Monday, August 16, 2010
Picasso at the Met (video)
Nice little guided video tour here of a Picasso retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Interesting to see who influenced his early works and how he gradually developed his own style. A good reminder to beginners that it takes time to develop one’s own voice!
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Monet, Father of Modernism?
I’m a little late to the game on this one, as the exhibit has already come and gone. Monet and Abstraction, at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Spain, featured 107 works of Monet’s and his successors, including Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. “We wanted to present a new way of seeing Monet. It’s also a way to help the public understand abstract art, often less accessible, through Monet, who everybody loves,” said Paloma Alarco, the curator. I’m fascinated by the idea of Monet’s influence on the abstract expressionists. I can see, in the water lilies pieces, the simplicity of color and design making abstraction not that far of a leap. What do you think?
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Volunteer Opportunity for Artists & Art Educators
We received an email from ASART, a wonderful non-profit based in Central America. In their own words…“We work with national and international volunteers throughout Costa Rica and Nicaragua in order to develop different types of projects. Through Art, we try to continuously transform the community. We share new techniques and ideas with kids, teenagers and adults, as well as we try to bring consciousness about social responsibility. ASART provides free workshops in schools and shelters for abandoned and abused children. For example, through artistic recycling we promote love and respect for nature. This involves using non-biodegradable wastes to create jewelry, artwork, masks, toys and more. ASART also creates murals with children in educational institutions or community centers, instilling a sense of pride through the representation of their own drawings on walls in their communities. We want to share this experience with students that like volunteering!” Read more on their website here and spread the word!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
‘The Art of Gaman’ at the Smithsonian Museum
The Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian has an amazing new exhibit of works by Japanese-Americans interned during WWII. Under these bleak conditions people - not necessarily artists - coped by gathering found materials and creating beautiful objects. Carving birds, ships, shrines, building furniture and landscape painting & photography all became part of biding one’s time there. The word gaman means “to bear the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.” A slideshow of some work can be seen here. More information about the exhibition here.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Are You on Facebook or Twitter? Join Us!
The 21st Century has welcomed us with open arms. We’ve got a Facebook page that you can become a fan of here if you are already a Facebook member. If you don’t want to join a site you can still follow our “tweets” on our Twitter page here. These sites have been a great way to talk not only about FAS, but about current events in art and more. We hope you’ll join us!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Famous Artists Course Becomes Creative Art Course
Recently a blog reader queried about our new updated course so I asked the lovely Magdalen what was going on. And here’s what she had to say: “The new Creative Art Course is a revised, reorganized, and updated version of the original Famous Artists Course. Approximately 80 percent of the material in the new Course comes from the original Course. There is more color throughout, and more examples of art by the masters. Instead of having two separate Courses, one focusing on painting, the other on illustration and design, the new Course offers Foundations of Art, a core of basic study (10 Chapters and Assignments), followed by Elective Courses (each with 14 Chapters and Assignments) in the three specialities: Painting, Illustration, and Design. The Course will be offered for downloading online, in DVD format, and in print. Students can choose the format that suits their needs. ” The bold is my doing because, well, that’s the exciting part, right? Magdalen also assures us that, as with the current courses, all assignments will still be 3-D (meaning not virtual) and get mailed, as per usual, to the School for Instructor critique. The only bad news is that you’ll have to wait a few more months before the update is complete. We promise to keep you posted!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
FAS Alumnus: Andries Hartholt
We just added another profile to our alumnus page, Andries Hartholt. Among the many insightful comments Andries says about Famous Artists School is, “Every time I received my assignments back, it was a great surprise to see how much my paintings had been improved through the visual suggestions from my instructor Mr. McLaughlin. I was also glad that I was not pushed to paint in a certain direction or style.” This sentiment is often echoed by other students, that our instructors do not try to push a particular style or direction upon the students, but rather guide them into their own expression. A quick look at our alumnus page will attest to the diversity of work produced by folks who have taken our courses. By the way, if you are an alumnus with a web page or digital images of your work please do send us the info. We love to see what you are all up to!
Monday, May 03, 2010
The MOMA & Technology
A recent article in the NY Times discusses a website created by the MOMA called ‘Studio Visit’ which is a place for artists (sadly only in NYC) to rise above the internet fray by uploading info about their studios and work. ‘Studio Visit’ includes “images and video of the artists’ works — an image of each artist’s studio building, a brief statement by the artist, images of the studio’s interior and a satellite map showing the location.” Apparently the MOMA uses the site to keep up with emerging artists. They even have a ‘curators’ picks’ section. According to the artists involved their websites and studios have seen huge increases in traffic. I love the idea of our institutions getting involved in helping artists highlight their work and not get lost in the maelstrom of information on the web. Just another way that technology can help artists do what they do best - make art!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Praise from a Student
We received a wonderful email this week from Michael Pendola, a student enrolled in our Master Course in Painting. He says “I have been in the the graphic design business as a creative director for over 30 years… Even so, I have sensed the need for some serious ‘restructuring’ and challenge in my pictures. Attending workshops, and periodic classes have some value but seem to always underscore a certain ‘technique’ reinforced by instructor bias. And have not created much of a path for growth in my work. The FAS painting curriculum is invaluable. The instruction is rock solid without limit to individual expression. Between these hands-on instructional texts and the very experienced eye of my assigned instructor, Hank McLaughlin, I am experiencing some real growth and increased awareness in almost every aspect of making a picture. I am really satisfied with this course!” Michael started his own plein-air painters organization in Michigan, where he lives, and you can check it out here. Thank you, Michael!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Yukiko Tsushima Exhibition in NYC
Congrats to FAS alum (and prizewinner), Yukiko Tsushima, who has an opening reception in NYC tonight for her latest body of work, Nippon Style. The work uses an array of media including paint, ink and gold leaf, and incorporates “well-known characters from Japanese Buddhist art such as the demon-like temple guardian figures, as well as facemasks worn by actors in Japanese Noh Theater, alongside modern day, wide-eyed Anime babes.” Tsushima unites time-honored Japanese techniques and styles while expressing modern themes found in manga, advertisements, anime and video games. For more information about the exhibition visit Gallery Onetwentyeight’s website here.
