Taking an Art Class

"Balance of Good and Evil" (16" x 20" oil) ~ Stuart Dunkel

I signed up for art classes with Stuart Dunkel at the Nautilus School of Realist Art in Watertown, MA which is a small, seven person studio setup.  He's a fabulous artist and a great teacher as well.  You can visit his web site at:  http://www.stuart-dunkel.com/.

I discovered Stuart while reading through Jeff Haye's art blog and I'm glad I did.  I've learned a great deal in the four classes I've taken so far.  I've already learned a great deal more about coloring mixing and making better choices for my paint choices.  There's only four and sometimes five students in the class so it's very intimate and questions are quickly answered. 

Requirements at work and the huge amount of snow storms Massachusetts has received has prevented me from attending any classes in January but we're back on track this week.

Alyssa Monks: Teetering Between Abstract & Realism

I've been a huge fan of Alyssa Monk's work for a few years now and her work in on my must-see lists.  I simply must attend one of her gallery shows in my lifetime.  Alyssa weaves and swirls paint into brilliant patterns and images that teeter between abstract and realism.  I love the way she renders her skin tones and brings the viewer into her work. 

My heart always starts to pound harder when I view "Gasp" and "Scream." These are my absolute favorites pieces of work by Alyssa. She pulls you into her work and engages you.  You can almost feel the moisture in the room to the point where you wait for the water droplets to trickle down the glass or skin.

Artists such as Alyssa inspire me to work harder and push my art further.  You cannot help but want to pick up a brush and paint after viewing her work.  She offers a "Details" web page that contains close-ups of her paintings so you can view her brush strokes.  I love this portion of her web page and I can only hope that other artists follow this practice in the years to come.  When I produce a worthy body of work I will definitely include close-up photos so other artists can see some of the brush strokes.  This is great if you are not close enough to a gallery that is exhibiting your favorite artist.


If you are an artist then you absolutely must visit Alyssa's "Details" web page.