Archive for September, 2012

Art Scholarship List Page
We are pleased to announce the addition of a new page to the Art Renewal Center website. This page is geared towards helping students find scholarships that can be used at ARC Approved™ schools.
In addition to the Art Renewal Center’s annual scholarship competition, there are a series of other scholarship programs available to help students learn traditional painting techniques. Some of the ateliers have their own scholarship programs and there are certain government programs and scholarships put out by private foundations available to students as well.

Please click here to visit the new page.


   In the Studio
   by Maria Bashkirtseff
Posted Friday, September 28th, 2012

IluXCon Almost Sold Out

Sands of Gorgoroth by Mark Zug		 The annual IlluXCon symposium, founded in 2008, now draws artists and attendees from all over the world. It is an annual symposium for Imaginary Realism and illustration art. Featuring more then fifty artists, hundreds of original works, demos, lectures, and workshops for students, artist, and collectors it is a must see. Tickets are going fast and there are a limited number available.
To make your reservations and ensure a spot click here.

This year the symposium will take place in Altoona, PA November 8-11, 2012.

To watch the official trailer on Youtube, click here.
Posted Thursday, September 27th, 2012

Bouguereau Book Price Increase
The remaining supply of Bouguereau Catalogue Raisonne two volume box sets are extremely limited. The next 6 sets sold will be at $480 and then the price will increase to $620 per set. If you would like to own a copy of this 32 year project with images of over 760 unique works by William Bouguereau and all information available on each of his 827 known paintings, as well as a full accounting of Bouguereau’s life, please place your order now by clicking here.
Posted Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

Virgil Elliott Lecture at TRAC2012

Fortune Teller – detail		 ARC Living Master™ Virgil Elliott will be giving a lecture at TRAC2012 on October 16, 2012 at 9:00am. The Concept Of Quality In Art; Inspirational And Practical Concerns.

Painter/writer Virgil Elliott (born 1944) is best known as the author of the book, Traditional Oil Painting: Advanced techniques and concepts from the Renaissance to the present, published in 2007 by Watson-Guptill Publications. Acknowledged as a Living Master by the Art Renewal Center, among the many honors and awards he has received over the years, Virgil is widely recognized as an expert on historic oil painting techniques and oil painting materials of the past and present.
“The future of art depends on the quality of the art of today and its power to inspire and influence artists and art lovers, now and in the decades and centuries to come. Just as contemporary representational artists have been inspired and influenced by the great works of artists of centuries past, somust we strive to create compelling masterpieces that will carry forward the torch of Quality into the future.”

To register for the full conference, or for a day pass to view the lecture click here.

To view Elliott’s gallery on ARC click here.

Posted Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

September 22, 2012 – February 2, 2013 – The Lyman Allyn Museum in New London, Connecticut
A brand new exhibition of artwork from James Gurney’s imaginary world of Dinotopia is now on view at The Lyman Allyn Museum in New London, Connecticut. Unlike Gurney’s recent exhibition, The Fantastical Art of James Gurney, which was exhibited at the Norton Museum of Art in Florida and at The Delaware Art Museum, Dinotopia: Art, Science, and Imagination will include a special selection of the preliminary work Gurney utilized in the making of his popular and successful Dinotopia book series. This is an opportunity to see “behind the curtain,” and learn how this fantasy wizard creates his beloved images. Along with Gurney’s sketches, maquettes, photo reference, and plein-air studies, there will be actual dinosaur specimens on display through a loan from the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. This exhibition, with 135 works, is by far, the largest and most comprehensive show of Gurney’s original artwork to date.
A presentation and book signing by James Gurney will take place on October 13th. To order a hand signed copy of one of his books, with an original hand drawing by the artist, click here for Dinotopia or here for Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara.
     Light on the Water

For more information on this and other exhibitions click here.
Posted Monday, September 24th, 2012

Special Congratulations to Duffy Sheridan
Congratulations to Duffy Sheridan for winning Best Figurative work in the International Guild of Realism’s 7th Annual Juried Exhibition for his painting Decoration Red & Gold, 38 x 42 inches, oil on linen. The show consisted of approximately 75 of the best works chosen out of a selection of paintings submitted by IGOR’s 300 plus members. The show will be open through September 30th 2012 at the Jones & Terwilliger Galleries, Carmel, CA. Some works are still available for purchase, for all of you interested collectors.

To view a list of all the works in the show, click here.

To view more works by Duffy Sheridan, click here.

Posted Friday, September 21st, 2012

New ARC Living Master™
Erik Koeppel received his formal training from the Rhode Island School of Design followed by the New York Academy of Art, and an annual apprenticeship in Wiscasset, Maine with his professor and friend, Seaver Leslie. After copying extensively from the Italian Masters, he developed a body of work that has been exhibited and collected internationally, and represented across the United States. Koeppel’s mastery of traditional techniques has led him to become one of very few young contemporary artists whose work is regularly exhibited with historic masters of the 19th and early 20th Centuries. He has hung beside Thomas Cole, Winslow Homer, Edgar Degas, John Frederick Kensett, and George Inness, and has had the distinguished honor of entering many collections including artists of this caliber. American Artist, PleinAir Magazine, and other respected publications have covered his progress.
A recent DVD has been released on his work, which includes a painting demonstration. To see a preview of the DVD and to purchase click here.

To view his gallery on ARC, click here.
Posted Thursday, September 20th, 2012

New Exhibition

Oracle by Juliette Aristides		 The staff and faculty at Cypress College in Southern California, are presenting an exhibition that includes major works by some of the finest Contemporary Figurative artists. Opening September 20th – November 1, 2012, “The Figure in Contemporary Art”, Curated by Thomas Butler, includes works by ARC Living Master™ Juliette Aristides, and former ARC scholarship winner Steven Assael among others. The opening reception is September 20th, from 6 – 8pm. Cypress College Art Gallery, 9200 Valley View Street, Cypress CA 90630.

