Michael Klein Returns to GCA!

We are polishing our studios (it is clean up week, after all!) with the news that Michael Klein is returning to GCA to teach in our part-time program. His new class, Training Your Memory from the Figure is on Monday nights from 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. The first session begins Monday, September 7th. This is a unique opportunity for advanced artists. Through intense memory exercises and analysis of their anatomical memory, students will locate key gaps in their understanding of the human body and through practice expand their knowledge.

To enroll, visit here.

Michael Klein began his academic training when he was eighteen with renowned portrait artist Richard Whitney and subsequently enrolled in Richard Lack’s atelier in Minneapolis, MN. He then moved to New York City to apprentice alongside Jacob Collins at his home in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Klein’s paintings have a subtle yet distinct quality to them. This aesthetic takes his work from being just a nod to 19th century artists and elevates it to a contemporary contemplation of the past and present.  Klein is represented by galleries in California and Massachusetts and has participated in several exhibitions throughout the United States. He developed American Painting Video Magazine in 2009 and currently lives and works in Bronx, NY.  Klein also maintains a painting studio in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

"Training Your Memory from the Figure " Course Description

Learning to train your memory was an essential part of late 19th century instruction. This class is designed for an advanced study of the human figure.  Artists have become accustomed to either working long hours from the model or incorporating photography in their work and have neglected their visual memory.  When one works away from nature, one becomes aware of the insufficiencies that occur in the understanding of anatomy, structure and perspective.

The format for this class will be set up so that students will develop a drawing or painting entirely from their memory. The model will commence in a pose for five minutes; the students will have everything setup ready to draw although no marks will be made in this initial period. The first five minutes will be for observation only.  When the time is up everyone will have ten minutes to work on their drawing or painting.  After the first fifteen minutes the model will resume the pose and the students will have the remaining five minutes to take notes on where they miscalculated. During the ending period of observation from the model there will not be any correction allowed to the studies.  Students will proceed this process throughout the evening and compare drawings at the end of the session. With a new pose every week students will have the opportunity to develop three hour studies emphasizing gesture and accurate proportions.  Critiques will be given on an individual basis with demonstrations throughout the course.

Portrait Sketch Competition Kicks Off!

And so it begins... the competitors are at their easels, the model on his stand, and the timer ticking. The fast-paced nature of the quick sketch, coupled with the competitive factor of the event, could make the room a stressful space -- fortunately, we have a group of wise-cracking artists from around the US that keep the energy high. 

The first brushstrokes of the day

Competitor Pseudonyms

The Artiste

Gilby Vanderbeer

The Crimson Chin

The Mahler

Besouro

The Amazing Paint Pusher

Dannyboy

Spaceman

Humuhumunukunukuapua'a

The Abstract Dunderhead

The lovely Santiago as our morning model

Look out for today's portraits, which will be posted late this evening on our Facebook page. The competitors will be labelled by their pseudonyms, and their identities revealed Thursday night. 

Our Portrait Sketch Competition Opens August 27! See Sixty Portraits at the Awards Party August 29!

By John Singer Sargent

Our annual three-day Portrait Sketch Competition runs August 27-29! The new event marks the end of another great summer of workshops and the fall return of our full-time and part-time students. Drop by to see some excellent portrait sketches amidst the back-to-school bustle!

In this competition, ten portrait painters will compete over three days to paint six portraits. The painters will paint each portrait in a single, four-hour session working from the same model.  A panel will judge the portraits as a group and award First and Second Place winners with prizes of $1,000 and $500, respectively.

The finalists are: Daniel Bilmes, Matthew James Collins, Kerry Dunn, Danny Ferland, David Gray, Greg Mortenson, Rick Piloco, Cesar Santos, Matthew Tarini and Joseph Todorovitch.

The event will be open to the public for daily lunch-hour viewings and for an Awards Party on the last day:

• Lunch Hour Viewings, August 27, 28 & 29 from 1-2pm.
• Awards Party & Final Viewing, Thursday, August 29 from 7-9pm. RSVP.

Location: GCA Studios at 20 West 44th Street (between 5th And 6th Avenues)

Watch the competition unfold on our Facebook Page where portraits will be posted daily!