Words of Wisdom from the 2020 Faculty – Part 2
The 22nd annual The Art of the Portrait conference attracts over 800 artists from all over the world. The universal appeal is the opportunity to gather together with fellow artists for an unforgettable four-day experience of learning from renowned artists. With 30 faculty artists teaching a variety of programs, this year’s event being held in Orlando, Florida, April 16 to 19, 2020, is expected to sell out. Even though we are celebrating our 22nd year hosting this inspiring event, we are committed to presenting fresh and new programs and faculty. I recently interviewed six new and returning faculty artists— Kerry Dunn, Seth Haverkamp, Jeff Hein, Alicia Ponzio, Adrianne Stein and Elizabeth Zanzinger—and asked them to share their artistic background and experiences. Registration for the conference is easy and can be done online at www.portraitsociety.org.
When and how did you realize you wanted to be a professional artist?
KERRY DUNN: I’ve wanted to be a professional artist since I was a kid. My father was a carpenter, and he could doodle. It was one of his doodles that sparked my interest in drawing early on, and I just never stopped or lost that fire. My parents, being the hippies they were, always encouraged me to follow my heart, and my heart said, “I want to draw!” With no one to discourage me (in fact I was getting the opposite message of “go for it!”), I did. All of that has led me to where I am today.
SETH HAVERKAMP: I realized at around the age of 6 that I wanted to be a professional artist. Drawing was what I was interested in most, the only thing I wanted to do and the only thing I had a natural predisposition to expand upon. As I aged and stumbled through high school, this remained the case. I ended up going to art school for college.
JEFF HEIN: I decided that I wanted to be an artist in the second grade. It was break time, recess or something. I was drawing at my desk and many of my classmates were gathered around watching. One girl asked me if I was going to be an artist when I grow up, and I remember vividly giving the question sincere consideration and then deciding at that moment that I would be an artist. I had and still have many other interests, but I always drift back to art.
ALICIA PONZIO: I’ve wanted to be an artist as long as I can remember. As a young adult I took a detour into a brief career as an officer in the United States Navy Nurse Corps. As unusual as