The Critique: Making the most of it!

by Judith B. Carducci
Chair of the Cecilia Beaux Forum


When I started painting again after a 35 year hiatus, very quickly, greatly to my surprise, my work was much better than it had been when I stopped painting in my 20s.  One reason for this is, I am convinced, that I no longer had a teacher to tell me what and what not to do, so I had to critique my own work and figure it out for myself.  That is a wonderful learning experience.  However, it has its limitations.  As the old saying goes, “He who treats himself, has a fool for a physician.”  While we expand our own knowledge, it’s good to seek out others’ as well.  Here are some things I find useful to think about in seeking critiques from others:

Marie Gabrielle Capet, “Atelier of Madame Vincent (Labille-Guiard)” 1808
Courtesy of the Women in the Act of Painting blog, written by Nancy Bea Miller

Why? 

Why do I want a critique?
 
•   For praise, affirmation/approval?  

•   Or do I have a specific problem I want help solving?

Who?

•   If affirmation, whose opinion do I respect and value?

•   If I have a specific problem, who would best have the experience with solving such a problem?
 
•   Will the person I seek understand and respect MY work and not trample on my vision and try to influence me to paint like somebody else?

Where?

How will I find such a person?  Some places to look:

•   Locally, who do I know and respect?

•   In publications, whose work speaks to me?

•.  In professional societies that have critique programs and vet the artists giving the critiques (The Portrait Society of America offers critiques for members)

•   Faculty at workshops or art programs or artist professional societies and meetings

My responsibilities…

Prepare for the critique. 

•   Be clear about what help I want and need

•   Be clear about the intent of my work – what I wanted to achieve

•   Know whether I want technical help or help in clarifying my vision


•   I will accept their comments graciously without becoming offended or defensive because I understand that I have asked for criticism and that may be exactly what I get.

•   I will thank them for taking the time to look at my painting and for giving me their thoughts and ideas.

My rights…

I am the artist, it’s my work and my goals, and therefore my responsibility and right to make the decision about what I find helpful or unhelpful in the critique and whether or not to adopt any of the suggestions.

My plan…

I find it useful, after having a critique, to spend some time alone (at the very least, “sleeping on it”) looking at the work and imagining it with the changes suggested. Sometimes I will decide to make a change, and at other times the contemplation helps me to solidify my thoughts on why my work is better without the change.  This is a good cerebral/aesthetic exercise that increases one’s self-confidence that s/he knows what s/he’s doing.

Social Media…in a nutshell…with bacon

The memory of the excitement of the Portrait Society of America Conference in DC may be starting to fade, but hopefully the inspiration you’ve taken home is just starting to kick in and you are using what you’ve learned and applying it to your own art life.

Thank you to those of you arose at the crack of dawn Saturday morning to attend the Cecilia Beaux Forum Panel Discussions. And apologies to those of you who wanted to attend each of the phenomenal breakout sessions but had to pick just one.

For your benefit, we shall give you some highlights of some of the panel discussions as downloadable handouts.

Here are the notes to the Judy Takács portion of the Cecilia Beaux Forum panel about promoting your work in the 21st Century. Judy talks about Social Media and how to make it a positive part your art life.

Right and Better Left Unsaid
by Judy Takács

 Promoting Your Work in the 21st Century:

Social Media…in a nutshell…with bacon 

An overview of some of the popular social media venues…using the example of bacon…which is very popular on the internet right now.


twitter…I’m #eatingbaconrightnow  #andlovingit


instagram…here’s a photo of the bacon which I just fried and will be eating in a minute!


youtube…here is a handy instructional video I made, with a soundtrack by Yo Yo Ma laid down behind the sound of sizzling bacon. I show you how to fry bacon and then how to eat it.


linkdin…my skills include making bacon, eating bacon, talking about bacon. My contacts can endorse this. And I’m looking for a job in the bacon industry. Now I will send you a request from linkdin so you can view my profile and be amazed at all I have written about my bacon prowess. You have to take my word on this, because I have no photos besides my profile picture where my face is greasy from the bacon I have eaten.


pinterest…here you can see the many MANY professional photos and paintings of bacon that I found in random places on the internet and wanted to keep. I have pinned them to my Pinterest board which I call, “I love bacon.” Please feel free to pin some of MY bacon pictures onto YOUR Pinterest boards too!


facebook…I like bacon IMHO…LOL. Check out my album of artistic bacon photos that I have taken myself. Here’s a link to my website bacon.com and a link to blog I write, bacon.blogspot.com. Here’s photo of me with my close friend…Kevin Bacon, and a painting by my favorite artist…Francis Bacon. I tagged them both…please like, comment on and share!

