At home in Minneapolis

Well, it has been a while. I've turned over a new leaf--or perhaps an old leaf I have turned before but somehow left to get blown about and land however it chose. I am no longer going to go through life apologizing for the intermittent updates to blogs or phone calls and email to friends and family... this is just one aspect of my personality that we will all have to learn to call "endearing."

Life seemed to take a sudden and rapid turn this past summer, and I now find myself living in Minneapolis, MN, studying full time at The Atelier. The condensed and drama-defused version of events is that there was what I assume to be financial mismanagement by the administration of the Colorado Academy of Art (who knows where the money went), and the school closed its doors last July. It is a shame to see the school go--the teachers and program were wonderful and the program had great potential.

There had been indications of cash flow problems and rumors floating about the school for several months, and after consulting with close friends and my lawyer/father-in-common-law, it became quite clear that I needed to form a Plan B and get out while I could. One of my teachers graduated years ago from the Lack Atelier in Minneapolis and is good friends with the directors of the newer incarnation of the school. He suggested that if I would be willing to pack up and move--and live with the cold, cold winters--I should send in my portfolio. Dave Larsson is a fantastic teacher and person in general, and I thought that if the teachers at The Atelier were anything like him, it would be the place for me. So here I am.

The program is four years and the focus of year two is still-life, year three is portrait, and year four is portrait/interior scenes. I've got class drawing from the model five mornings a week and then working on my own projects in my studio space each afternoon. They've started me out doing a couple of projects that I did last year; the directors want to be sure I'm not missing anything they teach first year and want to get to know my abilities and drawing/painting techniques. I'm currently painting a large cast of an ecorche face (a sculpture of a head with no skin that shows the muscle structure) but should be painting still-life in color by the winter break.

That's the latest. Did I mention that I love the school? And that I have a studio space with a window and work by natural light? Oh, and that I LOVE IT?! I'm set up for success and just have to keep moving toward it!