Sunday, February 28, 2010

Jacob Collins demo, day 19


Here is the last day of Jacob's demo. We got some professional lighting for this photo and it makes a big difference! Sorry for the poor quality on all the other photos, we are hoping to set up a better situation for photographing the artwork done at GCA. I usually just point & shoot the work while it's still on the easel. Some of the students have forbidden me to post their work on the blog because the photos come out so poorly, so we are working on a solution.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Dahesh collection exhibit

New York, NY -- February 26 - April 29 2010, the Dahesh Museum of Art will present Becoming An Artist: The Academy in 19th-Century France at Syracuse University's Palitz Gallery, Lubin House in New York City, 11 East 61st Street off Fifth Avenue.


Jean-Léon Gérôme (French, 1824-1904)
Working in Marble, or The Artist Sculpting Tanagra, 1890
Oil on Canvas, 19 7.8 x 151/2 in.

Becoming An Artist features a remarkable selection of 28 works drawn from the Dahesh Museum of Art's distinguished collection, including paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by well-known academic masters: William Adolphe Bouguereau, Paul Delaroche, Henri Fantin-Latour, and Jean-Léon Gérôme, as well as their lesser-known but equally popular contemporaries.

The exhibition explores the technical and intellectual training offered by the internationally famous Paris art school, the école des Beaux-Arts. The flowering and international influence of the French Academy and the école des Beaux-Arts in the 19th century made Paris the artistic capital of the Western World, and aspiring artists flocked there. Those artists elected to the Academy virtually ruled the French art world, and acceptance at the école was a crucial step to a successful career.

The exhibition highlights the rigorous, broad-based curriculum that attracted students from France and abroad; the competitions that rewarded excellence; the hierarchy of preferred subject matter; and the unexpected variety of artistic expression generated by this exacting system.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Uninstructed Anatomy Drawing Group


Arm studies by Colleen Barry

The debut of this group was a huge success and we have decided to meet monthly! Space is limited so please email Colleen to reserve your spot.
In the next session we will focus on the lower arm. We will discuss the structure of the arm from different viewpoints and in movement. Then we will draw the lower arm in 20 minute poses taken in part from master drawings. Study ahead of time and learn from the group as we share what we know.


WHERE: Grand Central Academy 20 W. 44th St (btw 5/6 ave.) 6th Floor

WHEN:
Saturday March 27, 2010

TIME:
9:00am-12:00pm

COST: $5 if you sign up in advance. $9 at the door. (Advance sign-up strongly encouraged)

RSVP: colleenbarry2@gmail.com

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Colleen Barry & the Academic Approach

Colleen Barry has a show coming up at The Academy Arts Council in Bryn Athyn, PA. The reception is from 2-5 PM on Sunday March 14. The purpose of the exhibition is to shed light on the classical education that she has received over the last four years at the Harlem Studio School of Art, Water Street Atelier and the Grand Central Academy. Colleen will be giving informal talks to the students about traditional painting and drawing techniques and how the classical tradition is thriving in the 21st century.
Colleen will be teaching the summer intensive workshop at GCA (May 31 - June 25) along with Jacob Collins, Will St. John, and Angela Cunningham.


Michelangelo Bust, 17"x24" oil on linen by Colleen Barry, 2009


Skull Studies, Charcoal, by Colleen Barry, 2009


Figure Study, Graphite, by Colleen Barry, 2009

The Academy Arts Council
2825 Benade Circle,
Bryn Athyn PA 19009

Gallery Hours: 8am-3 pm
Dates: March 14-May 2, 2010
by appointment: 215-749-2193


Tuesday, February 23, 2010

new ebauche workshop offered in August


Santiago, by Will St. John, oil on linen, 16"x20", 2008

Painting the Ebauche: A Traditional Approach, taught by Will St. John
August 16 - 20 (5 days) 10am - 5pm
$600 ($300 deposit)
Class open, accepting registrations.