And here’s the link to the downloadable handout of the complete talk.

CBF Panel Highlights…Publishing your Art in the 21st Century

Another fabulous and legendary Portrait Society of America Conference has just finished, and now its back to business. Thank you to those of you arose at the crack of dawn Saturday morning to attend the Cecilia Beaux Forum Panel Discussions. And apologies to those of you who, like me,  wanted to attend each of the phenomenal breakout sessions but had to pick just one.

For your benefit, over the next few weeks we will be giving you some highlights of the talks as downloadable handouts.

Kudos to Chris Saper, who heads up the Literature Committee of the Cecilia Beaux Forum, and also headed up the panel about promoting your work in the 21st Century. She was the first one to get her information to me!

“Beauty” by Chris Saper

 Promoting Your Work in the 21st Century

Chris Saper’s portion of this panel discussion was all about self-publishing.

Here are her notes from her well-researched and informative talk

Here is a chart comparing publishing options*

Here is a link to a free ebook about self-publishing*



*Courtesy Matter Deep Publishing.

Inspiration By The Books at the Portrait Society Conference

Each year as I get ready for the Portrait Society of America meeting, I pack with an eye to leaving space in my luggage for all the new art books I’m going to buy.

Over the years I’ve amassed a small library of inspirational art books purchased at the veritable artists candy store that is the PSoA Book table.

Portrait of Maquoketa by Rose Frantzen

I shall always remember my first PSoA book purchase; “Portrait of Maquoketa” by Rose Frantzen. After seeing her win the face-off, watching her riveting demonstration, hearing her speak, meeting her and learning about her epic portrait project painting the citizens of her hometown, I snagged a copy of the book. Fortunately I got one before they sold out and lined up to have her sign it too. Since then I have had many breakfasts and late night snacks while poring over the 180 portraits it contains.

Breaking the Rules of Watercolor and The Intimate Eye by Burt Silverman,
New York Creative from Raymond Everett Kinstler and
Self-Portraits and Oil Painting Secrets from a Master from David Leffel

At subsequent conferences I also discovered where Burton Silverman, Raymond Everett Kinstler, and David Lefell had been hiding since I first heard about them 30 years ago from my Portrait Painting teacher, José Cintron at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Over the next couple conferences, I bought their newer books and even dragged my 30-year-old tattered, oil-paint and coffee-stained ones from my collection at home for them to sign. It was a thrill to meet these gentlemen, who were, for me living legends from my early training.

 

Nelson Shanks from Nelson Shanks and Alla Prima by Richard Schmid

At the Portrait Society book table, I was also introduced to Nelson Shanks and Richard Schmid…can you believe I’d never heard of them before I came to the Portrait Society? I bought both their books and ensured another year or so of inspiring breakfast book dates.

 

Visions and Voyages by Susan Lyon

And then there was the incredible Susan Lyon’s book. When my room-mate bought her book one year, I pored through it, but was already over 50 lbs in my luggage that year. I vowed to come back and buy it the following year. Fearing a sellout like Rose’s book, however, I came back the next day and bought it anyway. I could always bring it as carry-on. I knew her book as my breakfast companion would be a catalyst for delicious and meaningful brushwork for years to come.

The Incognito Project by Terry Strickland

Last year, I was thrilled to see The Incognito Project by Terry Strickland at the always crowded Portrait Society Book table. I followed her project where she enticed her friends and family to reveal their secret selves and pose for her. This was of special interest to me because there were similarities in process to my own Chicks with Balls project. Lucky for me I had already ordered the book online and didn’t have to fight for one before it sold out…but I was thrilled to finaly meet Terry after only talking to her on facebook.

Working South by Mary Whyte

And I’ll always remember the Portrait Society Conference where I saw Mary Whyte speak about her working south project. She bowled me over with her brilliant, quiet, thoughtful descriptions of her meticulously observed series chronicling the jobs of manual workers in vanishing fields. When she sat down with us for a glass of wine at the bar, it was confirmed I was in the company of a profoundly talented and gracious artist. Next chance I had, I made her book mine and had her sign it. Since then, I have been her groupie and have followed her shows to the Butler Institute and the National Arts Club in New York!


