TRADITIONAL & CONTEMPORARY REALIST ART AND TEACHING STUDIO
A contemporary realist painter, Linda studied at the South Australia TAFE-School of Art and Design, and worked as a commercial artist before moving to the US in '94. She continued to develop her foundational skills seeking out master artists working today in the traditional method studying with them at various ateliers in the US and France. In her private studio Linda had immersed herself in painting and continued to develop her vision of a creative environment where traditional art could be taught as a practiced discipline where students could work in a structured, organized studio with the hands on guidance of the studio’s principle artists. Linda opened Russian River Atelier in 2015 to the community, seeking highly qualified artists to teach their methods of traditional drawing and painting and to support the local visual arts community.
Artist Statement
Linda Schroeter (b. 1963, Australia)
In 2014 I re-named my studio, Russian River Atelier, after developing it as a collaborative teaching space, dedicated to teaching the fundamental skills to other artists interested in realist/representational and academic art.
My Art
Allegory and symbolism in the paintings of the Dutch artists of the 16th and 17th century intrigue and inspire me. Their skillfully rendered Still Lives are able to hold the viewers attention, portraying exquisite beauty. Learning theses skills were almost forgotten in academia institutions of the last century, but there has been a growing interest in this genre of painting now making resurgence and I believe it to be a very exciting time for artists to delve more deeply into this area of study. Nothing excites me more than visiting the paintings in Amsterdam’s historic Antiques and art district where this traditional art practice still thrives.
My preferred technique is working from life in the traditional In-direct painting method used by painters throughout history such as Vermeer, of light manipulation through paint layers, pushing forms and elements to create the sense of three-dimensional space. I begin with under-painting the grisaille, followed by building the color layers, glazing and scumbling.
Organizations
Art Renewal Center, ARC Associate Living Master™
International Guild of Realism
Portrait Society of America
American Woman Artists
A graduate of the illustration program at Sheridan College in Ontario, Canada, Jay worked as an architect’s assistant before he began his studies with John Michael Angel in Toronto, Canada. Moving to Florence in 2005 as an instructor, and continuing his study of traditional painting methods at the Angel Academy of Art in Italy, Jay remained as a full-time painting and drawing instructor for many years after he graduated. He currently resides in Northern California with his talented wife, artist Naomi Marino, and their beautiful daughter. His main focus is on still-life painting as well as teaching figure and old master copy painting at the Russian River Atelier, Geyserville.
In his intensive figure workshops, Jay will be presenting a system that will develop the student's ability to paint the human figure with accuracy and force.
A graduate of the illustration program at Sheridan College in Ontario, Canada, Jay worked as an architect’s assistant before moving to Florence, Italy to study traditional painting methods at the Angel Academy of art where he also also remained as a full-time instructor for many years. He currently resides in Northern California where his main focus is on still-life painting as well as teaching.
Naomi Marino is a contemporary realist painter based in Northern California. After studying art in a university setting as well as apprenticing at a private atelier, Naomi’s interest in Dutch still life, Renaissance art and 19th century master paintings led her to relocate to Florence, Italy, in pursuit of a strong foundation of technical mastery in painting and drawing. There she studied under Maestro Michael John Angel at the Angel Academy of Art, and honed her craft through rigorous training, workshops, teaching, and independent study. Naomi’s work has earned various awards and scholarships, and can be found in private and public collections in Europe, North America, and Australia.
Naomi Marino is a contemporary realist painter based in Northern California. After studying art in a university setting as well as apprenticing at a private atelier, Naomi’s interest in Dutch still life, Renaissance art and 19th century master paintings led her to relocate to Florence, Italy, in pursuit of a strong foundation of technical mastery in painting and drawing. There she studied under Maestro Michael John Angel at the Angel Academy of Art, and honed her craft through rigorous training, workshops, teaching, and independent study. Naomi’s work has earned various awards and scholarships, and can be found in private and public collections in Europe, North America, and Australia.
