PSOA European Members Newsletter no. 1

European Members Newsletter

About

Andrea Steinbauer

Andrea lives in Munich, Germany. She works full time as a commission portrait painter and figurative artist since 2008, and gives lectures about the foundations of traditional fine art painting. Andrea received a classical art education at Atelier Felicitas Meißer, studied on the ‘Master of Fine Art’ program at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University and had the chance to learn from masters like Ted Seth Jacobs, David Leffel or Max Ginsburg. Her artwork was exhibited international and recognized with an international talent prize and a silver award in portrait painting.

Since September 2023, Andrea supports the Portrait Society of America by volunteering as the State Ambassador to Europe.

Letter from the PSOA State Ambassador to Europe

Dear European Members of the Portrait Society of America,

Welcome to the 1st issue of our new European Members Newsletter and thank you for your contributions.

When I took on the role of PSOA State Ambassador to Europe almost six months ago, my motivation was to create a community of artists in Europe who are united by their passion for traditional fine art, inspire each other and share their knowledge and skills with everyone, just as I experienced during my art education in America. When I came to California I found a community of artists full of generosity, who handed down their knowledge to me and I received a lot of support and encouragement. I’m very grateful for this experience and that I had the chance to learn from many great artists. Another thing I have learned from the local community is that a lot of these artists were mentored as well and that it is our responsibility to pass on our knowledge. With my role as your State Ambassador to Europe, I would like to pass on some of this experience to you.

Andrea Steinbauer

PSOA State Ambassador to Europe

The PSOA European Members Newsletter is a fine art newsletter with contribution from European members of the Portrait Society of America for the European members, compiled and written by the PSOA State Ambassador to Europe, Andrea Steinbauer.

Author of the Newsletter: Andrea Steinbauer

Contact:

https://andysteinbauer.com/fineart/contact.html

https://www.portraitsociety.org/state-ambassadors

Information about the Portrait Society:

https://www.portraitsociety.org/

Membership:

https://www.portraitsociety.org/join

Contributors:

Aapo Pukk, Rosanna Gaddoni, Alexandra Telgmann, Eddy Greenwood, Alex Faudé, Petar Šibenik, Bertrand Desmaricaux, Günter Schwarz

Copyright:

All contents and images of this newsletter are copyright by the authors/artists of the artworks.

Cover Artwork & Design: Andrea Steinbauer

“Sunglasses”, oil on canvas panel, 40x30cm

Members Only Competition 2023

Congratulations European Artists

Aapo Pukk

Category Commissioned Portrait: 5th Place

Category Landscape: 6th Place

Aapo Pukk was born on October 3, 1962 in Tartu Estonia. His mother Laine Pukk (1935-2022) was a teacher at Tartu Children’s Art School for over 30 years. His father, Aleksander Suuman (1927-2003), was a painter and poet. He received a very important basic education from Tartu Children’s Art School. This was followed by the Estonian National Institute of Art (Estonian Academy of Arts) 1980-1986, where he studied graphics.

Aapo is married to his wife Helge since 2001 and they have two children, Aaron Norman Pukk and Nora Marta Pukk.

He is a member of the Portrait Society of America since 1999 and PSOA Signature member since 2017. He also has been a member of the Estonian Artists’ Union since 2011. Aapo has taught at the Estonian Academy of Arts since 2012, as a contract lecturer. On top of that, he founded an art school where children, young people and adults study.

Aapo Pukk: “Mirjam, Elli and Emma,” oil

Aapo is also teaching at St. John’s School in Estonia, which is an Orthodox school. He popularizes academic atelier values both in the Estonian Association of Art Schools and in various schools with an artistic bent. Aapo is a cultivator and a transmitter of classical methods, and gives numerous private lessons.

Aapo has had almost 100 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 100 different group exhibitions.

In his career as an artist Aapo received numerous international awards and recognitions, especially in the field of portrait and figurative painting: 2011-Grand Prize, International Artist Magazine; 2012-First place, PSOA Members only; 2007-First Honors Award, PSOA etc.

Images by Aapo Pukk

Aapo Pukk: “Komiza”, watercolor

Rosanna Gaddoni

Category Animals: 6th Place

Category Outside the Box: Finalist

Rosanna Gaddoni (b. 1972) is an Italian artist, currently based in the Netherlands. After a corporate career, she started a series of art courses, first at the Tekenschool of Rijksmuseum and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, then in private ateliers. She followed the two-year course in Leiden, for Sumi-e instructor (Japanese ink brush technique).

Gaddoni’s art has been internationally exhibited and awarded. She collected several awards in drawing and animal categories of art competitions, like in the monthly PleinAir Salons, a 2nd place in the PSOA Members Only Competition 2021 and a 7th place in 2022, or Finalist in the 16th ARC Salon. In 2021 and 2022 she was invited by Copelouzos Family to be part of the permanent collection of the CFA Museum in Greece.

