In a cramped art studio in Baltimore's Woodberry neighborhood, nearly 30 artists gather every Monday evening to practice their portrait painting skills through an initiative called the 100 Heads Society. The group brings together both friends and strangers who dedicate their time to honing their portraiture abilities using the alla prima technique, where artists complete their work in a single three-hour session.

The society was founded on the principle that artists need connection and community to grow, providing dedicated time and space to inspire artistic discipline. Recently, the group celebrated a significant milestone when two artists, Eugene Golovin and Jon Marchione, became the first members to complete 100 portraits each.

The organization began in spring 2022 when Lauren Carlo, who studied classic realism at the Schuler School of Fine Arts in Station North, started hosting former classmates in her rowhome basement to practice portraits. Initially, group members took turns modeling for each other, then gradually expanded to include friends and acquaintances as subjects. By the end of that year, Carlo's basement space had become too crowded to accommodate the growing number of participants.

A series of fortunate encounters led the group to their current location in a Parkdale Avenue warehouse. Carlo's now-fiancé, Jon Marchione, had a mutual friend who was looking to share his studio space. When Carlo explained that it would be a weekly gathering with "a lot of goofy portraits," the space owner was enthusiastic about the idea. Additional support came through a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, which allowed Carlo to afford studio rent and keep the portrait sessions free for nearly two years. She only recently began charging a modest $5 attendance fee to maintain affordability.

Since moving to the warehouse studio in May 2023, the 100 Heads Society has continued to expand and has held two exhibitions, transforming the studio into a vibrant display of faces rendered in different palettes and artistic styles. According to Virginia Anderson, a senior curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art, such groups address historical barriers in art education. For centuries, only wealthy, white, and powerful individuals could commission paintings, and women and people of color were often denied access to formal art instruction even as art schools emerged in the 19th century.

Typical Monday evening sessions begin quietly as participants sketch and models adjust to posing. As the evening progresses, conversations naturally develop around music, television shows, and various topics, with some models joining in while others concentrate on maintaining their pose. Halfway through each session, there's a traditional break for snacks, typically featuring tater tots.

The group accommodates artists working in various mediums beyond the traditional oil paints that Carlo and many others use. Participants experiment with gouache, watercolor, charcoal, markers, and even digital illustration. Despite the diverse backgrounds and skill levels, Carlo notes that the energy and community spirit remain consistent with the group's origins among close friends.

Sara Autrey, who owns the North Baltimore thrift store Get Shredded Vintage, initially felt nervous about modeling for the group as a last-minute replacement. However, she found the experience meaningful, describing the portraits as "very sincere" and reflecting on the honor of having someone dedicate time to capturing her likeness on paper. She came to understand her role as "a helpful tool in their artistic process" and believes that "every person is art in their own way."

Eugene Golovin's journey with the group exemplifies how the society welcomes newcomers without formal training. After a back injury temporarily prevented him from his usual activities like swing dancing, Golovin asked Carlo about getting into painting. Her simple advice was to "just bring four colors of paint" – yellow ochre, warm red, ivory black, and white, known as the Zorn palette. Despite initial intimidation sitting next to trained illustrators like Marchione and Jon Schubbe, Golovin found his first portrait attempt surprisingly successful.

Through consistent weekly attendance, Golovin learned by asking fellow artists about their techniques, color choices, and thought processes. He experimented with different focuses and concepts each week, learning to filter what he saw as a painter by squinting at the model and avoiding the temptation to paint every detail. He developed skills in treating the head as a geometric form and then adding features, approaching the process like sculpture. After more than two years of dedicated practice, he became the first member to complete 100 portraits.

To commemorate this achievement, Carlo organized a ceremonial event that embraced the group's "secret society" theme. The celebration took place on the same evening that a reporter sat as a model for the group. The studio was dramatically transformed with covered windows, dimmed lights, and chairs arranged before a makeshift podium. A neon red light strip formed the number "100" on the wall, while lamps illuminated decorative skulls throughout the space.

Longtime members wore dark robes and Victorian-style masks, maintaining serious expressions as attendees arrived and took in the theatrical scene. Carlo and other robed members conducted a mock ceremony, reading dramatically from a large book with pseudo-archaic language about achieving "greatness in the realm of portraiture" through the practice of studying portraits every Monday until reaching 100 total works. The ceremony included the traditional feeding of tater tots to the honored members and the presentation of custom-made rings inscribed with the group's name and mascot.

The modeling experience itself proves both challenging and rewarding for participants. The initial adjustment period can be uncomfortable as models become hyper-aware of their eye movements and blinking patterns. However, as the session progresses, many find a meditative quality in holding still while surrounded by the creative energy of working artists. The three-hour commitment requires physical endurance, with models taking regular breaks to stretch and observe the various artistic interpretations of their likeness.

Artists approach each session with different objectives and techniques. Some focus on specific facial features across multiple sessions, while others experiment with color palettes or attempt to capture particular expressions. The diversity of artistic approaches means that a single model can inspire dramatically different interpretations, from realistic renderings to more abstract or stylized versions.

The 100 Heads Society represents a growing trend of grassroots artistic communities that provide accessible alternatives to formal art education. By offering affordable access to studio space, live models, and peer instruction, the group addresses many of the traditional barriers that have historically limited artistic development. The society's success demonstrates the value of community-driven initiatives in fostering artistic growth and maintaining the classical tradition of portrait painting in contemporary settings.

As the group continues to evolve and attract new members, it maintains its core mission of providing supportive space for artistic development while building genuine connections between participants. The milestone achievements of Golovin and Marchione serve as inspiration for newer members working toward their own 100-portrait goals, ensuring the society's continued growth and impact on Baltimore's artistic community.