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MIFA Painting and Sculpture Programs offer top level instruction in realistic painting, drawing and sculpting.

Our unique curriculum is a blend of the methods used by the famous classical-realist 19th century academies and the two major academies in Florence, Italy. Based on our own experience, we have added some twists that make it more suitable to some contemporary artistic needs!

Mission:
Our mission is to promote a return to discipline in the learning stages of art. By teaching traditional, time-tested methods, we guaranteed the aspiring artist with a strong basement in drawing and painting. They also learn about materials, tips and secrets of the craft.

The mission of the sculpture program is to teach both perceptual skills and conceptual ideas. Perceptual skills are acquired through working from observation utilizing live models, and conceptual ideas about the construction and design of the human body that can be traced back to the sculptors of ancient Greece. Our sculpture curriculum is divided into three major programs and can be completed in 6 trimesters. The sculpture programs are part-time and take place Monday and Tuesday each week of the trimester. All students work from a live model on Mondays, and on technical and conceptual lessons typically without a model on Tuesdays.

Vision:
MIFA envisions artists that embrace creative expression supported by the highest level of craftsmanship. Our teaching methods and techniques provide the tools that students can use to create their own contemporary work and develop a personal artistic language.

Values:
MIFA strives for excellence, mutual respect, integrity, passion, empathy, determination and love for art.

PROGRAM

MIFA program is based on the atelier method, a step by step systematic progression through the curriculum. As each task and requisite skill is acquired, a new more difficult task is assigned. The rate at which students progress through the Drawing and Painting Program varies by individual, and normally requires a minimum of two and a half to three years to complete.

The fact that our academy is based on the atelier system represents a great advantage to the beginner students, as they are sharing the studio space with more advanced students. This gives them the opportunity to see the future projects they will work on, listen to other's critiques, receive advice from advanced students, etc.

Our curriculum is divided in three major programs:

• Intensive drawing program
• Intermediate program
• Advanced painting program

CORE PROGRAM

 Full Time

The full time program is designed to be completed in 6 Trimesters. 

5 days a week (6 hours/day)

Monday to Friday 9:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. and 1:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.

Tuition fee:  

Trimester $3200 

Monthly $1150

Save $250 by paying the trimester tuition in full

Half Time

2 days a week (6 hours a day) or 4 half days (3 hours a day)

Tuition fee:

Trimester $2000

Monthly $750

Save $250 by paying the trimester tuition in full 

 MIFA provides the opportunity for students to study on a half-time basis. You would follow the same curriculum as the full time students, which would give you the opportunity to achieve similar results, but of course, over a longer period of time. 

SPECIAL PROGRAM

 1 day a week  (6 hours/day) or 2 half days (3 hours a day)

Monday to Friday 9:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. and 1:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. 

Or Evenings 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.

Tuition fee: 

Trimester $1250 

Monthly $450

Save $100 by paying the trimester tuition in full

MIFA recognizes that it is not always possible for students to enroll in our Full or Half-Time programs. So we have designed a completely new program for those of you who don't have enough time due to work, study or any other reason. This program is perfect for those students who want to start a serious drawing and painting training but are not sure about the full program. One day a week!

PARALLEL EDUCATION

Drawing the life figure, method and procedure

A program designed exclusively as an introduction to drawing and painting of the human figure. Through a series of exercises focused on the fundamental principles whose complexity increases as the student advances in the program.

 Full Time

The parallel program is designed to be completed in 3 Trimesters. 

5 days a week (3 hours/day)

Monday to Friday 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. 

Fee: 

Trimester $2000 

Monthly $750

Save $200 by paying the trimester tuition in full

Half Time:

2 days a week (3 hours/day)

Monday to Friday 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.

Fee:  

Trimester $1300

Monthly $500

Save $200 by paying the trimester tuition in full

 "It is possible for students to do the core program during the evening classes as well, but the time to complete the program will be longer."

 Saturday Open Program:

This program is open and on a monthly basis

Saturdays 9:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. 

