If John Singer Sargent is the patron saint of the Portrait Society, Everett Raymond Kinstler is its elder statesman. “There are three things that are important to art,” he says, “passion, imagination, and the means to communicate.”
“I can’t stress enough the importance of drawing from life,” Kinstler reminds the audience during his remarks from the podium.
He is preaching to the choir. There are sketchbooks out in many laps. "Don’t worry about getting a likeness," he says. "Just go for the character. Try to find something characteristic."
Kinstler has character in abundance: boundless energy, wit, intensity, and yes, those magnificent eyebrows. I show my sketch to him afterward, and he signs it with the words, "Jim, once again, you've "made" me what I am."
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Previously on GurneyJourney: Everett Raymond Kinstler Portrait Demo
Portrait Society
Kinstler's classic instructional book: Painting Portraits
Exhibition Catalog: Everett Raymond Kinstler: From Pulps to Portraits
Portrait Society
Kinstler's classic instructional book: Painting Portraits
Exhibition Catalog: Everett Raymond Kinstler: From Pulps to Portraits
I get what Mr. Kinstler is saying (and appreciate it)...but it is especially great when the character AND the resemblance are so spot on (like it is here).
ReplyDeleteI attended a painting seminar in 1984 where Kinstler and Charles Reid were two of the featured artists.I remember them the most because of their senses of humor and how much fun they were at the party!Kinstler was a true raconteur [and a bit of a ladies man].It was on his advice that I went straight out and bought THE ART SPIRIT by Robert Henri.I'v probably read it 50 times since then.It's part of my art canon.
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