The final Portrait Academy for the 2005 series featured Dawn Whitelaw. With almost 100 attendees at the Friday evening demonstration, Chairman Gordon Wetmore welcomed everyone and introduced Dawn, who has served as a faculty member at the Portrait Society's annual conferences and is a previous first-place winner in the International Portrait competition.

Dawn's thirty-two years of teaching experience was evident as was her gift for communicating simplified explanations of complex issues so artists of all levels could gain new insights and understanding. She explained her spectrum-based palette using the three primary colors (mixing her own secondary colors), as well as her value-gauging system using the tone of the palette and canvas. Her demonstration from life was masterfully done and tremendously educational for all attendees.

On Saturday, the sold-out workshop, was a great opportunity for participants to try out these methods under Dawn's individualized instruction. Four models were provided for students, allowing more than six hours of practice from life. Dawn was able to help each participant overcome obstacles by addressing the needs pertinent to their particular level of development, using patience and a nurturing style that made everyone feel at ease.

At one point late in the day, students were asked to walk around and share opinions and helpful critiques with each other. Finally, everyone was allowed to present their painting or portfolio for review and critique by Dawn, who was joined by Gordon Wetmore and Bart Lindstrom. The advice shared by these successful artists helped inspire directions for growth and added an additional personal benefit for each attendee who requested their input.

The overall atmosphere of the day was exciting, enriching, and inspiring. Dawn Whitelaw truly is a consummate artist and teacher whose life and work will continue to motivate many others for years to come.

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