Week 2 at the Florence Academy of Art | Studies and Process

7/8/2024

It's been a busy semester thus far in my final year as an MA student at the Florence Academy of Art. After all the travel, my first week was pretty crazy and I was also battling a cold so I was exhausted!
With this second week starting, I wanted to share some of my studies that I've been working on. One of my projects is a thesis still life that I'm developing from thumbnails to charcoal studies to a small oil study. The focus is on values, which is one of the main principles of art. My other project is a figure painting that I'm developing in the same manner.
The classes are very structured, which has helped me learn the principles more efficiently. The faculty has also been excellent and it's invaluable to be able to ask questions directly and to have my work professionally critiqued.
This process of art making is a very old one and it's extremely versatile. It resonates with me because of its directness and simplicity. And when I say simplicity, I also mean an economy that is very challenging to achieve. As a teacher myself, I see the benefit of also passing these methods to my own students. And it's great to teach (and learn) a process that emphasizes direct observation without tricks or "secrets".
On Thursday, we're going to the Uffizi gallery so I'm excited about that. I'm also going to get out and do some plein air work soon. This whole experience has been very fulfilling!