Rosanna Gaddoni: “Bianconiglio“– Charcoal and Graphite on BFK Rives Velin 250 gm2 white, 65 x 50 cm, 2023

“I grew up on a small farm in the north of Italy: my house was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by fields and I can remember them changing colours with the natural cycle of the seasons. In that small corner of Earth, there was nothing, and yet I had everything I needed to feel blissful, I was surrounded by Life in every form. In my work, I still seek that Life presence in the dance of lights and shadows, and the sacredness of that perception never ceases to amaze me: I want to represent Life in what I call poetic realism, trying to capture with honesty the world and the human figure, combining the emphasis on drawing and values with my emotional involvement. I work mostly with charcoal and graphite on paper and oil on canvas or panels, these mediums help me to create works where the representational style also conveys the vibration and the movement of Life. There is a subtle line connecting all my artworks: they are dots connecting the bigger picture of my devotion and respect for every form of Life and for the immense privilege of perceiving the human living experience, in this remote corner of the universe that we share.” Rosanna says about her artwork.

Rosanna Gaddoni: “Within” – Charcoal on Rives Arches Paper 175 gm2 toned paper creme white, 66 x 48 cm, 2023

Alexandra Telgmann

Category Animals: Finalist

“The natural element of water, with all its beauty, power, elegance, and adaptability is my source of inspiration.” Alexandra says about her artwork.

Alexandra Telgmann was born in Kamen, Germany, in 1972. She received artistic education under the tutelage of Prof. Lothar Kampmann and Ulrich Determann, specializing in painting, completed a vocational education and training program in goldsmithing in Münster and studied Portrait and Life painting at the Savannah College of Art and Design, USA. Alexandra also received further education at the Staatliche Zeichenakademie in Hanau, graduated from the Academy of Arts in Hanau with certification as a Designer and achieved the title of “Master of Gold and Silversmith” in Wiesbaden. Alexandra established a freelance artist studio in Oldenburg. Her paintings have been shown in several national and international exhibitions, including her solo exhibition ‘Laconella,’ at the Pinnacle Gallery in Savannah, USA.

Recently she was recognized as “Honorable Mention” recipient in the 6th NTD Figurative Painting Competition.

Alexandra Telgmann: „Golden Ocean Reflection – Octopus“, Oil and 24ct gold leaf on aluminum panel, 80x80cm

Eddy Greenwood is a figurative artist born in the UK in 1956, living in Wassenaar, The Netherlands. He studied Graphic Design & History of Art, graduating with a BA honours degree at Canterbury College of Art. After working as an art director for advertising in London, he moved to The Netherlands and became a highly respected Creative Director. In 2012 he proudly received an award from TED for the best storytelling in film.

Striving to explore his creative talent further, Eddy wanted to establish himself in the world of fine art, turning his focus to figurative art and portrait painting. Eddy’s inspiration comes from the work of the old masters Titian, van Dyck, and Velasquez.

Eddy Greenwood

Category Animals: Finalist

His pursuit of their excellence led him on a journey to Italy where he studied at The Florence Academy of Art, and Charles H. Cecil Studios, ateliers renowned for their commitment to the theory and practice of drawing and painting from life using the sight - size method. Enriched by this classical training, Eddy now paints exclusively from life, harnessing his atelier’s beautiful north facing light.

Eddy Greenwood: “Labrador Puppy” Oil on canvas, 24x30cm

Painting A Self-Portrait in Side View

Painting a self-portrait from life can be an inspiration to experiment and it is a wonderful way to practice, especially if you don’t have a model available.

Set up and Composition

By using two mirrors it is possible to see yourself in side-view while painting. I usually start to play around with the position of the mirrors, my pose, and with the light source to find a composition I like. A good idea is to think about your clothing or the use of accessories, like the colored sunglasses in this set up, to add a narrative to your painting. Drawing thumbnail sketches can be very helpful to discover interesting shapes of light and shadows, positive and negative space. I always invest a lot of time in this preliminary work, because I believe this is the most important step in the creative process and builds the foundation of the artwork.

Painting Process

My first step was to tone the canvas with a wash of Transparent Oxid Red (oil paint thinned with solvent) to cover the white surface and make it easier to compare the values.

1. I started my under-painting with a linear drawing by using comparative measurement combined with sighting angles.

2/3. Block in of the shadow shapes with a big brush and wipe out the lights to develop the form and establish the value relationship between the shapes. (I painted my face without wearing the sunglasses first and added them on top as the final step to avoid distraction through the colored glasses.)

by Andrea Steinbauer

4. The second layer of paint - block in of the color shapes. In the background I like to experiment with color and texture, I try out things what I usually can’t do in my portrait commissions.

5. Block in of the darks/ shadow shapes.

6. Adding mid tones and lights.

7. Refining values, color temperature, edges and adding some details.

Colors/Limited Palette: Flake White Replacement, Yellow Ochre Pale, Transparent Oxid Red, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, French Ultramarine Blue

News from Members

Exhibitions, Workshops and Other News

Alex Faudé at ‘Arteindhoven’, February 3rd- 4th2024

On February 3rd and 4th 2024, our Belgian member Alex Faudé exhibited seven of his paintings at the ‘Arteindhoven’ art fair in Eindhoven/the Netherlands. Alex says: “In my art, you can see a genuine love for nature, harmony, beauty, and color. I take you on a journey where reality and imagination comes together, inviting you to appreciate and protect all living beings and the world around them. My work can be described as a harmonious interplay between abstract and realistic elements.”

