The main thing emphasized repeatedly at the Portrait Society of America conventions (and in the instructional books I read) was how critical it was to the development of a painter to paint from live subjects: models, landscapes and still lifes. I had always used photographs only. I was stubborn at first and thought my way was safer and more advanced, and I didn't like the idea of going outside my comfort zone. I thought I could accomplish the same thing strictly using photos. But when I watched demonstrations by artists far more experienced than me I began to understand how wrong I was. I saw with clarity how painting, especially portrait painting, is about far more than getting a good likeness. It's about capturing emotion, personality and beauty. It's about selecting what's important to tell the story, rather than slavishly copying a photo. Remember, a camera captures every detail, that's its job. The artist's job is much more personal. Now I paint from life often, and have for years. That experience is so vital to my painting. When I do use reference photos, which for western paintings I must do (horses don't hold still!) the observation and quick decisions from my life sessions automatically come through in my paintings. My ability has improved enormously from this simple practice, and being liberated through life study from the contraints of closely following photos has made painting, which I already loved, infinitely more enjoyable.
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