The Santa Clarita Artists’ Association (SCAA) May 18, 2009 meeting at 7 p.m. will feature Johanna Spinks, master of portraiture.
Johanna’s work has won her national acclaim being featured recently in The New York Times, and earning juried recognition, awards and show acceptances from various art institutions including American Artist Magazine, Art Talk, Oil Painters of America and The California Art Club.
“I have always loved and studied every aspect of art, but portraiture was a natural draw for me. There was just nothing else I wanted to paint. Faces fascinate me, and I study them all day long even when I’m not actually painting them, at the local coffee shop, at the dry cleaners, at a L. A. Lakers game or anywhere.
“But painting a portrait is so much more than capturing a likeness. It is about a very delicate and sympathetic rendering of that person’s essence and spirit for posterity and for future generations to see.
“And for me, that is where the real thrill and challenge comes in artistically. No one wants to see a dull soulless portrait however well it is painted. That special spark which brings tears to the client’s eyes on delivery has to be there or you haven’t done your job as a portrait artist. I want people to say ‘Wow, you really captured the person, and it’s also a great painting.’”
Johanna’s affiliations also include Allied Artists of America, The Artists Fellowship of New York, The Players’ Club of New York, The Portrait Society of America (Johanna is proud to serve as its CA State Ambassador), and The Portrait Society of Atlanta. View her magnificent art at www.portraitartist.com/spinks/portraits2.htm
Her paintings can be found in public and private collections across the globe including The Players’ Club of New York, The Episcopalian Diocese of Los Angeles, The Reformed Theological Seminary, North Carolina and The British Heritage Museum, Canada.
The Santa Clarita Artists’ Association monthly meetings are held at the Westfield Town Center Community Room, between JC Penney and the Food Court, and are instructive and inspirational. Non-members are also welcomed and may attend their first meeting for free.
For information on upcoming guest speakers for the Santa Clarita Artists’ Association, please contact the membership chairperson Dianne Foderaro via email at torched@dslextreme.com or visit the Santa Clarita Artists’ Association webpage at www.santaclaritaartists.org .