OK, let's dive right into the next 10 web sites. If you haven't shared your web site with the rest of us send it to me and I guarantee it will be in the next newsletter.

Good friend Jessica Dalrymple, wife of Greg Kreutz, has a studio in the West Village but is also an accomplished plein air painter.

Mary Backer had her paintings included in the December issue of American Artist Magazine.

Dear friends Sara Linda Poly and the big fella, Tim Poly, have their own web sites. Sara is a helluva painter and Tim is a helluva photographer.

Heather Patterson paints romantic images of Rye, New York.

Michigan watercolor artist Vivian Longfellow paints scenes of Mackinac Island, MI and Giverny, France.

New York City artist Anita Lauria specializes in equestrian scenes and the figure.

Another NYC artist, Shelli-Robiner Ardizzone, paints colorful and expressive florals, landscapes, figures and the still life.

Rene Hakimian includes some Old Testament stories as his inspiration.

Peter Max was recently interviewed by NY1 about his tribute to Barack Obama - painting his portrait 44 times!

While on the subway the other day I saw the most interesting stylized rendering of NYC and it's subway. The artists' name is Philippe Lechien.

You might know that I'm offering a workshop to Paris this Spring. It's called "Putting People in your Paintings - in Paris!" We're going to add people in our compositions in three ways: from photos that we take; from quick color sketches that we make of people at restaurants and cafes; and from models that I will have pose for us. This is all inclusive (except for dinners). That means I'm including airfare. For the details go to that page on my web site.

Responding to last month's post about how teachers teach. Specifically how some teachers guide their students to paint just like they paint. Pennsylvania artist Lynne Oakes says: "I am SO aware of this fact and yet as a teacher have to fight it in myself all the time. I see it as having full control of the reins when I am first starting with a new and beginning student...and slowly turning the reins over to them. It is an artform to do this, let me tell you. I tell them that this is my goal...and so in that way keep myself on the ball to continue doing the best I can at not doing their work for them.
Usually I ask them what do they think they should be doing next on their work. We have a little conference and I see where their focus is based on how I teach them to paint successfully (my opinion and experience of course!).
But the big win of this for me is to see the wall full of student work in progress and be glad that they all don't look like mine, but contains who they are".

I got an invitation in the mail from Peggy Sovek, Charles' wife. The image on the invitation was a self portrait I had never seen. I just love it. Here's a link. Peggy has arranged an exhibition and sale of about 80 paintings at Rowayton Arts Center (Rowayton, CT 06853). It will run from February 19, to March 1. An opening reception is scheduled for Sunday, February 22, 4:00-6:00 p.m. The Center is open Tuesday-Saturday, 12:00-5:00 and Sunday, 4:00-6:00. This will be an exhibition of his work, plus the opportunity to buy a painting. I plan on going and hope to see you there.

I received this very interesting e-mail from 'Cello of Art Study at Giverny: "Quincy Jones has started a petition to ask President-elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of the Arts. While many other countries have had Ministers of Art or Culture for centuries, The United States has never created such a position. We in the arts need this and the country needs the arts-now more than ever. Please take a moment to sign this important petition and then pass it on to your friends and colleagues". It took me a grand total of 6 seconds to sign and send the petition!

You probably know this already, but here it is: "Artist Andrew Wyeth, who portrayed the hidden melancholy of the people and landscapes of Pennsylvania's Brandywine Valley and coastal Maine in works such as "Christina's World," died two weeks ago. He was 91".

Nancy sent me this YouTube video - the changing faces of our American presidents. I can't be 100% sure which are photographs and which are paintings, but if they are paintings I would say there's a bias towards tonalist painters!

Ellen sent me this article about an artist in NYC who has zero interest in showing and selling art. Robert Kobayashi is a rare example of a New York artist who has spent his life working quietly behind closed doors. She also sent me a link to an article in the NY Times entitled: "Art Leaders Urge Role for Culture in Economic Recovery".

FREE ARTIST WEBSITE LISTINGS (Limited time offer) New York Artists Online is offering free artist website listings in these categories until June 2009: Ceramics, Jewelry, Glass, Fiber. If you’re a New York artist and have a high quality website in one of the
above categories, NewYorkArtists.net will place an image, description of
your work and a link to your website for free. NewYorkArtists.net is number one on Google for New York Artists and is
ranked among the top five on the major search engines on the web. Contact: Gloria Rabinowitz email New York Artists Online web site.

I will finish up with some artist quotes:

This is a special one from Carl Jung: "But we must not forget that a very few people are artists in life; that the art of life is the most distinguished and rarest of all the arts".

Here's one from Lucien Freud: " I want paint to work as flesh, I know my idea of portraiture came from dissatisfaction with portraits that resembled people. I would wish my portraits to be of the people, not like them. Not having to look at the sitter, being them. As far as I am concerned, the paint is the person. I want it to work for me just as the flesh does".

Roy Lichtenstein: "I'm not really sure what social message my art carries, if any. And I don't really want it to carry one. I'm not interested in the subject matter to try to teach society anything, or to try to better our world in any way".

Phil Levine Workshops, Inc.
69 bank Street #102. NY, NY 10014
phone: 212-414-8875 fax: 866-501-6873
e-mail: philiplevine@earthlink.net