Speaking of bad taste..."The Apprentice"

[Michael Fournier]

Again, the fact that this show is even on while shows like Masterpiece Theater on PBS, or any number of shows funded by the BBC that hire top rate actors and brilliant screen writers to bring truly great works of literature and art to television must struggle to get funding, is a testament to the decline of a medium that had such a great ability to bring good to the world, only to be misused for commercial gain alone, with no other thought given than will people watch this and will advertisers pay to get their commercials on during this half hour.

I am glad that there are still some producers and filmmakers that are concerned with creating content that they can be proud of, not because of its commercial success, but because it was a truly great piece of filmmaking or informative television or simply brilliantly funny.

I am all in favor of TV as pure entertainment but I prefer my entertainment to show at least a little more imagination and talent. Even a good comedy or pure silliness like Monty Python is better then this so called reality television. My answer to them is Click. (The sound of my TV shutting off) And CLICK (the sound of me turning on a reading lamp). At least my local library is still offering stimulating entertainment.

As long as we all keep showing up to watch, like north bound rubberneckers slowing down to see that accident in the south bound lane, the TV producers will keep dishing out even worse television. We are just a step away from a 24 hour network of a surveillance camera on a street corner with breaks every 5 min for 30 sec. Commercial spots.

Have you ever watched a young child (1-2 years of age) watching TV? They go about the room interested in just about anything except the TV while the show is on but as soon as a commercial spot comes on they are riveted to that screen. Maybe in their innocence they are sending us a message: that it is time to just turn off the TV and do something - anything - thn just kill time until the next 30 sec. Commercial Spot trying to convince us to do our part as good consumers.

Imagine there's no TV; it's easy if you try.

Wow is this off the topic of Portrait Painting?!

[Marvin Mattelson]

Back to the topic of Trump's Apprentice. The group that won chose to sell the works of an artist who had created original oils to sell. The other group chose a digital artist who, regardless of the content of her images, was selling large digital prints for four thousand dollars each. When people buy art, they want something tangible for their money.

I think this bodes well for us as portrait artists. People want real art hanging on their walls. No photo or digital print can replicate the appeal of a genuine hand made piece of art. A portrait offers a unique appeal that technological solutions can never replace.

[Rebecca Willoughby]

And yet Marvin, I have been amazed recently to find that many people are purchasing "digital oil" and "digital watercolor" paintings from photography studios that have them printed on canvas or watercolor paper and call them "works of art". I was in a home recently where the host was proudly displaying a photo of his family that had been taken on the beach in Destin, Florida. The photographer had taken a truly beautiful portrait of this family, brought it into photoshop and ran it through the drybrush filter. It had been printed on canvas, mounted on stretchers and then he had a "master artist" on his staff add "traditional oil" highlights on top of the canvas to enhance the image (does this remind you of a painter of light?). The cost for this "timeless photographic oil portrait" was $6200. What amazed me was that the original image was really a beautiful piece of photography. It seemed as if the computer work and "master artist" took the breath out of the children. What do you tell this person when they ask your "artistic" opinion on their investment?

A quick search on the internet revealed several such "photographic artists" at various price points.

Is this the future? I sure hope not. One Chris Saper portrait has more "life" in it than any of these works can ever hope to have! And no computer program will ever be able to match the flawless skin that Marvin Mattelson has mastered.

A devoted fan of the masters of this forum!
Rebecca

[Ngaire Winwood]

Which gets us back to a very important question. When are we as a community of artists going to stick together for the industries sake and get material to send to newspapers to enhance our ethics, skills and to ultimately educate the public on the aspects of painted portraits that time has endured with but seems to be slipping through our fingers?. There even is a more growing need, now, to educate the public before the machines take over.

Hmmmmm sounds like the Matrix. Hey, its just my two bobs worth. It is how I feel about this ancient craftsmanship I am learning about. Call me a historian if you like, one who revells in the chosen glories of the past for future crowning moments.