Chairman’s Letter
As we all deal with these difficult times of pandemic, economic crisis and far too many personal tragedies, I take solace in the words of John Crowe Ransom: “I am shaken; but not as a leaf.”
Together we are all facing the overwhelming experiences of death, fear and isolation. Yet, we are also comforted by the many amazing stories of strength, heroism, hope and resilience. Personally, this time at home has forced me to streamline my needs and learn how to do without certain things. I think to myself, “I am creative, and I can do this!”
While some of us are enjoying long days in the studio with limited outside obligations, others are faced with working amid great distractions. Artists with rented studio spaces have not been allowed to enter and have created alternative workspaces. Subjects have not been able to come and sit for their portraits, so portrait artists have been outside painting the plein air landscapes they did not have time to do before. Gallery closings and restrictions on travel have allowed for more time to experiment and develop new skills.
THE IMPORTANCE OF STAYING NIMBLE
Everett Raymond Kinstler used to say that he “backed into portraiture.” Kinstler pursued portrait painting to support his family when painted illustrations were not in as much demand in the late 1950s. Portraiture was a natural fit for him, and the rest, as they say, is history. The point here is that Kinstler found his passion primarily because another economic stream was drying up. Who knows if he would have painted all those U.S. presidents if the illustration market had continued to flourish?
While we struggle with the difficult loss of income,
we are making do and discovering new ways to share our art with others. Making art, at best, is a series of adjustments and compromises. That is what COVID-19 has now forced on nearly all aspects of our lives.
The pandemic has certainly upended our creative life, but hopefully there is a new and exciting path to be revealed. In this extraordinary time, artists are finding ways to function under difficult circumstances. An example of such ingenuity is Liz Lindstrom, a professional portrait painter who, like many of us, cannot visit clients now. She has found ways to conduct virtual photos shoots, portrait unveilings and had a Facetime final sitting with her client. Lindstrom hardly skipped a beat, and straightway, she started to invent a new way to work. Lindstrom says that she will continue to use some of these virtual tools even when restrictions are lifted.
The inspiring examples from creatives in adversity are abound. Artists have organized online live model sessions, with artists from around the world joining in to sketch together. Some artists have been inspired to paint stay-at-home selfies. Many painters have posted images of that precious commodity, toilet paper (who saw that coming?). The often-elusive street-artist Banksy created a painting honoring medical workers. There are so many beautiful images painted of healthcare workers and first responders. These are all virus-induced changes to our art.
Artists who have been teaching workshops have moved to online teaching. The online classes have proven to be effective and will likely be a staple addition to our future as educators. We have become proficient with online meetings when, only a few months ago, many of us had not even heard of Zoom. The Portrait Society of America had to reimagine how to provide services to our members. We are offering an impressive live webinar in August with the help of our generous volunteer faculty. One attribute is constant with creatives, which is that we find a way to make things work because it is a part of what we do every day. We are, at our roots, problem solvers. We get it done!
MARK THE TIMES
This is not the first plague in history, and we are not the only artists faced with creating under extraordinary circumstances. Norwegian artist Edvard Munch painted two self-portraits, Self-portrait with the Spanish Flu and Self-portrait After the Spanish Flu. These portraits document his contracting and then surviving the illness in the early part of the 20th century.
Historians link the 1919 Bauhaus school design to the Spanish flu. The designs moved away from heavy upholstered furniture popular during those times to sleeker and consequently more hygienic wood and steel furniture. Many people in William Shakespeare’s family died of the plague, and the theaters where his plays were performed shut down during the epidemic.
The art produced right now is historic in a unique way. Even though the subject may not be related directly to the virus, the turmoil of our lives and the loss we are feeling seeps into all the work we do. I decided to mark on the back of current paintings that they were created during the global pandemic of 2020. I hope you might choose to join me in that documentation of our art from this time.
CALL FOR ACTION
Creative endeavors can be a means to bring light to a beleaguered world. The world needs us to restore joy and beauty as never before. We are all scared, but we are also empowered.
I leave you with a quote from Ed Jonas: “I believe creating fine art is one of the most important and ‘essential’ tasks a person can undertake. It not only enriches and stimulates our culture at large, but it reveals a steadfast faith in our collective future. So even in this disrupted social time, we can make a difference.”