Fee:

Monthly $250

Day $70

Save $30 by paying the Month 

 These classes are intended for students who want to paint or draw in their own projects with professional advice and guidance without following the core program. These projects can include Old Masters copies, Landscape paintings, portrait from photos, and any kind of figurative paintings the student would like to develop. 

We recommend that everyone start with few drawing projects.

Some exercises can also be given to those students to help improve their skills. These exercises are specially designed for these classes. (Core program exercises, painting from the cast, still life painting, and painting the figure and portrait from the live model ARE NOT part of these classes) 

Still Life Program

The Still life program is designed for people who want to develop the  tradition of taking everyday objects and transforming them into  timeless representations of artistic beauty. 

During this program,  the student develops his notions about the principles of drawing and  painting, applied exclusively to the still life representation. Students  will learn the use of value, color, composition, textures and light.  They will also learn how to arrange a still life, do colors sketch, mix  colors, depict different materials, and how to apply paint in a variety  of ways to create the illusion of reality. 

The skills acquired  during this course can be applied directly to your continued artistic  endeavors such as figure drawing, painting and landscape.

Fee:

Full time: Five days a week (3 hours per day) for three trimesters. 

Trimester: $2000

Monthly: $750

Half Time: 6 hours per week plus homework 

Trimester: $1300

Monthly: $500

INTRO TO SCULPTURE: FORM, STRUCTURE AND TECHNIQUE

 In  the first two trimesters, students will learn fundamental ideas about  the additive process in sculpture.  The program is taught utilizing the  medium of water-based clay. Water-based clay is an accessible and  forgiving medium in which students can execute studies quickly, and  begin learning fundamental concepts about how to communicate with three  dimensional representations of the human figure.  

 ? Modeling from  Life: Students will begin modeling in clay from a live nude model and  will be introduced to ideas about the underlying architecture of the  skeleton, and how it dictates the exterior topography of the figure.  They will learn basic techniques for the construction of an armature,  and sketching in clay without an armature. 

 ? Master Copies:  Students will use clay to model copies of plaster casts to hone their  perceptual skills. This will introduce them to how sculptors of the past  have organized and simplified forms to make clear and cohesive works of  art. They will also dissect and diagram two dimensional copies of  various works from art history to learn how other artists have  conceptualized the human form to communicate more effectively.  

 ?  Mold Making and Casting: Water-based clay is an impermanent material,  and works in this medium are traditionally preserved through either  firing in a kiln, or molding and casting into another material.  Mold  making and casting is a craft in and of itself. A basic understanding of  the process is important regardless of whether or not an artist plans  to utilize this process in their own practice. Students will 

begin  making molds and casting in plaster, but will also have the opportunity  to experience molding with contemporary rubber materials. 

 ?  Relief: Students will learn the methodology for compressing forms into a  shallow depth to create a relief. This form of sculpture has a rich  history in Western art, and is essentially a compression and distortion  of three dimensional forms, meaning this typically more subtle form of  sculpture carries a high degree of complexity.  

 INTERMEDIATE SCULPTURE: ANATOMY & ARCHITECTONIC CONSTRUCTION 

 The  second sculpture program introduces the student to advanced ideas about  anatomy, and how to design the human figure with underlying  architectural principles. Looking back to ancient Greece, sculptors  throughout history have observed the natural patterns present in the  human body. Through the study of anatomy, students will learn how to  recognize these patterns and create an architectural system that  utilizes patterns to organize complex forms into a cohesive  representation of the human figure. 

? Écorché: Students will  study human anatomy from the inside out by sculpting a series of  écorchés. The student will first sculpt the human skeleton, and then  build the musculature on top of the skeleton.  A full figure in  reference pose at a small scale will be first, followed by  the more  detailed and intricate areas of the body. Students are encouraged to  keep these écorché studies to use as future reference. 

