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<\/p>\nI\u2019m sitting in a cramped art studio in Woodberry, trying to find something to focus on. There are almost 30 people in the room, staring at me. <\/p>\n
But even more eyes, those in portraits covering the walls, seem to peer my way. They belong to models before me who volunteered for an alla prima portrait. It\u2019s a painting technique in which artists complete their work in one sitting, which, for the people around me, means about three hours. <\/p>\n
This is 100 Heads Society, where friends and strangers dedicate Monday evenings to honing their portraiture skills. The group was built on the idea that artists need connection and community to grow, <\/b>and dedicated time and space to inspire discipline. <\/p>\n
The <\/b>day I posed for a portrait was also celebrating a milestone \u2014 the first time two artists painted 100 portraits. <\/p>\n
I sat down in the leather chair at the front of the studio and took off my glasses, <\/b>because they might be a pain to paint. It took me a few minutes to get comfortable. <\/p>\n
\u201cShould I keep on my jacket,\u201d I asked Lauren Carlo, who runs the group.<\/p>\n
She studied me before answering. \u201cLet\u2019s keep it. It\u2019s a nice blue in contrast with the white and orange,\u201d she said, referring to my top and baggy pants. Then she started the music. <\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s begin,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
The forming of a society<\/p>\n
For centuries, only the rich, white and powerful \u2014 in Europe, that meant royalty and clergy \u2014 could commission paintings, said Virginia Anderson, a senior curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art. <\/p>\n
Banner reporter Clara Longo de Freitas’ drawing process for MICA student, Cedar <\/p>\n
An artist\u2019s mark of success was often their ability to draw the human form and paint portraits, Anderson said, but women and people of color were often denied access to instruction even as art schools began to pop up in the 19th century. <\/p>\n
Self-taught artists, however talented, struggled to find studio space, subjects and even time, Anderson said. Groups like 100 Heads Society can provide artists with these elements. <\/p>\n
In the spring of 2022, Carlo, who studied classic realism at the Schuler School of Fine Arts in Station North, began hosting former classmates in her rowhome basement to practice portraits. The group took turns modeling at first, then started having friends of friends sit. By the end of that year, her space felt crowded. <\/p>\n
A series of serendipitous meetings brought her to the Parkdale Avenue warehouse where the group now meets on Mondays. Her now-fianc\u00e9, Jon Marchione, had a mutual friend who was looking to share his space. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be once a week. It could be pretty large. It would be a lot of goofy portraits,\u201d she told him. \u201cAnd he was excited about it. I was shocked.\u201d <\/p>\n
Then she ran into an old friend who told her to check the Maryland State Arts Council for grants. She could afford the studio rent and keep the portrait nights free for almost two years. (She only recently started charging $5 to attend, which she hopes is still affordable.) <\/p>\n
Since the group moved into the studio in May 2023, it\u2019s only grown. It\u2019s had two exhibits, turning the studio into a mosaic of faces in different palettes and styles. <\/p>\n
Nights usually start <\/b>quietly, as people sketch and the model gets used to posing. Then someone will comment on the music playing or bring up a TV show they watched. Some models chime in, while others try not to laugh. Halfway through, there\u2019s a break to snack on tater tots. <\/p>\n
Many artists, including Carlo, are trained with oil paints. Others use these sessions to explore different mediums, from gouache and watercolor to charcoal, markers and digital illustration. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe energy feels the same, which I\u2019m really happy about,\u201d Carlo said. \u201cBecause it started off with friends, like people who really knew each other.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u2018Just bring four colors\u2019<\/p>\n
Sara Autrey felt nervous modeling for the group. She was a last-minute replacement, and there\u2019s a lot of room for interpretation on how you look, she said. But the portraits felt \u201cvery sincere,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat an honor it is to ever have somebody put paint on paper and put your face on paper,\u201d said Autrey, who owns the North Baltimore thrift store Get Shredded Vintage. <\/p>\n
She realized she was more like a \u201chelpful tool in their artistic process,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cNot to sound like a fridge magnet, but every person is art in their own way,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n
I told Autrey I attended my first <\/b>100 Heads night last year after seeing the portraits from that night. She had posted a photo of herself on social media surrounded by the portraits, where she\u2019s wearing red devil horns. <\/p>\n
Despite knowing no one was judging my artwork, I felt embarrassed by my attempt. I didn\u2019t know how to paint then, I told her, and I\u2019ve never had formal training. <\/p>\n
Neither did her boyfriend, Eugene Golovin, she said. <\/p>\n
Golovin began painting after a back injury <\/b>left him temporarily out of his usual hobbies, including swing dancing. He asked Carlo, whom he met at Mobtown Ballroom, <\/b>how to get into painting. <\/p>\n
\u201cJust bring four colors of paint,\u201d Golovin remembers her saying. Yellow ochre, warm red, ivory black and white, known as the Zorn palette. <\/p>\n
Golovin felt intimidated his first night in Carlo\u2019s basement, sitting next to Marchione and Jon Schubbe, who are trained illustrators. <\/p>\n
