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| Mary Whyte giving the last presentation of the conference. |
The final day of the Art of the Portrait® Conference is always bittersweet. By day 4, many people are eager to get home to their families, and to their studios, where they can use the build-up of inspiration from the weekend to create new artworks of their own. But leaving friends and the feeling of being connected to a larger group behind, can be difficult, especially when artists spend so many hours in isolation. This is why the Sunday of each conference can often feel like its energy has been depleted.
Although the mood of day was subdued, the schedule was not. Gordon Wetmore began the sessions with an Inspirational Hour for attendees starting at 7:30 AM. This was then followed by the program FIVE + THREE: Steps to Professionalism, Leadership, and Service which Wetmore co-hosted with arts management consultant, Calvin Goodman. Immediately following this was the raffle drawing for the Hughes Model 3000 Professional Artists' Easel (I tried for years to win one at the conference, but eventually gave in to wanting it, and purchased it directly from the manufacturer. It is my favorite piece of studio equipment, and if my house ever caught on fire, I'd refuse to leave the burning building until firemen helped me to remove the easel from danger).
The main presentation of the day, and the last one to be held at the conference center, was watercolorist Mary Whyte's Capturing a Changing World. During her lecture, she explained her latest project, 50 paintings recording the persons of the South's disappearing industries. It was a fascinating talk, during which she revealed how she was able to take such a lengthy period of time away from other work to concentrate on the theme of such a grand project; she sold her paintings before their completion on the supposition that they would be worth a certain amount of money once the entire set was complete and had been exhibited. Basically, she sold shares in her artwork to have enough money on which to live while creating this work. During her allotted time, Whyte also gave a watercolor portrait demonstration, and answered questions from the audience.
At noon, Gordon Wetmore returned to the stage to quickly announce the close of the conference. Like the rest of the event, this day had a tight time schedule, and though the main Art of the Portrait® convention was over, there were still events going on. For those who had pre-registered, buses were waiting to carry them either to Atlanta's High Museum of Art, or to a local park for a session of En Plein Air Workshops with a faculty member of their choosing. Those artists instructing the outdoor classes featured many of the Portrait Society's past award winners and conference regulars, including Mia Bergeron, Jason Bouldin, Judith Carducci, Jon Houghton, Bart Lindstrom, Michael Shane Neal, Rich Nelson, Tony Ryder, Alexey Steele, Gordon Wetmore, and Dawn Whitelaw. With either option, participants still had many hours ahead of them, expecting not to return to the hotel until late afternoon.
Unfortunately for me, noon marked the time I had to leave to safely make it to the airport for my return trip home. I said as many good-byes as I could during the hustle of artists readying themselves for travel or afternoon programs, but it was impossible to find my many friends, old and new, from the convention. As I walked to the train station for my connection to the airport, I was looking forward to the comfortable familiarity of home, but was also already looking forward to learning and socializing at next years' Art of the Portrait®.
The 2012 Art of the Portrait® Conference is already scheduled. It will take place again in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, running during the Memorial Day weekend from May 24th to the 27th. For those who register before August 1st there will be a 15% discount. Please see the Portrait Society of America website for more details, including the deadline for entry into next years' International Portrait Competition.
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