 ? Modeling  from Life: Advanced sketching techniques are introduced, and the scale  of the sculptures is increased. As students progress with their  anatomical study, the time spent working with the model is valuable to  start experimenting with their new knowledge and how it applies and  translates into observational sculpture. 

 ? Proportional Systems:  Throughout history different conventions of proportion have been used  for various aesthetic purposes.  Students will begin learning how these  systems function and how to manipulate them to communicate different  ideas and feelings. 

 ? Structural Anatomy: Students will explore  architectural conceptions of the bones and soft tissue, and learn how to  use the observable natural patterns found within the human body to  organize the complexities of the figure.  

 ADVANCED SCULPTURE: CONCEPT, DESIGN AND ARTISTIC PRACTICE

 In  this program students will begin the transition from student into  practicing artist. These final two trimesters encourage the student to  begin utilizing and refining the tools acquired in previous trimesters.  Figurative sculpture is looked at from both a design and communication  perspective. The student is asked 

to begin experimenting with the  manipulation of forms to not only depict the human figure, but also to  communicate ideas or feelings. 

? Modeling From Life: The scale of  sculptures is increased yet again, and the student is pushed to begin  experimenting with how to balance the task of faithfully copying the  model from observation with utilizing architectonic construction  techniques as well as various systems of proportion.  

 ?  Multi-Figure Composition: Students are asked to begin combining multiple  figures into one composition, and face a whole new set of problems to  solve as they learn how to organize volumes of space and form with  dramatically increased complexity.  

 ? Working From Imagination  and Other Sources: Utilizing their knowledge of structural anatomy,  students are encouraged to start working without a model to expand their  capabilities and range. Working from imagination and utilizing  secondary sources can provide a freedom to create poses a model could  not hold. 

 ? Varied Materials and Processes: As students begin to  explore their own visual language, they are encouraged to explore other  media beyond clay and plaster to better suit their own needs. Once the  formal concepts of form and design are understood, an artist must begin  synthesizing their ideas and aesthetic values with their medium of  choice.  

FACULTY

Milixa Morón
Milixa completed workshops at the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto before finishing her studies at the Angel Academy of Art in 2009, in Florence-Italy. Then she remained in Florence for some years, Becoming part of the "ArtSpace Florence" and following classes at "La Scuola Libera del Nudo" at Belli Arti Academy. As a realist painter, Morón is devoted to the resurgence and preservation of representational painting. Inspired by a diverse and large number of sources, Morón seeks to synthesize mythology, culture, universal ideas and beliefs with her subject's personal stories and psychology. http://milixamoron.com

Elkin Canas
Elkin's motivation as a painter is capturing light, its universal and timeless influence on life, art, and culture. Communicating observations of nature and using the time-tested methods of the Old Masters are the key to Elkin's visual language as an artist. Looking for a deeper understanding of those methods, Elkin moved to Florence, Italy, becoming part of an artist community called Florence ArtSpace, where he learned first-hand from great painters such as Angel Ramiro Sanchez and Hunter Eddy, director and co-director of the advanced painting program of the Florence Academy of Art. https://www.elkincanas.com/

Carlos Martinez León
Carlos studied at The Florence Academy of Art from 2007 to 2010, where he mastered his drawing and painting techniques. In his final year of study, he worked as an assistant professor of drawing to Simona Dolci, Director of Intensive Drawing. Immediately after his graduation, he remained in Florence where he continued his training in painting under the direction of Angel Ramiro Sánchez. http://martinezleon.com/en/

Brett F Harvey

Born in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts, Brett currently works and resides in Naples, Florida with his wife, artist Lauren Amalia Redding. He obtained his Bachelors in Painting from the New Hampshire Institute of Art. During that time, he studied at the Florence School of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. His time in Italy proved transformative, as the artwork he saw there inspired him to make sculpting his focus. He then obtained his Masters in Fine Arts degree in Sculpture and Anatomy from the New York Academy of Art in New York City. Brett’s work can be viewed at  www.brettfharvey.com