DrawingAcademy

Article by Slater Smith

Very recently, I got into a discussion on which careers are beneficial to society and which are not. At some point, an individual said that art has absolutely no purpose to the world, giving no explanation as to why. I was immediately startled. How could anyone not know the value of fine art? After a day or two of thinking, I realized that very little painters, sculptors, and other craftsmen are ever referred to outside of an art history or appreciation course and how many students even take the time to participate in such classes? I does not make sense to study the French Revolution with without studying Jacques-Louis David, nor is it logical to speak of religion without the Sistine Chapel being mentioned. In this article, I would like to explain the various ways artists have shaped today’s world…

Article by T. Stonefield

I think one of the hardest things for new painters to do with confidence is to execute their dark values with conviction and make them dark enough. Over and over, I have told my beginning students to make their darks darker. There always seems to be so much resistance.

“Really? Darker than this?!!” they ask perplexed…

Article by Slater Smith

Throughout art history, there are very few accomplished female painters. This was caused by numerous factors, most relating women being too “delicate” for work. Despite societal standing, a small portion of determined souls were able to learn the art. One of the first and most successful female painters was Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the Great Masters from the Baroque period, famous for her depictions of Judith. Her works were skillfully rendered, full of a feminist’s spirit, and rival that of her male contemporaries.

Artemisia was born on July 8th, 1593, in Rome. She exhibited extraordinary artistic talent in her youth. Her father, Orazio Gentileschi, was able to recognize this and decided to train her, as women were not allowed to attend art academies in the 17th century. Orazio was no stranger in the field of painting. He was a Caravaggisti, or a follower of Caravaggio. His works incorporated the chiaroscuro technique, creating incredible tonal contrast and drama within a scene. Artemisia became influenced by the same technique and, for some time, critics could not tell whether she or her father had made a particular piece. From further training and expanding her view on life in general, Artemisia began to develop her own sense of style. Her first known work is titled “Susanna and the Elders”…

Article by T. Stonefield

It was 1998. My husband was gone. My mother had died of leukemia that June.and I was trying to get my live back together.

I had been back in the States for already two years. I had found work, a place to live, and even bought a used car. At first, I thought I wouldn’t need one and just use mass transit as I had done in Japan. However, by November, the temperature was hovering around freezing and I realized that there was no way I was going to be walking the 20 minutes and waiting for buses that were never on schedule or never even came. So I gave in…