I consider myself to be a versatile artist. My first love however, was Classical Realism. Although I’ve been infatuated with Impressionism and the idea of being able to paint through the colorful eyes of VanGogh and Monet and bring to life their vivid canvases, I believe that my discipline from early on has been Classical Realism which has given me the basic understanding of painting and drawing. For me it’s like cooking from my grandmother’s cookbook and learning from the classic recipes that warm your heart and soul.

The Florence Academy of Art in Italy is a classical nineteenth-century school, a forefront of classical realist art education where realistic painting and drawing are emphasized. The curriculum incorporates the teachings of French artist Charles Bargue 1826-1883.

I dreamed of studying in Florence and made that dream a reality in 2018 when I spent 4 months in Italy studying art history, classical figure painting, portraiture, and drawing, as well as still life and anatomy.

Teapot and Plums was the result of the still-life segment of the course. I painted it using a a black-box to set up my subjects in order to achieve the Chairoscuro treatment of light and shade in drawing and painting. I also implemented the life-size method used at the academy.