Joseph Atwer (b.1984) grew up on the California coast just south of San Francisco. He began his studies in 2005 at the Florence Academy Of Art, in Italy. After graduating from the FAA in 2009, Joseph shared a studio and worked along side Leo Mancini-Hresko and Marc Dalessio where he was introduced to landscape painting. In 2013 Joseph moved to Barcelona, Spain where he taught drawing and painting during five years at the Barcelona Academy Of Art.
Together with his interest of nature and understanding of drawing and color, Joseph has been moving from studio painting to working more outdoors. Wether it be a costal landscape or the fleeting light over a garbage can, he sets out to capture what is in front of him. Joseph has recently moved back to California where he teaches workshops and continues to paint interiors, still life and landscapes of the California coast and surroundings.
Emma Hirst (b. 1988) is a representational oil painter based out of Oakland, Calif., where she was born and raised. Emma has always had a passion for drawing and painting, and has been drawn towards realism for as long as she can remember. In 2006 she was introduced to the work of Anthony Waichulis through John Pence Gallery, and began a journey studying under him, on and off, as just an eager teenager. She eventually completed the rigorous “Language of Drawing” and “Language of Painting” programs in 2015, working for Waichulis as a full-time apprentice.
Emma continues to work realistically and is often inspired by natural objects and natural light. She enjoys putting together still-life compositions that are unique and complex, often using elements of geometry found in natural forms. Some of her still-life work uses negative space as a primary element of the composition, while in others she eliminates negative space altogether in order to focus solely on the details of the subject. Emma’s work has begun to branch out into landscape and portrait pieces, but these remain detailed and are strongly focused on composition and the natural world.
Second only to her passion for drawing and painting, Emma has an avid love for teaching and speaking about art and art education. She feels both a desire and a responsibility to share her knowledge of technical skill- building and two dimensional representation. She began her teaching endeavors in 2016, as a substitute teacher for 5 weeks at Ani Art Academy Anguilla, and has gone on to develop workshops and teach students at: Sadie Valeri Atelier in San Francisco, CA, Liv & Chiu Art Studio in Berkeley, CA, and through online mentorship/private lessons.
Emma has been featured in several successful exhibitions and noted publications. She continues to exhibit with Studio Gallery in San Francisco, CA, and Abend Gallery in Denver, CO.
James Judson Monroe is a painter with a lifetime interest in representational art and traditional approaches to painting. Many helpful influences that crossed Judson's path as a young man intrigued and inspired him to investigate the possibility of a traditional art education abroad. At a very young age he began his training in representational drawing after taking his first class in academic figure drawing from Charles Cecil.
Years later and still hooked, after having discovered the lack of traditional painting skills common to university art instruction, Judson decided to return to Italy. The community of classically trained artists, coupled with the country’s vast wealth of art history, proved to be the perfect environment to allow him to take on the truly hard work of painting.. To supplement his FAA education he also took classes in plein air painting and portraiture in private studios around Florence, as well as assisting with FAA’s own portrait painting workshops. Any free time he found, Judson spent traveling to art museums and sketching around the rest of Europe. After graduating from the Florence Academy of Art he went on to become their Director of Art History with a special interest in 19th century Italian painting, a fantastic era in art history he continues to passionately explore.
Upon his return to the United States Judson painted in several places for extended periods before eventually settling down in Breckenridge, CO. Currently he is focused on painting out-of-doors and composing genre scenes, while occasionally doing demos and workshops.
In 2001, I was fortunate to be accepted into Charles Cecil Studios in Florence, Italy. For three glorious years, I studied drawing/painting the figure and portrait using sight-size. This term describes a method of seeing and drawing that was used by Velasquez, Rubens, Van Dyck, and Sargent, among others. It can be used for portraits, figures, still-lifes or landscapes - wherever accuracy is the goal. Sight-size is a systematic way to see and measure in order to closely reproduce nature.
I'm delighted to offer a class in the basics of the sight-size method. A drawing or painting made from life is a record of thousands of artistic perceptions and feelings. This dialogue with nature was central to the old masters and is the core of using sight-size.
