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Red Bird’s first Friday of the month in Sylvania is quickly becoming mandatory if you’re
into anything in the arts. In March, Sylvania Writes started a poetry slam at Olive’s on
Main and in July Red Bird had its annual Plein Air Festival, where artists paint from life
in outdoor settings. This coming month, September 5 th , Dani Fuller brings Portrait Artist
of the Year to her studio at Fuller Art House – a four-hour live portrait competition that
challenges artists to produce a portrait of a celebrity guest/model.
Fuller is a big believer in painting from life and all the things that competition and taking
yourself out of your comfort zone can bring to an artist’s work. “Live painting is where
you develop your confidence in who you are, and where you encounter your
vulnerability, because you’re not in a dark room where no one can see your mistakes.
Exposure is what makes you stronger.” Fuller says she randomly came across a show
called The Next Great Portrait Artist. She found the show to be compelling with its
contestants in a smaller space and a live model just throwing paint on the canvas. “Art,”
says Fuller, “is learning the foundational skills and then letting yourself go intuitively to
develop into an artist.” What she’s really getting at is the idea that sometimes you’ll
create a painting you’re happy with and sometimes you won’t, no matter how
professional you are. “You don’t always nail it every single time, and we need to get
more comfortable with that, she says.”
Creative Process
Painting live, in a competition setting with other artists, doesn’t have to be cutthroat. In
fact, Fuller believes it’s a great opportunity to see what other artists’ creative process
are and build camaraderie. “It’s great to see what kind of palate people used, what
angle did they choose, and why did that entice them.” Fuller has a celebrity model
booked for the event which will remain a secret until the painters are in the room and
ready to go. “I’m doing it on the first Friday, for the Red Bird Walk, so people can come
by and watch. That makes it a win-win, something different that people can see while at
Red Bird and maybe a few of those people might be inspired to try painting
themselves.” On the show that inspired Fuller, competitors used all kinds of media for
their portraits. “I saw people use glue guns, paper-mâché, all kinds of unconventional
media. For our competition you can choose what you’d like to work in and I think we’ll
see anything from watercolor and acrylic to pastels and oil paint. People can work in the
media that they want, which makes it exciting – and the celebrity picks the winner.”
The Word is Out
Fuller says she’s had a mix of local artists, and even some from Michigan, who’ve heard
about the competition sign up to paint. The fee is $95.00, and the prize is $850.00. The
model gets to keep the painting they’ve chosen as the winner. There are still six spots of the 18 left at the time of this interview for artists who want to sign up. Everyone will draw
numbers to choose their spot in the room where they want to paint. “I think it’s going to
be a lot of fun,” says Fuller. “We’re calling this month’s theme ‘Talents, Tastes, and
Sidewalks’ which is a joke because all our sidewalks on Main Street are torn up right
now. There’s so much going on, including an open mic at Inside the Five, Upside is
having all their staff dress as Hollywood stars, and people can vote on their favorite.” As
for learning to paint live, Fuller reiterates, “That’s what makes this imperfectly-perfect
because it is just drawn from your skill-set alone in the heat of the moment – that’s what
gives you character, it’s where you find your nuance and your weirdness that define you
as an artist.”
