The FOLIO

Since its founding in 1979, the Portrait Society of Atlanta has provided Atlanta area portrait artists unique opportunities to enhance their skills and bond with other artists. We have been able to study with … Read More

by Don Meadows For much of the past decade, Chris diDomizio has been getting to know President Jimmy Carter. The result has been a legacy series of sketches and paintings presented to the Carter … Read More

By Ashley Stewart Joseph Daily was born an artist. Both of his parents were freelance illustrators working out of their home studio. That meant being surrounded by art supplies and art making, which Daily … Read More

A video recording of Luana Luconi Winner’s March 2, 2024, presentation on John Singer Sargent, the “Fashioned by Sargent” exhibition at the Fine Arts Museum of Boston, and her demonstration on mixing skin tones … Read More

by Melissa Crawford Sandra Sanchez was born an artist, as many of us are. And through community she found a way to live her childhood dreams. Always drawn to art, museums, and beautiful books … Read More

MEMBER OF MERIT • EXECUTIVE BOARD DIRECTOR • PAST PRESIDENT January 18, 1947 — September 11, 2023 by Suzanne Lavone Smith, Advisory Board Member As 2023 marked Lora Hill’s 20th year on the Executive … Read More

September 4, 1938 — July 26, 2023 MEMBER OF MERIT | ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER | PAST PRESIDENT 1993-95 Damon loved the process of painting.He believed that Picasso said it best with this quote:“Art washes … Read More

Interview by Luana Luconi Winner for FOLIO Magazine of the Portrait Society of Atlanta “Even with posthumous portraits I seek out people who knew them and can give me insights into the person they … Read More

By Betty Beer “Zanzanie lega lyecheca mi manil, Khiya nape unjkitha tunweya” “Glass sparkles like water in the wilderness.  Her hand our guide” * Angela Babby is a master of the portrait in the … Read More

By Michael L Strickland The portrait of Sister Michelle Carroll, R.S.M. (1921-2018) by prominent Atlanta artist Clyde Burnette (1923-2013), is a story of journeys and connections. The oil portrait, measuring approximately 40 by 30 … Read More

By Ashley Hawkins Stewart The Portrait Society of Atlanta recently hosted a workshop taught by Mike Wimmer, award-winning illustrator, portrait artist, and art professor currently teaching in Savannah. Held at the spacious North Shallowford Road … Read More

Essential Knowledge for Artists By Ashley Hawkins Stewart February 16, 2022 Most artists don’t think much about legal matters. I know I just create and share and expect the best from others. If you … Read More

By Ashley Hawkins Stewart The Portrait Society happily welcomed members to its first in-person meeting in almost two years. Held at the North Shallowford Annex in Dunwoody, the meeting was very well attended by … Read More

By Michael L. Strickland Anders Leonard Zorn (1860-1920) is known as Sweden’s foremost portrait painter but decidedly he was not known for his humility. Once a fellow traveler asked Zorn, “Are you Swedish?” to … Read More

Editor’s Note:  With this article, the Portrait Society of Atlanta renews a series of Member Spotlight articles as had been featured in our older editions of FOLIO. This first in the series is written … Read More

By Jennifer Giovannucci The mystery of The Mona Lisa is as much in her hands as in her smile. The iconic head and shoulders will always be in style, but a whole world opens … Read More

By Kathy Morris Egg tempera rewards those who possess patience and perseverance with its gifts of beautiful luminosity and subtle satin luster that is unlike any other medium.   Egg Tempera is a painting … Read More

By Folio Staff A drawing is not a lesser thing, a drawing can be so complete in itself as a drawing, it doesn’t need paint.  Even though An Aspen has been Utah for almost … Read More

By Luana Luconi Winner Giorgio Vasari said in the 1500’s, “Drawing is the necessary beginning of everything, and not having it, one has nothing.” Drawing is language. A drawing is universally understood, regardless of … Read More

How I created a fantasy portrait of Dionysus’ Panther. By Mark Alan Burnett Out of the blue one day, an executive’s assistant called and, with no further explanation, inquired if I could paint a … Read More

By Luana Luconi Winner Artemisia Gentileschi was born on July 8, 1593, into the male-dominated world of 16th century Rome, where the Italian culture was built on the premise that a woman was either a … Read More

By Michael L. Strickland The unfinished portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Madame Elizabeth Shoumatoff has been described as perhaps the most famous unfinished portrait in history due to the circumstances surrounding its creation. Unlike … Read More

