By JOAN SEARS

For the Daily News

Joan Sears, a local artist and art instructor, recently traveled to the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh to see the 17th-century Flemish and Dutch portraitist artists on exhibit. These works include Vermeer, Rembrandt and Steen. The purpose of the exhibit was to view first hand the masters’ talent and to study the workmanship of these extraordinary artists. It was well worth the travel. The outcome of the exhibit was a greater knowledge of the skill these great artists possessed and a glimpse into their place and time.

After viewing the exhibit, a trip to a favorite art supplier was made to purchase pastels for the study of portraiture. Pastels are found to be an excellent source for the study as the colors lay down quickly and easily when the artist is teaching the elements of portraiture painting and reproduction. The advantage of being at the store was to choose colors with the exhibit catalog in hand to make certain the color choice was a perfect match. This objective was easily met and the results were found to be well worth the effort.

You may visit NCMA.com for more information on the exhibit, which will be there for a limited amount of time or to get information on the permanent collection. A full reproduction catalog of the exhibit will be available for viewing at the Joan Sears Art Gallery.

If you are interested in a group visit to the museum or lessons in portraiture, contact Joan Sears at 252 925-4641.