Kline Academy Student, Xavier Gonzalez wins Memorial Award at Culver City Art Show

Every year the Culver City Art group holds their annual art exhibit
featuring over 24 artists. This year we are proud that one
of our K.A Artists, Xavier Gonzalez won the Memorial Award
for his entry, Peasant boy on a stool; a master copy based on Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.
It is a beautifully painted canvas in warm earth tones with masterful blends and edges.
Xavier is a young artist who is working on perfecting his technique
in classical painting. I am sure this is the first of many of awards to
come for this promising artist.

Working with foils...ahhh guilding

I feel like a kid sometimes when I work with foils. I love shinny things. But somehow when I introduce gilding into my work, I am transported back to a romantic time when gold and silver adorned the finest paintings and icons. It was used then to exaggerate the light/holiness of God or the Saint who was being painted.

I am using it in this painting to exaggerate a similar idea. For the last year and a half, I have been working on a series of icon inspired paintings and researching pre-christian- judeo religions where the feminine played the dominant role.

I used this set-up for my new painting and I thought it would be a perfect lesson for our Portrait Painting class that I teach on Wednesdays from 2-5pm. The stage was set with a shinny silver back-drop, Sara, our model wore a beautiful Asian red robe. The colors reflecting in her skin are beautiful.

I started the class off with a demo on how to block in the standing form. I had everyone prime their canvas with a cool medium gray. This time, I tried a new approach to see if it would help the students to achieve more accurate proportions. We predetermined the head size and marked off 7 1/2 head lengths on the canvas. (Sara's height). This helped most of those who were doing a full figure to stay within correct proportions. Next the block-in which concentrated mostly on the silhouette--no features, no detail. AND NO WHITE. I can't believe how hard it is for some to stay away from white in the beginning but trust me, if you concentrate on all the shadow shapes, connecting half tones and mid tones, you will be so much happier with the results.

I paint with and ahead of my students in order to give them a range of solutions to the many problems that arise in portrait and figure painting. This painting of Sara, "The Goddess" is almost finished and shows our students some of the color choices I made for shadows and skin tones. I jumped ahead of them by using photographs so I could study anticipate some of the challenges they will encounter. As an instructor you can't just talk the talk...you better know how to use the brush too!

In working with foils it is important to introduce the foil layer before the painting is finished. The reflected light is so intense that it obliterates all your other lights. After I applied the foil, I went back in to adjust my lights and intensify my darks using transparent glazes of Alizarine Crimson and Ultramarine Blue and Egyptian Violet. In the strongest whites, I am using an egg tempera mixture which I will explain later.

Here is the almost finished piece.

Progression of a Portrait

I finished "Mom's" portrait in February of this year and I have to say it is so much easier to paint someone you know really well.

Mom has Parkinson's disease and typical with that disease is the blank stare. Even though she still manages now and then to crack a sarcastic joke, she is really becoming less and less able to communicate. In this portrait I wanted to capture the reality of her situation. I guess my inspiration was Whistler's Mother, Arrangement in Grey and Black. Mine however is titled "I did the best I could." Meant to be a message to those who have selfishly left their parents to fend for themselves in their dark days. It is agony to see your Mother in a state of helplessness and vulnerability. I do the best I can and see her often and of course pay for her care but it really takes a village and we all need as much help as possible to care for our elderly. It is a gift to do service for others even when they were not saints. If we all just "... did the best we could."

Kline Academy Releases Portrait Painting DVD

We are SUPER EXCITED about our first in a series of instructional DVD's that illustrate the excellent teaching offered at Kline Academy.

Kline says it best: "I designed this program because I had a student (one) drop out due to frustration. She just couldn't "get it." My ego does not allow for defeat. So I stayed up nights trying to develop a system that would be understanding to any personality with any background, skill, whatever and came up with this system. And guess what? It really, really works! I actually tested the raw video on my students. I made them watch for 30 minutes then go back into the studio and paint and WOW! We were all amazed at their progress.

I am not claiming that just by watching the DVD you will become a great portrait artist. What I am claiming is that you will be better than you were."

This four hour DVD is a live demonstration filmed on location at the Kline Academy of Fine Art. Cheryl Kline will take you step by step in her unique process of painting portraits from a photograph. There are so many lessons in this DVD you will want to watch it again and again!

Secrets Revealed! This DVD will teach you how to:

• Find facial proportions
• Set your composition
• Draw your model on the canvas
• Block in the basic shapes
• Define the shadow patterns
• Mix beautiful skin tones
• Refine edges
• Painting Hair
• Painting Drapery
• Finishing touches
• and much more....

Regardless of skill level, this instructional DVD wil enable the artist to approach their next portrait project with a step by step system which will bring more success to the development of their painting techniques and practice.