The French Academy officially defined the ebauche as:

“The initial stage of the realization of a projected painting; the careful preparation, on broad lines of emphasis, the characteristic masses, forms, action, effect and color-scheme of the scene to be represented.”

-Albert Boime, The Academy & French Painting in the 19th Century


In 19th Century academic practice, the ebauche or lay-in, was considered fundamental to the success of a finished work. With an emphasis on breadth of form, a vigorous handling, and the tout ensemble, a successful ebauche can provide a strong foundation for subsequent re-paintings or stand alone as a finished piece.

Over the course of one week, students will complete a full-length figure painting working in this manner. Finishing area-by-area, students will be taught to observe correct proportion, anatomy, and color with a strong emphasis on form modeling. One-on-one instruction will be accompanied by demonstrations. Visual source material illustrating this technique will be provided.

Jacob Collins demo, day 15



Sunday, February 21, 2010

Figure show at John Pence

Coming up at the John Pence Gallery in San Francisco is "The Human Figure" running from 2/26 - 4/10. This group show includes several former students of the Water Street Atelier (before it merged with the GCA last year) including current GCA instructors Edward Minoff, Tony Curanaj, Sam Wisneski, Jacob Collins, Nicholas Hiltner, John deMartin, and Travis Schlaht.


David by Jacob Collins. oil on canvas, 48"x48"

Saturday, February 20, 2010

The Dreamcatcher by Camie Davis


The Dreamcatcher, oil on linen



This is a recently finished painting by GCA instructor Camie Davis. You can read more about the story behind this painting and follow Camie's work on her new blog. Camie teaches in the core program and she also offers a Saturday class on portrait drawing & painting. This summer she will be teaching a portrait drawing & painting workshop (july 19-30).


Sunday, February 14, 2010

Special Tour of the Fred & Sherry Ross Collection

Last weekend a group of us had the wonderful opportunity to visit the home of Fred & Sherry Ross for a tour of their art collection. Every wall was crammed with unbelievable drawings and paintings and it was like visiting a museum of 19th century art. Fred & Sherry run the Art Renewal Center which is a great resource for artists pursuing academic training or just wanting to learn more about art history. We are sending out a big thanks to them for inviting us into their home and sharing their passion for art! I included a few of the paintings we got to see, but you can check out all of them and more at the ARC online museum.


Here we are.


Detail of a Bouguereau painting


Jeunes Bohemiennes by William Bouguereau


Portrait de Gabrielle Cot by William Bouguereau


Bouderie (Gustave Courtois in his studio) by Pascal Dagnan Bouveret

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Jacob Collins demo, day 10 + Valentines Day Pot Luck


Here is what Jacob did on Friday.




Here is the amazing pot luck feast we had on Friday.


The occasion was Valentine's Day ...


Ken did some mind-reading magic on Mark


While everyone else had a beer, Spencer kept painting.


Carla got a tattoo


kind of gruesome ...


Katie got attacked by a vampire ... you can't see but there's a lot of blood under there

Friday, February 12, 2010

Jacob Collins demo, day 9


On day 9 Jacob started painting the arm. He's using some low chroma flesh tones that he pre-mixed which he combines with other colors to achieve subtle gradations.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Jacob Collins demo, day 8


Yesterday Jacob painted this ébauche working fast and turning the form with thinned paint. He describes this process as "a fast, thin version what you are about to do next"


In this photo you can see how thin the paint is at this stage.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Jacob Collins demo, day 7


Yesterday Jacob painted this small color study - about 8"x10" to map out the general color & value scheme for the painting.


On the lightest areas of the figure, he worked over the dry under painting with some white paint. If you compare these photos to day 6 you can see it's pretty minimal, but enough to bring out the form on the face and shoulder.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Jacob Collins demo, day 6

Over the weekend, Jacob enlarged his drawing from day 5 and transferred it to a canvas. Using a thinned layer of paint, he did this under painting, wiping out the light areas to reveal the white of the canvas. His original drawing was around 16"x20" and the canvas is approximately 20"x 28"