This year I’m looking forward to seeing what treasured books await me at the fabulous Portrait Society of America book table…along with seeing my own book there for the first time ever!

So, please, when you come to the conference this year, leave room in your luggage…or bring a sturdy carry-on totebag! You’ll go home with inspiration to last you a lifetime!

My Portrait Society book collection is growing!

 

 

Wake up to Cecilia Beaux Saturday Morning at the Portrait Society Conference in D.C.

Les Derniers Jours d’Enfance by Cecilia Beaux
Imag courtesy Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts.

We're all having so much fun with the blog and the facebook page…and some of you may still be wondering what exactly the Cecilia Beaux Forum of the Portrait Society of America really IS.

If you are attending the Portrait Society Conference in Washington DC this year, now is your chance to find out…and to benefit from all the art, portrait and life wisdom our board and membership has to offer too! And hopefully you’ll meet some of the terrific people you’ve met online too and say, “Hey, I know you from facebook!”

You are hereby invited to attend the

Cecilia Beaux Forum Meeting and Roundtable Discussions

Saturday, April 26, 2014, 7:00am-8:30am

Reston Suite B

 

What is the Cecilia Beaux Forum Roundtable?

It is a unique program on Saturday morning where CBF members gather together for the annual meeting and then break into smaller groups for presentations and discussions.

Our CBF Chair, Judith Carducci, will start off with a brief overview of the Forum’s purpose and recent activities. Then, attendees will break into three groups to discuss topics relevant to the fine art portraiture. You can choose which panel below to attend.

All are welcome and encouraged (you do not have to be a CBF member to attend).

This year, the topics and panelists to choose from will be as follows:

Art of Life by Leslie Adams

Shaping Your Artistic Journey

Judith Carducci • John Siebels Walker • Leslie Adams • Jennifer Welty

In this discussion, panelists will share how their diverse artistic journeys have helped to shape and define their daily lives. Topics will include managing your time between teaching and painting, shows and commissions, work and family, and even between countries.

New World by Alexandra Tyng

The Mentoring Experience

Alex Tyng • Teresa Mattos • Linda Tracey Brandon • Kristy Gordon

This panel will discuss experiences of artist-to-artist mentoring relationships, including the goals, value, and expectations of both the mentor and the protégée. In particular, panelists will share and discuss stories from the Cecilia Beaux Mentoring program.

Huntsman and Herdsman by Kate Stone

Promoting Your Work in the 21st Century

Chris Saper • Judy Takacs • Kate Stone • David Gluck

 This panel will discuss the various opportunities and challenges an artist will face in the “tech-savvy” twenty-first century market. There will be particular focus on social media, blogging, and digital self-publishing.


So, set your alarm clocks for early Saturday morning, grab a coffee and see what the Cecilia Beaux Forum is all about! And of course say Hi to all your new friends from the Facebook Cecilia Beaux Forum group page too!

Overcoming All Obstacles: The Women of the Académie Julian

A Book Review by Stephanie Deshpande

Overcoming All Obstacles: The Women of the Académie Julian by Gabriel P. Weisberg and Jane R. Becker describes the challenges women faced getting the equivalent art education as men in the late nineteenth century. During that time, the Ecole des Beaux-Arts was the most prestigious art institution in Europe, but it did not accept women into its program until 1897. The Académie Julian, which was established in 1868 by Rodolphe Julian, served a unique purpose, to train women in the same academic fashion as men and to prepare them for entrance into the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.

    The women studying at the Académie Julian drew from nude models and studied under the most renowned instructors such as William Bouguereau, Henri Royer, Tony Jean-Paul Laurens, and Jules Lefebvre. Julian’s mission was to establish a good reputation for his students who would in turn generate a good reputation for his school. Cash prizes were awarded in order to encourage competition between students, and some of his best student’s works were entered into competitions under fictitious names, and received rave reviews.  