To learn more about this exhibit, please click here.

Posted Wednesday, September 19th, 2012

ASTA Exhibition in Scottsdale Arizona
The American Society of Traditional Artists, an ARC Allied Organization, has just announced the Scottsdale, 2012, ASTA Annual Show at Open Range Gallery, 7077 East Main Street in the prestigious Scottsdale Arts District of Arizona. Centrally located on Main Street among many quality high end art galleries, luxury shops and fine dining, the ASTA show will attract art lovers and art collectors from all over the world.

The Scottsdale ASTA Annual Show is a five-week event, held from October 8th, 2012 thru November 10th, 2012. Over $2 million in art masterpieces will be available for sale. Featured events include a red carpet opening celebration, an awards gala and auction with 100% of the auction proceeds benefiting the Arizona Art Alliance and will conclude with the November 2012 First Thursday Art Walk, the first Art Walk of the winter season.
To register for the event, please e-mail
Ed.Copley@ASTArtists.com.

To view the catalogue click on the image.

Posted Friday, September 14th, 2012

New ARC Living Master™ Orley Ypon
We would like to welcome the First Place Figurative Category winner from the 2011/2012 ARC Salon as an ARC Living Master™. Orley hails from Toledo, Cebu, Philippines. He discovered a love for art at a very early age, doing portraits of himself and of family and friends throughout his growing years. The 39 year old artist has achieved much since his young years. A constant finalist in painting exhibitions in the Visayas and Metro Manila, Orley gained attention when he won the First Prize in the Art Association of the Philippines’ National On-The-Spot Painting Competition in 2001. His work tends to be highly symbolic and many pieces use large groups of human forms poetically posed to depict themes, social issues, and the human condition.

To view his new gallery on ARC click here.

Posted Thursday, September 13th, 2012

Jeremy Lipking Demo at TRAC 2012
ARC Living Master™ Jeremy Lipking will be giving a painting demonstration as part of The Representational Art Conference which will be held from October 14 – 17, 2012 in Ventura, CA. There has been a neglect of critical appreciation of representational art well out of proportion to its quality and significance; it is that neglect that this conference seeks to address.

Jeremy Lipking has emerged as one of the country’s premier realist artists. His talent, which rivals that of the late nineteenth century painterly realists such as John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla and Anders Zorn, is outstanding for a painter of any age. Like these great painters of the past, Lipking is a virtuoso artist. His canvases convey the magical aura of convincing imagery emerging out of a field of paint.
To register for the full conference, or for a day pass to view the demo, click here.

To view more images by Lipking click here.

Posted Wednesday, September 12th, 2012

Exhibition opening reception in Carmel, CA this Saturday
Come and attend the opening of The International Guild of Realism’s 7th Annual Juried Exhibition.

Works will include among others, those by ARC Living Masters™ Duffy Sheriden, Vala Ola, James Van Fossan, Associate Living Masters™ Donald Calpper, Mary Jane Q Cross, Juan Medina, and ARC Living Artist™ Stuart Dunkel.

Opening Reception: Saturday September 15th, 2012 – 5 to 8pm

To RSVP, call 831-626-9100 or toll free 888-278-0040
Or e-mail jtgalleries@aol.com
The Gallery location is on San Carlos between 5th & 6th, Carmel, CA.

To see a preview of the show and some of the works which will be on view click here.

Image shown above is “Evening Blue” by Donald Clapper, 36 x 18 inches and right is “Eye of the Peacock” by Vala Ola, 20 x 16 inches.

Posted Tuesday, September 11th, 2012

New ARC Living Master™
We are proud to welcome Thomas Reis to the Art Renewal Center’s Artist and Living Master’s Gallery™.
Many of ARC’s visitors are already be familiar with his work, since he won best in show for his painting of Amelie in the the 2011/2012 ARC Salon Competition. Reis has exhibited at numerous venues, including The Butler Institute of Art, The National Arts Club, Ogelthorpe University, The Beijing World Art Museum, The Marietta Museum of Art, Nicolet College Art Gallery, Fontbonne University, Harper College and the Museum of Arts and Sciences – where he had a solo exhibition in 2010. His work has appeared in International Artist Magazine, Artist’s Magazine, The Pastel Journal, and Southwest Art Magazine, among others.
To view more works by Thomas Reis, now on the ARC website, click here.
Posted Monday, September 10th, 2012

Congratulations to Richard Whitney
Special congratulations to ARC Living Master Richard Whitney for landing a major portrait commission from governor Mitt Romney, who is now the Republican candidate for president. About the work, Whitney has said the following:

Mitt Romney was out of office and touring the NH State House with John Sununu when he saw a portrait I had painted. Mitt was so impressed with it that he told Sununu “this is the man I want to paint my portrait”. He did not bother to look at any other artist’s work and had his assistant call me and arrange for the portrait.
We visited Romney at his summer home in Wolfboro, NH in Sept. 2008 for a 4 hour photo shoot where I took at least 200 photos and painted a color study of his head and shoulders.

We met again on A Sunday afternoon in October at the Governor’s office at the Mass. State House in Boston for another 2 hour photo shoot. Mitt wanted to have the background to be the way his office looked when he was Governor. He also insisted that he wanted his favorite photo of his wife, Ann, in the painting. This break with tradition caused a controversy with the State House Art Committee and they told him he could not do this. He replied “I’m paying for this portrait and I will have what I want!”

I painted the portrait in my studio in Stoddard over the winter and spent 3-4 months on the project.

It was unveiled June 30, 2009 at the Mass. State House to much media attention.

To view other works by Richard Whitney click here.
Posted Thursday, September 6th, 2012