On the evening of March 11, the Art Students League announced that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school would close indefinitely. I was teaching my evening painting class when the word came down. We were all in shock; it was like all the air let out of a balloon. The students were revving up … Read More
Copying master drawings is a rewarding way to improve your drawing skills. When you copy a drawing by a highly skilled artist, you are exposed to the artist’s techniques, as well as to their thought process. Copying teaches you how a master faces and solves fundamental drawing problems. You get a deep, rich understanding of … Read More
Hosted by Rosetta Sciacca with Instructor Costa Vavagiakis Trip Overview Rosetta Sciacca and Sicily Artist Retreats invite you to paint in Sicily. Sicily Artist Retreats organizes intensive 10-day programs led by renowned artists in a variety of disciplines, including painting, drawing, and sculpture. Join acclaimed artist Costa Vavagiakis for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to paint in Western Sicily. Explore Greek … Read More
Join Costa Vavagiakis for a painting workshop in Marsala, Sicily. Explore Greek temples, Norman castles, and colorful seaside towns in the historic heart of the Mediterranean. We will paint en plein air along ancient salt flats, picturesque seascapes, and at suggestive historic sites. While in Sicily, we will explore the cuisine, culture, and traditions of one of the … Read More
The League of Masters, Past + Present: Works by the Art Students League Teachers and Students celebrates the League’s continuing tradition of supporting artists, exhibiting significant works by past League masters such as Hans Hofmann, Burgoyne Diller, and Will Barnet, and shifts forward to focus on the diversity and talent of more than twenty-five contemporary … Read More
The Annual Instructors’ Exhibition at the Art Students League of New York Since the late nineteenth century, The Art Students League of New York has launched its fall exhibition season with a presentation of work by current instructors. Notable teachers who have taken part in this historic tradition include Peggy Bacon, Thomas Hart Benton, William … Read More
Artists Magazine asked, “If you could’ve witnessed the creation of one artwork, what would it be?” Twelve artists answered, including Costa Vavagiakis. One of the reasons The Art of Painting intrigues me is that it’s one of the few Vermeers I haven’t seen in person. We on the East Coast have the opportunity to see … Read More
PORTRAIT PAINTING Monday–Friday, July 29–Aug. 2, 2019 | 9:00 AM–5:00 PM | $920 This all-day all-week workshop is designed to help the student learn the finer points of this time-honored art form. All the stages of the portrait painting process will be examined from the under-painting to the completed portrait. Students will develop a … Read More
Back when we were kids we sketched well, but we didn’t take drawings that far. Over the last thirty years, because of the blossoming of the French academic ateliers that focus on rendering, it has reversed. Today, I find a lot of students who do finished drawings well, but don’t sketch well. I discovered a … Read More
When Robert Bunkin & Jenny Tango asked me to participate in the Parent Portraits exhibition, I took up the task of digging up some old portfolios. What I found were many sketches I did of my mother between 1974 and 1978, the last years I was living in my parents’ house. Three of these sketches … Read More