Jonathon Aller and Wren Clinefelter Interviewed by the Star Tribune

Jonathan Aller ’18 and Wren Clinefelter ’25 were two of the artists interviewed by the Star Tribune, discussing what makes a good portrait.

Aller studied under masters of European art history for three years in Florence. When he returned to the United States, he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at MCAD, where he now works as a professor. He told the Star Tribune, “I’m drawn to portraits. There’s something about a portrait, you know, through the eyes of a portrait of a sitter, that you can get so much from them.”

Recent Comic Art graduate Wren Clinefelter spoke of their experience at MCAD's annual Auction, where they drew three-minute sketches of people wanting to pose. They emphasize the importance of warm-up sketches and live portraiture. Clinefelter compared the line drawing experience to an early childhood memory: “People would come stand behind me and watch me work. That was something I had some experience of. In elementary school, people would be like: ‘Can you draw me?’ And then a crowd of people would gather around my desk. It was very surreal―it’s like wow, I’m doing the same thing I was doing in third grade, but I’m getting paid to do it.”

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• Minnesota artists talk about what makes a good portrait
  (startribune.com—August 1, 2025)