Portrait Society of Atlanta 2017

This show’s Juror was Michele Rushworth, who has been a professional artist for over 25 years. She paints official, corporate, government, and children’s portraits in oil for organizations and families. Rushworth has painted portraits of numerous prestigious government officials, governors, university presidents, federal judges, and athletes. Rushworth says, “My goal as an artist is to honor the people I paint, to depict them on their very best day. I believe there is no higher art form than the difficult challenge of capturing the human spirit, of conveying something of the inner life and depth of a person’s character on canvas.” American Artist Magazine called Michele Rushworth “one of the most reputable professional portraitists today.”

The Portrait Society of Atlanta is a non-profit organization of portrait artists whose main purpose is to educate the public to a greater awareness of the portrait as a valid and valuable art form. The art of portraiture, like everything else, has evolved over time. Whether a portrait is commissioned or created for the sake of artistic pleasure, portraiture has served many purposes.  It is a personal endeavor to remember a loved one, celebrate a life, or mark a moment in history. This is one element that has remained timeless. 

What’s in a face? Historically, portrait paintings primarily memorialized royalty and the wealthy. Over time, however, portraiture artists became voices for the middle class trying to “rise above their station” and finally a genre evolved to include the lower classes, as artists visually captured “a day in the life” of the “ordinary person.” During the Industrial Revolution, artists became focused on depicting the poor and working class as a social commentary laced with political statement. Shorty after, taking a drastic turn for “art’s sake,” artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gaugin, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse became experimental with their brush. This revolutionized the genre yet again so that representation became less realistic. As the PSA illustrates, the genre of portraiture continues to evolve with new mediums, styles, and perspectives.

Exhibited artists:

Andrea Ward (Azuz)

Ann Marshall Bailey

Anna Gillon

Booth Malone

Cheryl Mann Hardin

Chris diDomizio

David Ludley

Deborah Ankrom Kepes

Denise E. Jennings

Don Meadows

Donna Garrison Leonard

Eleanor Callaham

Holly R. Henson

Jenny Brahm

Karin Kretschmann Lubart

Katherine E. Schuber

Kathy Cuiffi

Kay Ridge

Kendall Portis

Leticia Bernadac

Lora Hill

Nancy Honea

Lynda Ellis

Lynne Tompkins Brice

Margaret Ann Garrett

Marta L. Suarez

Meena  Ajit

Minnie  Bhupathi

Miriam Hobbs

Nita Bakay

Paolo Chiezzi

Rita Pelot

Rosie Coleman

Sharon Matisoff

Sidney Hicks Bailey

Sivananda Nyayapathi

Stephanie Amato

Suzanne Lavonne Smith

Tony Moyers

Wendy Adams

Yuriy P. Totskiy