Plein Air painting at the Pond

Plein air painting/painting from life is important to me. Here my set up with the 2 geese posing from last week. The geese and wildlife did not make it into my painting! I will post the new completed painting soon. Witnessing life firsthand—to have one's senses a part of the equation is a good thing that can only enhance one's work.

Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com.

Thoughts on Portrait Likeness and Character: my portrait subjects are the Stars

Just as an actress seeks to become the character, I seek to find my portrait subject's character. For posthumous paintings I get to know the subject by talking with the family. Ultimately my goal is to bring out the best of the person on my canvases and to make them the star, to shine.

Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com.

Another great conference: 2010 Portrait Society of America conference in Washington D.C.

I'm back to work in my studio in full force this week, very much inspired after an action-packed few days in Washington, D.C. The Portrait Society of America's annual conference is filled with painting demonstrations, lectures, bus trips to local museums, a banquet to celebrate the top portrait artists in the country and this year even offered a wonderful mystery art sale.

Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com.

"Brooke" juried into the Spring 2010 Portrait Society of Atlanta Exhibtion

I am pleased to announce that my full-length painting, "Brooke", has been juried into the Spring 2010 Portrait Society of Atlanta exhibition. For those in the Atlanta, Georgia locale, the show will run from May 6th to May 28th at the Gallery at Paper Mill Village in Marietta, Georgia. The highly-esteemed artist, Dawn Whitelaw, is the judge.

Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com.

Mary Brewster Hazelton 1868-1953, a Wellesley-born artist who studied with Edmund Charles Tarbell and Abroad

Last night I attended a very exciting lecture held at the Wellesley Free Library. Laura Ziman, an art instructor, brought four of Mary Brewster Hazelton's works, including a portrait and three landscapes which were very Impressionistic in style and discussed her life briefly. To be honest there are more questions than answers about this intriguing artist, but the attendees were able to provide some salient bits of information too. Her studies originated with the conservative Boston School style (Tarbell), but she came to experiment with the Impressionistic movement, as she studied abroad during an exciting time, when photography was born, so ultra realistic works were not as in vogue.

I will provide a follow-up blog entry when I learn more and have a bit more time. I believe Mary Brewster Hazelton may have been on the same tier as Cecilia Beaux and Mary Cassatt, two other prominent female artists from the same time period who also choose not to marry in order to pursue life-long painting. I will venture to say John Singer Sargent might have agreed, as he is said to have held Ms. Hazelton's work in high esteem.

Ms. Hazelton's works are in the collections of Harvard University, the Massachusetts State House and the Peabody Essex Museum.

I love that Ms. Hazelton painted landscapes, still lives and portraits. She was the true, full artist recording her Impressions of the world throughout her life.


Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com. You can reach her by email at soniahale1@gmail.com.

Manomet Cliffs in Plymouth, Massachusetts

Last summer we visited friends who rent a lovely cottage on the cliffs of Manomet in Plymouth, Massachusetts every summer. The cliffs are truly inspiring and are reminiscent of European vistas. The other aspect to this area is, of course, the history of the Mayflower landing not far away. I love the feeling of history in this area and imagining the Indians and Pilgrims looking out at the ocean years and years ago.

Manomet Cliffs, 16" x 20"

To see more of my Cape Cod oil paintings click here

Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com. You can reach her by email at soniahale1@gmail.com.

Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists presents award to Everett Raymond Kinstler

The photos above are from the CSOPA presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Everett Raymond Kinstler yesterday at UCONN in Stamford, Connecticut. In introductory remarks Mr. Kinstler's illustrious years of painting six U.S. presidents, actresses/actors such as Katherine Hepburn and Paul Newman, and others including Donald Trump and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani were noted. In addition the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery owns over 100 of his works.

Shane Neal presented the award to Mr. Kinstler after his wonderful roast heralding Mr. Kinstler's many charming characteristics. Those who have been able to attend his workshops and receive mentoring on any level have been touched by his warmth and generosity. A few years back at the 2008 Portrait Society of America conference he spoke about the vast number of Artists who had influenced his work, and especially those who had been teachers/friends, "They made my life richer." That can most certainly be said about Mr. Kinstler to this generation of artists. He has seen the majority of the portraits I have painted over the past decade, since the time I was bringing portraits into the Copley Society for him to critique in the early 2000's. I have had critiques from him that made me dig deep to work harder to be worthy. He has been prodding me, telling me how to do it better, always.

Sonia Hale is an award-winning, nationally-collected artist in Boston. She paints commissioned portraits for families and institutions nationwide. Her original landscape and still life oil paintings can be purchased at http://www.soniahale.com. For more information, go to http://www.soniahale.com. You can reach her by email at soniahale1@gmail.com.