Artists Training

My journey began when I decided to follow my heart's desire and learn to draw and paint in the tradition of the old master painters. My whole life changed through that process and the only thing that began to matter was my quest for artistic perfection. It started at the Springbrook Academy of Fine Art in Renton in January 1992. I studied with a wonderful abstract artist Karen Evenson. Karen really helped me free up my creativity allowing me to discover what direction I should go.

In 1993 I discovered an article by Gary Faigin in the August edition of Artist Magazine in his article "Making Order Out of Chaos". I already owned Gary's book "The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression" but did not realize he was in the Seattle area. I found the Gage Academy (formerly the Academy of Realist Art) and took my first workshop with Gary Faigin in January 1994. Gary Faigin trained at the Art's Students League in New York under Robert Beverly Hale and at eh Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Gary turned out not only to be a gifted artist but also a very talented instructor.

In January 1995 the Gage Academy started bringing Tony Ryder, author of "The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing", to Seattle to teach workshops. I had the honor taking the first workshop that he taught in Seattle and trained with him exclusively for the next several years. Tony trained at the Art's Student League in New York under Ted Seth Jacobs. Tony continued his studies with Ted Jacobs when Ted started his own art school in France called Ecole Albert Defois. One of Ted Jacob's students traced the lineage of Ted's teachings all the way back to Leonardo da Vince and Michelangelo through the studios of David and Ingres. Tony is a very gifted artist and a talented instructor.

In December 1999 Tony Ryder recommended another very gifted and talented artist and instructor Juliette Aristides, author of "Classical Drawing Atelier" and "Classical Painting Atelier". In January 2000 I also started studying with Juliette. Juliette trained for ten years which included training from Carlos Madrid and Jacob Collins in New York.

It has been my good fortune that Pamela Belyea and Gary Faigin not only founded the best art school on the west coast but also one of the best schools in the world. It is no longer necessary to have to study art in New York or France to have a classical art education.