"Artists of all abilities will definitely learn something from watching this. Throughout the demo Cheryl inserts gems of information that might not be gained from many hours of practical classes. She is a natural teacher and gifted artist who gererously shares her experience and skill in this demo." Barbara Rae, Professional Artist, Royal Academician, London

"I just finished watching Cheryl Kline’s video “Painting Portraits from Photographs & Finishing with the live Model.” It is so compelling. From beginning to end, the video shows the step by step method of painting from the palette, mixing the paint, drawing the initial structure, placement of the different values and then finally finishing it by looking at the live model. One of the most valuable parts of the video is to see how she uses a limited palette to produce so many colors and how to apply those colors. It is also about really seeing. Any novice or experienced painter could learn so much from this video." Judith Corona

Professional Artist, Adjunct Professor of Art, Otis College of Art + Design, UCLA Extension, Los Angeles

To Order: Call Kline Academy at (310)927-2436

$99.00

Kline Academy News

Okay, Im a bad blogger, I have not been keeping up with this and I apologize
But here is an update.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:

Mono Print FUN Day, Feb 16, Monday 10am to 5pm $125.
We will provide all oil based inks, you bring your own paper and some personal items for reference. This is an instant gratification day so be prepared for Christmas in February because each print is a surprise and accidents and the unexpected make for fantastic prints. Limited to 5 people call today. (310) 927-2436

Action Painting The Figure with Stephen Wright, All day Saturday in March (call for start date) $125
This workshop will explore the ideas of figurative artists in thetwentieth century, centering on three of the giants in the figurative field; Giacometti, Bacon and Freud. This will be a fun and informative day, focusing on getting students to break out of their traditional painting techniques and explore their subjective sensibilities. The focus is on freedom, passion, experimentation and excitement.

Figure Drawing made easy! Wednesdays 11am - 1pm $40 per class Starts Feb. 18
Your instructor, Esmeralda Acosta will take you on a gentle journey to successful figure drawing by giving you a one, two, three approach to drawing the live, nude model. Esmeralda instructor has studied with the best figurative artists in town and has and has dedicated her life to drawing and perfecting her skills...we are lucky to have her! You will achieve success!

Tuesday night un-instructed drawing workshops 7:30pm to 10:30 pm. $20 for one time or prepay for 4 times and get 1 free.
Angie, our animation expert, started "Get-the-Lead-Out" (http://gettheleadout-workshop.blogspot.com/) for anyone who wanted a place to draw the live model on the west side of town. The difference with our workshop from others, is that all of ours are themed with a costume and simple set. Our’s costs a little more then the neighborhood YMCA but we are using top models from "The Gallery Girls" and in our space you can sit closer than most settings. Themes range from "Geisha Vampire" ... "Insane Asylum" ..Tank Girl." Call or just drop in

Outdoor Landscape painting with Gary Blackwell, BFA, Distinguished Pastelist, Plein Air Painter. Fridays at 10am - 1pm $50 per class (pre-paid monthly)
This month, we will be exploring neighborhood painting- "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood" will take on a new meaning when we show you how to capture the magic of an urban street. Many artists have made their fame painting these scenes like Wayne Thiebaud, Edward Hopper, and many others. This class is a bargain as you will be learning from an award winning artist who gives you more than 100%.

Foundation Drawing for Painters saturdays 9:30am - 12:30pm- $50 per class (pre-paid monthly)
This classis a great way to either begin your venture into art or to enhance the art skills you already have. This is an in-studio class with an easy-going atmosphere. We teach you how to "see" and draw all the troublesome forms, core shadows, cast shadows and reflected lights, etc that present themselves in all paintings and compositions whether you are drawing/painting people, landscape, still life or abstract.

The Atelier Workshop Mondays from 11am to 2pm -$60 per class (pre-paid monthly)
This all encompassing class will transport you to a typical renaissance studio where artists are doing many things. Hal Yaskulka, your instructor is Rembrandt reincarnated! We have a live nude model for those more advanced students who are working on anatomy, figure drawing and painting, Cast head drawing in Charcoal, old master painting copies and de-constructions in gray, along with still life painting and how to grind your own paint also in the same studio. Each exercise will be designed to bring you closer to the ultimate challenge of live figure painting and how to be a better figurative artist. This is the same studio atmosphere that many of the masters before us engaged in to become great artists. Hal will teach you how to draw from a simple "envelope" to more advanced form development, demonstrating almost every time so that you can see how it it is done. He will also show you a simple palette and how to achieve easier skin tones if you are painting the model. The class is on-going and there is a discount when you sign up for 3 months at a time.

Also Ongoing at The Kline Academy
Portrait Painting, Classical and Contemporary, Wed 2pm to 5pm, $60 per class (pre-paid monthly)
Currently we are recreating "Girl with a Pearl Earring" Our live model is perfect for the roll and students get to stand 2 to 3 feet from the model which makes skin tones much easier to achieve. Next month we will be working on an Ingres inspired portrait with a model from the Gallery Girls who looks like she just stepped out of a painting! Join us...we have 2 spaces left.
(310)927-2436

We also have Foundations in Classical Painting on Wed eve and Thursday morning, and Contemporary painting on Thursday evening.