Growing 2014 Summer Plans

Studio Events/News For the Summer 

STEPPING AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER! Warm weather and sunshine combined with a well-planned balance of horizontal and vertical time is the best prescription for me. I am looking forward to getting back to nature and a few weeks of restorative activities. This is what will be happening while I am AWAY from my "desk". 

May~ 

17th SheilaLynnK Art Studio is a proud sponsor of the Community Action Angels Golf Tournament  at Allegheny Hills Golf Course, Rushford, NY. Those participating will receive a coupon for $10 off their next purchase from the studio. 

31st I will be at Belfast Central School representing BOFA at the Strum ACCORD  event Battle of the Bands to benefit Community Action Angels newest initiative to provide musical instruments to children in need in Allegany County. "The purpose of this event is to exhibit the hard work and dedication of the students in the after school programs. These students have spent all year practicing music of their choice. Our 21st CCLC after school program has a Music Teacher that provides individual and group lessons in vocals, bass, guitar, drums and piano. Of the nearly 80 students who participate, most do not or cannot afford an instrument of their own...STRUM ACCORD is sponsored and coordinated by ACCORD's 21st Century Community Learning Center After School Program.."

"BOFA is proud to support this event. BOFA News, announcements, event schedules and membership information will be available at our vendor table."

June~ "Art For Arachnoiditis Survivors~Step 2" begins. Arachnoiditis is an isolating spinal cord injury caused by the neurotoxins in spinal injections and invasive spinal procedures. This project is designed to empower the Arachnoiditis Survivors through art. As the AIM|Hatchfund campaign comes to a close, I am moving forward while awaiting verdicts from the Photocrati Fund and Creative Capital Grant applications.
Arachnoiditis Survivors are asked to complete this anonymous survey and return it to the studio by August 15, 2014
Now accepting input from Survivors who are ready to tell their arachnoiditis story. 

Art for Arachnoiditis~ Plan A March 20th-May 17, 2014
Plan B Deadline Extended to June 6, 2014

Sample Portrait in progress (graphite on paper)

July~ 31st Deadline for Senior Portrait Orders. $10 from every order for a graduating Senior will be donated to the Arachnoiditis Survivor Portrait Project. 

Check out the All New Package Option: Portrait Package D 

• 16" x 20" graphite drawing ($130)
• Digital, watermark-free, image to share with friends and family ($35)
• Mini 5"X7" Flip-book of images of the work in progress ($25) 
• Project Production DVD of the studio process ($60)

Purchased separately:  $250 

PACKAGE PRICE ONLY: $199 

August~ 31st Deadline for Back to School Portrait Orders

Assorted Project rates and portrait package options are available.

$10 from every portrait order will be donated to the Arachnoiditis Survivor Portrait Project. Check out the portrait gallery Classical and Conceptual Portraits to decide which style is right for you. 

Sample Portrait (graphite on paper)

Support Art for Arachnoiditis or
Become a Sponsor

The Power of a Portrait

Mixed-media Conceptual Self-Portrait In Progress

Self Portrait~It's not you, it's Me.
From exploring themes of Interracial Identity to the modern Selfie, self-portraits are still empowering. 

"From early Greeks to present day, people have used self-study and self-observation to explore identity and sense of self." ~ Pamela Rutledge, Psychology Today











"We're conditioned to believe that external validations is a necessary substitute for self-confidence. Furthermore, to have any positivity toward yourself is deeply stigmatized, policed by accusations of narcissism and superficiality.The real anxiety with girls and selfies is that selfies might provide girls with the means to create their own positive image of themselves, thereby severely diluting the impact of outside opinion....You don't have to apologize for noticing yourself. Drink yourself in. Celebrate yourself. Never feel guilty for announcing your presence. You deserve to fill up space. "~ Erin Tatum

Be Your Own Beloved explores the use of self portraits as a means to self-care. From Frida Kahlo's expression of  suffering to my own survival, self-portraits empower. In the grand scheme of things, let's not forget the convenience and practicality of it.  If you are an artist, painting a self-portrait means that there is always a free model available.

Why Own A Commissioned Portrait? 

If you are NOT an artist, what does it mean to own an artist's rendering of yourself when you could easily have a photograph? If an image is worth a thousand words, what does a portrait say about what's in a name? In modern culture, why is it important for the artist to actually meet the subject instead of just drawing or painting from a digital exchange of images?  

"The fast changing landscape of surveillance and the globalisation of digital imagery calls for the counterpoint of intense, 'local' imagery contained within a painting. The possibilities of allegory and complex meaning are distinct: the symbolic realm can come to the fore. The conveying of character in a painted portrait is specific and dynamic. There is a process described through paint - an intensity to the relationship between artist and sitter - which produces a different character from the medium of photography. And it is this intensity, often freed from the conventions of previous periods which, gives a great portrait its authority." ~Sandy Nairne

Although photographs were a point of reference combined with two studio sittings, Paul Emsley was going to paint Kate Middleton without a smile. Until, he met her. Although the final painting received much public criticism, Kate believed it was a beautiful and authentic depiction of her natural self.

"Rarely are painted portraits judged solely by the accuracy of the depiction. Artists try to eke out the emotional character on the visage of their model...The first step in portraiture is always meeting the client or model."~ Artist Daily

"A photograph image is only a second of life time: Say cheese ...and you'll freeze. So, it may capture the moment but it may not capture the person. Very often we hear, "I am not very photogenic." ...of course YOU ARE. That is what the camera, the heartless tool, does- it takes everything, what is necessary and what is not. This is where the difference between the camera and the artist come into play, because the ARTIST CAN SELECT." ~Igor V. Babailov from Master of Ascending Realism

In my portrait drawings, I combine the use of photography with classical life-drawing skills, training, and practice. This combination, although it does not meet my true aspirations for life-drawing, does aid in overcoming the neurological impairments imposed on me by arachnoiditis. My experience drawing from life prior to the onset of arachnoiditis informs each portrait that I create with an authentic individual character that cannot be achieved simply in an exchange of digital images and information.  

Your tax-deductible contributions obtained via the Arachnoiditis Survivor: Portrait of Resilience project at AIM|Hatchfund will finance a powerful connection between survivors that cannot be obtained in any other way. Upon project completion, these empowering portraits will be displayed in a public exhibition dedicated to Arachnoiditis Awareness and Prevention Efforts. Submit your tax-deductible contribution today. Thank you. 


SheilaLynnK Art Studio is a for-profit business faithfully invested in the healing power of art and dedicated to Community Action. The project budget is available for public review.