By Amanda D. Mattison Jon deMartin is a storyteller. Whether his affinity for the narrative emerged out of his natural propensity toward image-making as a child or his focused study as a film student … Read More

By Suzanne Lavone Smith and Nancy Honea In addition to being inspiring teachers and benevolent jurors, these highly respected professional artists who recently passed away were valued friends of the Portrait Society of Atlanta over … Read More

By Suzanne Lavone Smith (PSA Advisory Board Member) These are trying times. Artists often seek isolation so some of us are doing just fine with little social contact, happily creating in our own worlds where … Read More

By Mike Strickland Perhaps nothing makes a teacher prouder than to have their students succeed. Almost everyone knows the name Claude Monet, but not as many know of Eugène Boudin, Monet’s mentor and friend. Claude … Read More

As you know, the March 31, 2020, PSA meeting and panel discussion was cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis. To initiate a virtual discussion, we asked some of our professional artists to share any tips, advice, … Read More

By Luana Luconi Winner Who could have known that a star baseball player from a large Italian family in Pomona, New York, would become one of the world’s living masters of the 21st century’s … Read More

By Anne Amin The Portrait Society of Atlanta welcomed Mary Villon de Benveniste, a world-renowned artist, to our January 28, 2020, meeting. Mary Villon de Benveniste has built her reputation as a portrait artist on … Read More

Achieving a 40th Anniversary is a big event. To mark the occasion, the Portrait Society of Atlanta celebrated with a catered banquet in November 2019. The evening began with a silent art auction, followed … Read More

By Sandra Colquitt We are all familiar with, and enjoy, the great museums of America—The National Gallery, The Metropolitan, The Art Institute of Chicago, to name a few. But there are perhaps lesser known … Read More

By Margaret Ann Garrett At the beginning of the October critique session, Carol Baxter Kirby reflected on her work and methods she uses for improvement and growth. “I try to analyze where I’m weak, what … Read More

By Margaret Ann Garrett Recently, four of the Portrait Society of Atlanta’s own exhibition winners shared bits of their working processes. At the May meeting, Holly Henson, Kathy Morris, Eric Nyros, and Ernest Varner … Read More

By Mary Ellen Brantley and Margaret Ann Garrett The Portrait Society of Atlanta is an all-volunteer organization and depends on members to continue our educational mission. Though it may appear seamless, each program, meeting, workshop, … Read More

By Rebecca Kemmerer A merger of centuries-old painting traditions and contemporary web-based communications is created in the art and professional life of Louis Carr. With Michael Klein and other associates at East Oaks Studio, … Read More

By Amanda Mattison Imagine life in the Midwest during the Dust Bowl:  On those days when the wind stops blowing across the face of the southern plains, the land falls into a silence that … Read More

By Rebecca Kemmerer Margaret (Peggy) Carter Baumgaertner shared her approach to portrait painting in an excellent presentation at the Portrait Society of Atlanta’s April meeting, illustrating her presentation with examples from Van Dyck and … Read More

By Holly Henson On February 19, attendees of the PSA Meeting were treated to a presentation by Nancy Honea and the recent recipients of both Member of Excellence and Member of Merit status. First, … Read More

By Amanda Mattison Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa stands among the most recognized works of art across the globe and is arguably his most widely-known piece. To discover what some of today’s leading artists … Read More

By An Aspen Chantal Lynn Barber feels like she is living a second life when she looks at how her painting style has changed from its tight beginnings. “I paint people because I truly love people,” … Read More

By Margaret Ann Garrett Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees. And for an artist, it’s easy to get caught up in the details and completely miss the bigger picture. The Portrait … Read More

By Mary Ellen Brantley When Portraiture and History marry, they beget a revolution, or just maybe a Renaissance. In the case of Revolution Mill and portrait artist Suellen McCrary, the offspring includes a rich blend … Read More

By Holly Henson In September, I traveled to Nashville, Tennessee for a three-day workshop with Richard Greathouse. Though a native of Nashville, he currently resides in Florence, Italy, where he is Director of Anatomy and Principal … Read More

Finding Masterworks Nearby On view through January 20, 2019 in the temporary exhibition gallery at the Booth Museum of Western Art: East/West Visions: Scott Christensen and Quang Ho. This exhibit highlights the works of two well-known contemporary masters. Shortly … Read More

By Amanda Mattison Kerry Dunn’s visit for the September 25 Portrait Society of Atlanta meeting was an enlightening treat. His demonstration was a masterful alla prima painting demo and an engaging lesson in oil … Read More