But his first portrait wasn\u2019t bad, Golovin said. He got the complexion right, the face shape, too. Every week, he talked to the artists around him: How did you do this? What were you thinking? How did you get to this color? <\/p>\n
He switched up what he wanted to focus on or tried a new concept every week. He learned to filter what he saw as a painter, squinting as he looked at the model and refraining from painting every fold of the skin. He learned to treat the head as a cube, then draw in the features, carving it away like a sculpture. <\/p>\n
Then, two years and several months later, he was the first person to complete 100 heads. <\/p>\n
The ceremony<\/p>\n
When Carlo realized Golovin and Marchione were close to completing 100 portraits, she started planning a ceremony. She wanted to lean into the secret society-esque name of their group. It happened the same night I sat as a model. <\/p>\n
The studio is usually unlocked, but Marchione didn\u2019t open the doors until after 6 p.m. <\/p>\n
The tall windows were covered and the lights off. Chairs were arranged in front of a makeshift podium. A neon red light strip formed the number 100 on the wall, and lamps were spread across the studio, illuminating decorative skulls on the shelves. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Masks made from portraits of past models, along with the traditional tater tot snack. (Clara Longo de Freitas\/The Banner)<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/NILNHW46YZBDLHR7VUU5V4QIPU.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Attendees held up masks as the secret society-esque ceremony took place, honoring members Eugene Golovin and Jon Marchione. (Clara Longo de Freitas\/The Banner)<\/p>\n
Carlo and other longtime members wore dark robes and Victorian-style masks, standing straight-faced as people walked in, laughing as they took in the room. Marchione and Golovin walked to the front row, and Carlo opened a large book, placing it on the podium. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf ye wish to obtain greatness in the realm of portraiture, partake in the practice of studying the portraits, once every Monday, until ye has reached 100 portraits reduced in total,\u201d she raised her voice dramatically, enunciating words as if reciting from ancient texts. <\/p>\n
\u201cAll rise to Eugene Golovin and Jon Marchione,\u201d one of the robed members said. Golovin and Marchione were told to kneel. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese recruits must first partake of the sacred tots,\u201d another said. \u201cPerfectly cooked and crunchy, it gives our society the power to complete our hallowed test.\u201d <\/p>\n
After being fed tater tots, Golovin and Marchione were handed custom-made rings inscribed with the group\u2019s name and mascot. People burst out laughing and clapping. <\/p>\n
The lights went on, and they started to rearrange chairs. That was my cue. <\/p>\n
The first 10 minutes were excruciating. I became too aware of how my eyes moved, how much I blinked. I had a <\/b>laughing fit when the soundtrack for \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d played, so Carlo switched to more mellow music. <\/p>\n
I tried to let my mind wander. I listed songs in alphabetical order in my mind to pass time. But I would move my body without realizing or make faces depending on what I was thinking. <\/p>\n
By the third break, however, it almost felt like a dream. I relaxed my gaze, my surroundings becoming unfocused. People chatted around me about ABBA, Gracie Abrams and Taylor Swift, along with a Twitch show run by someone\u2019s partner in which they watch random videos \u2014 including an hourslong lecture on types of fowl. <\/p>\n
I was only half-listening, but it was the most grounded I felt in months. <\/p>\n
![\"AUGUST](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Y4YEAZZG5JA6NALJ3KYKG4CI4A.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Banner reporter Clara Longo de Freitas sits for a portrait herself. (Courtesy of Jon Marchione)<\/p>\n
My back ached by 9 p.m., and my legs fell asleep. I walked around during the breaks and peeked at people\u2019s artwork. I asked them about their process and what they were focusing on \u2014 one artist was inverting colors to try a cooler palette, while a painter behind her used mainly red tones. One person said they had been working on my eyebrows for several sessions, another on my nose. <\/p>\n
(A couple of people said I had \u201clovely features\u201d and was \u201cvery fun to draw,\u201d so I will be riding on that high for the foreseeable future.) <\/p>\n
Once I saw all the paintings and drawings together, I audibly gasped. <\/p>\n
I now understand what Autrey meant about being a tool for artists. It\u2019s somewhat of a transaction \u2014 some of the artists donate their work to thank the models; others sell the paintings. But it\u2019s also about connecting, allowing yourself to be seen and studied. <\/p>\n
I came back the following Monday, this time to paint. I chatted with one of the artists, Andrea, who had painted a portrait of me. Before we went back to our canvases, I told her it was nice to meet her. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice to meet you too,\u201d she said, and then she paused. \u201cWell, I feel like I already know you.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019m sitting in a cramped art studio in Woodberry, trying to find something to focus on. There are…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":244373,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[648,1032,1033,171,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-244372","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-design","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115243474343049545","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}