Maria Bashkirtseff, In the Studio, 1881
(image courtesy of the Art Renewal Center)

 One of Julian’s creative ideas was to encourage Bashkirtseff and another student to paint a scene of the studio. Bashirtseff describes her reaction to Julian's proposal in a journal entry: “'As for the subject, it does not fascinate me, but it may be very amusing; and then Julian is so taken with it, and so convinced. He quoted so many examples which had been successful. A woman’s studio had never been painted. Besides, as it would be an advertisement for him, he would do all in the world to give me the wonderful notoriety he speaks about.’ Not only would both works serve as advertisement for the crafty Julian, but Bashkirtseff’s contribution, in particular, would highlight the high society of the Julian Academy’s students.”(Becker 1999:105)

    There were numerous successful women artists who excelled there; of them were Cecilia Beaux, Elizabeth Gardner, Marie Bashkirtseff, Louise Breslau, Anna Bilinska-Bohdanowicz, Rose-Marie Guillaume, and Anna Klumpke.

In the Woods by Elizabeth Gardner 

(image courtesy of the Art Renewal Center)

What makes this book fascinating is the documentation of the social dynamics at the Academy. Weisberg not only spotlights their talent as artists, but also gives you a feel for their background and motivations. The book explains the rivalry between Marie Bashkirtseff and Louise Breslau. Bashkirtseff was very jealous of Breslau, and wrote about her feelings often in her journal. The caricatures of Bashkirtseff and Breslau reveal how the other students perceived them – capturing their individual determination and ambitious demeanors.

     

Detail of caricatures: Artist Unknown, Mlle. Marie Bashkirtseff, 1879.
Pencil sketch (left) Artist Unknown, Mlle. Beslau, 1878. Pencil sketch (right)

 

Louise Breslau, The Sculptor Jean Carries in his Atelier, 1886(image courtesy of the Art Renewal Center)

Marie Bashkirtseff, Le Meeting, 1884

Bashkirtseff and Breslau came from very different backgrounds that influenced their subject matter. Bashkirtseff, who was very wealthy, chose to paint street scenes of the poor while Breslau painted scenes from her daily life.

    This is an important book to read to discover what it meant to be a women artist in the 1800's, and how Julian's Académie gave women the opportunity and training to compete with the prominent male artists of 
the time.

Juliette Aristides…Contemporary Classical Master

When the New Media Relations Committee took over the job of creating the Cecilia Beaux Forum blog, we discovered that there was already a blog that had been created years ago. It was chock full of these interesting articles on Women Artists of the past and present, written over the years by members of the CBF Literature Committee, and published in the Art of the Portrait Members Journal.

Instead of hiding them in the archives of the new blog, we decided to introduce them now and again so everyone can enjoy and learn. 

We present an article about a Contemporary Master, Juliette Aristides.  Aristides draws and paints exquisitely in the classical tradition and teaches at the Aristides Atelier, located in Gage Academy of Art in Seattle Washington.

...................................................................................................................

 

By Pat Aube Gray
The Art of the Portrait Journal
Issue No. 35, 1st Quarter 2007

The Artist by Juliette Aristides

Born in 1971 in South Africa, Juliette Aristides immigrated with her parents at age two to the Pennsylvania countryside.  She recalls spending more time in her imagination during her childhood than in reality.  “Drawing,” she says, “gave me a way of engaging.”

An  extraordinary draughtsman, Aristides is the product of many years of study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, the more traditional National Academy of Design, and the studios of Myron Barnstone, Atelier (formerly Atelier Lack), Jacob Collins, and the Water Street Atelier.  The artist has embraced the methods of working through the skill and craft building disciplines of creating art under the tutelage of a single instructor.

Today this shy, though highly focused and driven, young mother of three is an accomplished and highly acclaimed artist who founded the four-year Aristides Classical Drawing Atelier at the Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, Washington in 1999.  Gary Faigin, Artistic Director at Gage, states Juliette “…possesses a rare and critically important ability to inspire her students to extremely high levels of effort and productivity…” and, “sets extremely high standards for accomplishment.”

The Bowl by Juliette Aristides

Aristides has authored Classical Drawing Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice, which was released in the fall of 2006.  In 2007 her book, Classical Painting Atelier was released and then in 2011 she published Lessons in Classical Drawing: Essential Techniques from Inside the Atelier. For the practicing artist, student, and teacher, these tomes provide a strong framework in the disciplines of the classical tradition, and an insightful history of its development, demise, and current rebirth.  They also contain the author’s persuasive, philosophical, and logical discourse supporting the belief that to achieve artistic greatness we must understand and build upon knowledge of the achievements already attained throughout art history.