By Luana Luconi Winner Internationally recognized portrait artist Paul Newton of Sydney, Australia is a highly sought-after portrait painter. He is charming, insanely talented, and one of the most genuinely nice fellows one will … Read More

By Nancy Honea, Accreditation Chair, Past President and Advisory Board member At the Portrait Society of Atlanta (PSA) meeting on Sept. 25, 2018, it was my honor and privilege to present PSA Member Status upgrades … Read More

By Rebecca Kemmerer On Tuesday, April 24, 2018, the Portrait Society of Atlanta held its semi-annual critique session at the Spruill Center for the Arts in Dunwoody. Lora Hill hosted the evening and Ernest … Read More

By An Aspen Seth Haverkamp demonstrated his alla prima technique using a life model during the May, 2018 meeting of the Portrait Society of Atlanta. A Best in Show winner at the Portrait Society of America’s International … Read More

  Finding Masterworks Nearby Can you name a small fine art museum in a southern Mississippi timber town that is home to impressive collections of American Art, European Art, British Georgian Silver, Native American Basketry, and Japanese Woodblock … Read More

By Amanda Mattison A work of art is more than an object to view; it is a record of an artist’s thoughts, emotions and intentions captured over time. Sitting before a piece of art … Read More

By Margaret Ann Garrett “Listen to the painting as you work, don’t be distracted from the connection between you, the model and the canvas.” If you took notes at Marc Chatov’s presentation for the … Read More

By Holly Henson Recently, I attended a workshop on Children’s Portraiture offered by the artist, Louis Carr. It was a wonderful experience and I recommend taking a workshop with him if ever given the opportunity. … Read More

By Margaret Ann Garrett Anne Irwin of Anne Irwin Fine Art Gallery has loved art since she was a child. Ann Richards is a portrait broker with Portraits Inc. who describes her job as a someone who … Read More

By Jennifer Giovannucci Have you ever been told to “just draw what you see?” Contrary to the casual ease implied by the statement, it is in fact an impossible mission. The way we see … Read More

By Ruby Mason For the November PSA meeting program, where attendance is free for members and guests, Tennison gave a presentation of his work and answered questions from a standing-room only audience. The next … Read More

by Sharon Matisoff   Sir Alfred Munnings has long been regarded as one of the finest equine and sporting art painters of his time. At a time where Impressionism dominated the field, he also proved … Read More

By Margaret Ann Garrett There’s no mandated format at the Portrait Society of Atlanta’s critique sessions. Scheduled only twice a year, every session is unique and is directed by the professional artist sharing his … Read More

By Margaret Ann Garrett Summer break is over and the long, lazy days of summer are behind us now. To kickoff an event-filled fall calendar, on Tuesday, September 26, to a packed studio of … Read More

By Dr. David Ludley An expansive symbolism: the many portraits of women by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the nineteenth century Pre-Raphaelite artist, are accompanied by an unexpectedly harmonious blend of disparate cultural elements, cultural codes. … Read More

By Jane Carroll On an evening in June at a Portrait Society of Atlanta critique session, we were fortunate to have Marc Chatov share both his time and experience. He described his critique method … Read More

by Ruby Mason Have you ever studied a painting and asked yourself, “How did they do that?” What appears almost magical to the viewer is the result of trial and error, hard work, and … Read More

by Ruby Mason On your mark. Get set. Go! After an impressive introduction by Portrait Society of Atlanta Director Lora Hill, Thomas Caleb Goggans wasted no time in leading his audience through a very … Read More

By Margaret Ann Garrett At the age of 12, Liz Lindström would tag along with her father, artist Bart Lindström, to his portrait commissions to sit quietly and observe. At 19 years old she … Read More

By Jane H. Carroll At the September 2016 Portrait Society of Atlanta meeting, nationally recognized portrait artist Katherine Galbraith was introduced by Lora Hill, PSA Director over Programs. Although she resides in Pennsylvania, Katherine … Read More

By Jean Ballew Using drawing and painting methods learned at Studio Incamminati with Nelson Shanks, Seth Haverkamp demonstrated some of his portrait painting techniques at the September meeting of the Portrait Society of Atlanta. … Read More

By Jean Ballew Jamie Lee McMahan pursued dual careers for years, and didn’t decide to become a full-time artist until the age of 46. He has since painted U.S. senators, governors, mayors, judges, university … Read More