Reading Art Association , P.O. Box 114, Reading, MA 01867

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

The Art of Demonstrating

While thinking about what to write in this month's newsletter, I realized that the message was made clear to me at our December art demonstration. For those of you who missed the demo, I can tell you that it was a glowing example of what an art demonstration should be. The artist was John Kilroy of Hull, MA, a very accomplished painter in all mediums. He painted an oil portrait from a model chosen from the audience. The lucky young woman who modeled
got to keep the finished portrait.

The entire demo process took only about 90 minutes and held every audience member truly spellbound. Now, John is a rather large man, but a man clearly at ease with his size and his art. His rapport with the audience and the model made everyone feel comfortable. He encouraged questions and continuously explained his process of painting, inviting everyone up on stage to watch the placement of each brushstroke. I was fascinated by his ability to capture a likeness within minutes. John is an "alla prima" painter, meaning that he paints in ”one go,“ making every brushstroke count, with no underpainting, no preliminary sketches, no unnecessary mushing of paint around the canvas. He is not satisfied to create a perfect likeness (although he did). His goal is to capture the soul of the sitter, to tell the viewer something more about this person. He succeeded on all counts.

As I'm sitting here writing this, my mind is thinking about a watercolor demonstration that I am going to do for a local art association this evening. I'm praying that I can perform equally as well as John did last Wednesday evening. I believe that an art demonstrator's goal is to entertain, inform, inspire and possibly teach someone a new art technique.

I believe that each of us is a demonstrator in our own right, not necessarily of an art form, but of life. We too should inspire and lead by example those with whom we come in contact. Someone once said that life is not a “dress rehearsal,” so as we enter a new year, one filled with new resolutions and new hope, why not take a cue from John Kilroy and make every brushstroke count!

I hope you all had very Happy Holidays.

Tom Sutherland