respective fields. He paints from his home studio in Jackson, Mississippi. One of the best parts of his job, he says, is that it affords him more time to spend with wife Linda and son Amile. Wilson’s faith plays a tremendous role in his work. “I always keep in mind that my first duty and
calling is to produce the best painting I can to the glory of God,” he says. “It makes it easy to work for just about anyone when one’s focus is on the
Sue Zaback
“The Honorable William T. Bodoh” Oil 32” x 42”
“A person’s hands, feet, and body language 94
reveal much about their personality.”
Sue Zaback portrays her subjects with fidelity and verve in settings from the boardroom to the seashore. The artist skillfully fashions intimate views of family groups as well as more formal perspectives of executives. Although Zaback works in all formats, she prefers to depict the full figure in her work, believing that “a person’s hands, feet, and body language reveal much about their personality.” Over the years, she has developed an extensive portfolio of still life, landscape and floral paintings. Her works in these genres complement her portraiture especially in the variety of backgrounds she is able to envision.
Zaback graduated from Ohio State University and went on to study at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where she concentrated on portraiture. Her work may be seen in numerous private and corporate collections. She is a master of the full range
“Maura” Oil 16” x 20”
of color in both oil and pastel and enjoys using both mediums. Of special interest to her are the works of Joaquin Sorolla and Nicholai Fechin. She admires Fechin for “his freshness and sense of color, and the way he reveals the spirit of his subject with such dignity.” Sorolla’s paintings, she says, “are alive with color. His work is strong and bold and he has a wonderful sense of light.”
Zaback prefers painting her subjects in natural surroundings. She finds the perennial gardens surrounding her lakefront home and studio to be a source of inspiration, and senses a mysterious bond with these exquisite creations of nature, one that enhances much of her painting. Zaback’s initial meeting with the client includes selecting a medium, es-tablishing the portrait size, discussing clothing and pose, and holding a photographic session. While she typically works from
“Thomas” Oil 20” x 16”
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