Editorials.

Art always comes from art and in the end, many of the ways I set things up can be traced to things I’ve seen.

Sculpture gives me an opportunity to reflect on the journey of the human species, its interaction with the divine earth and living beings. The opportunity to represent the energy that’s been loaned to me in my finite physical form.

As an adult I have somewhat forgotten how to daydream being caught up with everyday life. Being out in nature and letting my mind wander in thought and dreams gave me a sense of hope for the world. I hope people take the opportunity to dream again like as they did as a child.

While painting this, I wanted to capture that sense of peace that I had associated with flowers growing up. As I continue to paint, these themes of experiences from childhood reoccur and become something I reflect on constantly.

An inside look at the artworks by FAA artists that were awarded as winners in international competitions in 2022 and early 2023

The exquisite rhythms, the fine and highly expressive drawing of the human figure in states of tension and movement, and the variety in paint application, enticed me to copy this piece and unlock its wisdom.

This July, many friends and alumni of The Florence Academy of Art had a pleasant surprise when they saw familiar faces the studios of the academy featured on the popular show James May: Our Man in Italy. After the first few minutes of the 4th episode, The FAA makes its appearance with Director of the Intermediate Painting Program Toby Neve, and

This painting is about the uniquely feminine and complex relationships between sisters. I love the intensity of the bonds between women. I think that when women grow up together, they take on aspects of the things in the other that they admire, while also working to define themselves against each other. Sisters never grow up alone, and they shape each other into the women they become.

We captured many wonderful talks and techniques on film, and were able to experience first hand how much hard work and discipline FAA artists put into the development of their craft. We also had some unexpectedly hilarious moments that we are glad to bring to you today.

An inside look at the artworks by FAA artists that were awarded as finalists and winners in international competitions this year to date.

Nelson learned immensely from Annigoni’s way of painting landscapes with ink washes, just concentrating on rendering visually in terms of values. He would say, “getting the values right is the most important thing, that’s what gives life to the drawing, more than color. When you have color there can be the risk of concentrating too much on that and not getting the values completely right. In a well constructed ink wash drawing, you can forget that it lacks color, because the values say it all.”

One of the other great things about painting still life is that is humble and forgiving. You can set up a still life anywhere. It can be as simple or complex as you want.

A look into the experience of the FAA’s four Graduates in Residence for the 2021-2022 academic year.

I love to paint the story behind the object, most of the time I don’t know exactly what it is, but I know it’s there – I create it.

A Book review from The Florence Academy of Art Alumni

50 Paintings from 8 Nations and 22 Cities in 1 Summer. A feature on FAA alum Patrick Okrasinski’s journey through Europe funded by the Donald Jurney Traveling Fellowship.

In my bird portraits I seek to capture the individual bird I have as my subject: its particularities, its gesture, even its character and symbolic life-force.

In this particular project my intention was to create a work with a very restricted monochromatic palette to see if I could come up with an image that was both beautiful, powerful and at the same time elegant.

My hopes with this piece was to convey an awareness to autism, by expressing a deeper mental atmosphere using my brother Daniel’s wonderful portrait, and his incredibly articulate hands. An essential puzzle piece to my life. He is, without a doubt, my wellspring of inspiration.

The beauty of these [Bargue] drawings was none of them was over modeled, so by copying them, students would learn to reproduce the subtly of half tones and shadow edges, as well as correct outline and proportions.

Alongside the philosophical notion of beauty, the idea of ‘divine simplicity’ greatly influences my work.

I love drawing new faces. However I am pulled back to the same familiar faces due to curiosity in how they change over time, and marking my progress in technique.

As clay shrinks over time, it begins to crack, much like our human skin weathers when exposed to the elements. My work’s connection to human existence became clear. We are no different from what surrounds us, and we are part of the constant cycle of decline and growth.

All along the project I had two motivations: to improve my knowledge of anatomy and to follow in the footsteps of Constantin Brancusi in terms of anatomical study.

For me sculpture is a means or tool to represent a moment, an emotion, a form of beauty.

It’s science fiction but it’s also a domestic tragedy, a Space Opera.

When I first envisioned this work, I pictured the woman a dancer, maybe a ballerina, the morning after a performance. Having recently woken, she reaches down, rubs out her aches and pains, stretches. She is having a dialogue with her body, assessing its wear from the dance as well as rejoicing in her physical capabilities. When she rises she will draw herself a bath.

On October 8th 2020, Daniela began to escape into the dawn of each new day, to rediscover the power of imagination.
In her own words, “Every big change begins with knowing how to imagine it.” A year has passed, and on October 7th 2021, Daniela completed her project.

As an artist who is aware of the tradition of figurative sculpture throughout previous centuries, it is important for me to not repeat or glean from those who I admire, but rather to create something new, never seen before.

This year we had the pleasure to follow the process of River God, a recent work by Mitch Shea, current Director of the FAA Sculpture Program, from its initial steps in clay to its final casting in bronze.