Portrait and Figure Painters Society

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Subject: PRESS RELEASE Portrait Society of America Meet and Greet
From: voslerportraitfl@aol.com
Date: Mon, February 06, 2012 4:55 pm
To: nadi@nadifineart.com

PRESS RELEASE
February 4, 2012
Contact: Kerry Vosler Florida Ambassador, Portrait Society of America 813-417-5867

We are happy to announce a Portrait Society Meet and Greet with Master painter, Steven Assael, in Fort Myers this March 7, 2012.

The Meet and Greet is during Mr. Assael's workshop sponsored by the Portrait and Figure Painters Society of South West Florida, Inc.

As always the event is free of charge and open to the public. This is a networking event and you are invited to bring your portfolio and business related materials to share with other participants.

Below an article dated, rev 9-20-2010, from Frye Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, From the Exhibition, Steven Assael A Decade of Painting and Drawing, February 20 through April 18, 1999.

The intense and disturbing works of contemporary artist Steven Assael are on view for the first time in Seattle at the Frye Art Museum beginning February 20, 1999 in the exhibition,Steven Assael A Decade of Painting and Drawing. Breaking ground in Representational art for his mysterious and captivating canvases, Assael's riveting works capture intimate moments in contemporary urban life, while focusing on the human figure. Called a romantic realist, Assael has been compared with Thomas Eakins, sharing a fascination for the "modern" nude and showing many full-figure nude portraits.

Left: Steven Assael, Bride III, 1990, oil on canvas, 48 x 25 inches Assael has taught at the School of Visual Arts in New York since 1985 and has exhibited nationally in major group and solo exhibitions, including shows at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Forum Art Gallery in New York. The focus of Assael's work is the human figure, either singly or in groups. Paintings range in scope from large, head-on portraits to two-part, full-length images. Generally, there is no specific story to the figure groupings, but there is often an implied narrative created by the arrangement. The group paintings appear to capture a scene or a relationship just before or after a significant event has taken place, creating a sense of muted drama. In Michael and James the impassive figure of a fireman holds the limp child in his arms in a non-dramatic fashion, although the way in which the figures are lit lends them drama and the figures have no facial expression which would allow the viewer to judge their state of mind - Assael allows the viewer to provide their own narrative content. His tableaux and portraits evoke contemporary life in an Old Master style. For further biographical information on selected artists cited above please see America's Distinguished Artists, a national registry of historic artists.
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I n v i t a t i o n

The Portrait and Figure Painters Society of SW Florida, Inc.

to Exhibit at the Commissioner's Office, Ft Myers

DATE: December 3, 2012 through January 11, 2013

RVSP: Betsy Koscher for further informationwe still have openings available
Tel.: 239-282-2682 or 413-335-0521

lizabethann2@yahoo.com or dragonflyrider@me.com

Re: Our participation in the Celebration of the 125th year of Lee County

Dear Portrait and Figure Artist,

"As the chair of the exhibit committee, I am happy to confirm our first venue and dates.

It is December 3, 2012 through January 11, 2013 at the commissioner's office in Fort Myers.

The theme for this exhibit is the Celebration of the 125th year of Lee County.

We will provide paintings, sketches and other forms of art consistent with this theme.

Some examples would be portraits of early residents, especially the founders and entrepreneurs and their wives,

such as Edison and Ford . I will do some research for you and make a list of possibilities.

If you know what you would like to do or already have done, please let me know and I will coordinate a

list for continuity and compatibility. "

Betsy Koscher

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sponsored a demonstration on portraiture from a sculptor’s perspective which will be different than last years program.

This Portrait Society Meet and Greet was host Edward Jonas as guest Master Instructor, December 3 from 5-7pm.
The event is free of charge and open to the public.

Edward Jonas

A sculptor and painter for over thirty years, Edward Jonas' distinctive style has drawn commissions from prominent subjects in the fields of law, medicine, government, education and professional sports. Author Tom Wolfe has referred to him as a "gifted creator of truth, skill and vision."

His art training began at the age of 10 under the direction of a private tutor. Jonas was accepting portrait commissions by the age of 15. At 18, he began his formal art study in Italy and later received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Florida State University. Master level studies were completed under Bettina Steinke of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In 1976, Jonas was one of the first five professionals hired to establish and build the Museum of Florida History. He held the position of Senior Staff Artist and Exhibit Designer for 10 years before resigning to pursue his art on a full-time basis.

Jonas is co-founder and national Vice Chair of the Portrait Society of America and is creator of the Portrait Society of America's Gold Medal. This award is presented annually, in acknowledgement of excellence in fine art portraiture. He recently unveiled two monumental bronze sculpture projects for Florida State University. The first one, entitled Sportsmanshipis one and three-quarters life size and is located at Doak Campbell Stadium. In February he unveiled "Stepping Through Time" a fountain project that will features six bronze life size figures commemorating the transition of FSU to a co-educational university in 1947.

The talk covered the importance of pre-planning the designs for your work. This is to underscore the importance of including a developmental stage in your process as opposed to just finding an image or scene and picking up your brush to wade into it! It showed this this applies to both painting and sculpture and the unique concerns of each which must be addressed before pursuing the finished work.

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Note to all our Members: 'You or we also can have your/our own show, please contact me for information'

published: 8-21-2010One-Woman Exhibition at the Cape Coral Library - August 2 through September 13, 2010

This is just to let you know that after two years waiting time I am having a one-woman exhibit at the New Cape Coral Library (off Skyline and Mohawk). My oil and watercolor paintings are of eclectic nature and of various subjects, landscapes, portraits, historical figures and paintings I painted from the old masters from the 19th Century. I am also proud to announce my painting of the 16/17th century Seminole chief Micanopy who was the boss of Osceola one of his four war chiefs. There are more in the works by me.