Petar Šibenik – Unveiling of the Portrait of Soccer Player Marko Perić

Our Croatian member Petar Šibenik recently painted a portrait of his cousin, the young uprising soccer talent Marko Perić of TSV 1860. “I am very happy about this painting and I am also very grateful that Petar took the time to make a portrait of me and I think he is a passionate and wonderful painter”, were the words with which Marko Perić reacted to the painting. In January 2024 Sonja Breljak published an article about Petar’s portrait on the online blog Croatian Voice Berlin.

Rosanna Gaddoni – Recent News

Rosanna Gaddoni received Honorable Mention Awards in the November and the December issues of the PleinAir Salon competition in the Categories “Animals” and “Drawing”. In January she received the Signature Membership status from the Society of Animal Artist and a selection of her works was shown in the 25th edition of Naarden Art Fair in the Netherlands.

Image by Alex Faudé: Alex at his booth at the art fair Arteinhoven

Image by Petar Šibenik: Marko Perić with his portrait painted by Petar

Bertrand Desmaricaux’s upcoming Workshops

Bertrand Desmaricaux is teaching regular Live Model Portrait Painting Workshops at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris (next date: Fri 12.04.24/Sat 13.04.24). He is mainly teaching how to make colorful portrait and figure paintings in oil. Another two-day portrait painting workshop from live model will be on 29/30 June 2024, at De Campagne in Gent (Drongen).

1st European Members Meeting via Zoom January 21st 2024 – Meet and Great

Thank you to everyone who joined our first meeting in January; it was a pleasure to meet you.

Our next Zoom meeting:

Sunday April 7th 2024, 14:30 to 16:00 CET (UK: 13:30 to 15:00 GMT) We will talk about our process of creating art.

Members Meeting - Günter Schwarz and Andrea Steinbauer visiting the William Turner Exhibition

On January 27th, Austrian Member Günter Schwarz and State Ambassador Andrea Steinbauer met to visit the William Turner exhibition in Munich. Thanks to the collaboration between Munich’s Lenbachhaus and London’s Tate Museum, we had the unique opportunity to see paintings and sketches from all parts of Turners oeuvre. It was a wonderful and inspiring afternoon and it was nice to share this experience with an artist friend like Günter.

Image by Bertrand Desmaricaux

Image: Zoom meeting (members visible in zoom screen view: Rosanna, Andrea, Günter, Petar, Eddy, Diane)

Photo by Silvia Schwarz: Andrea and Günter in front of the Lenbachhaus

Art Tip Studio Light

For artists, it is essential to see colors correctly. To ensure this, it is important to use an appropriate light source for studio lighting. When using artificial lighting in the studio, two factors are important: the colour temperature and the CRI value of the light source.

Color Temperature (expressed in Kelvin)

The color temperature describes how warm, neutral or cool a light source is. A warm light bulb that you might use for your living room has a color temperature of less then 3300 Kelvin.

The temperature of neutral light is between 3300 and 5300 Kelvin. Cool light/day light has a temperature above 5300 Kelvin.

CRI value (Color Rendering Index)

by Andrea Steinbauer

The CRI value describes the quality of artificial light compared to natural daylight. To see the colors of an illuminated object correctly, the light source should contain all spectral colors like daylight.

Highest CRI value = 100 is identical to the full spectrum of natural daylight

Artificial Studio light for artists should have a high CRI value of at least 94.

In my studio, I use light bulbs of color-corrected daylight with a color temperature of 5600 Kelvin and a CRI value of 94-96. Such light sources can be found in art supply stores or photo studio equipment shops.

Photo by Andrea Steinbauer

Illustration by Andrea Steinbauer

History of European Portrait Art

Ignacio Zuloaga (1870-1945)

by Andrea Steinbauer

Ignacio Zuloaga was one of Spain’s most important artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and I just recently discovered his work at his first major retrospective in Germany at Munich’s Kunsthalle. In contrast to his celebrated compatriot and contemporary Joaquín Sorolla with his sun-drenched beach scenes, Zuloaga’s work is characterized by low-key compositions. He preferred earth colors, muted tones, black and gray, sometimes contrasted by colorful clothing. His style was inspired by the legacy of old masters like Velázquez and influenced through his contact with French Impressionists as well. In his paintings Zuloaga portrayed toreadors and flamenco dancers, but above all the simple life of the population, characterized by Spanish customs and traditions. His portraits can be seen in museums in Spain.

Photos by Andrea Steinbauer: Ignacio Zuloaga’s “Dancer”, oil on canvas (l) and “Half Figure of a Picador”, oil on canvas, (r) shown at the exhibition at Kunsthalle München

Last Words Quote

“ART HAS THE POWER TO DO GOOD!”

Richard Schmid (1934 - 2021)