Atelier of Virgil Elliott

More about Virgil Elliott.

Professional Associations, Past and Present:

Virgil Elliott is one of 24 artists, world-wide, certified by the American Portrait Society, and a Signature Member of the American Society of Portrait Artists. In 1996 he was elected an Associate Guild Member of the American Society of Classical Realism. Other associations include: Artists' Advisory Panel to the California State Fair (1987), Artists in Mensa, American Artists Professional League, and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D01.57 Committee, which sets standards for artists ' materials in the United States.

"An atelier, in the older sense of the word, meant the studio of a Master artist, where the Master did his own work and taught a small handful of students as well.

The Atelier of Virgil Elliott is an atelier in that tradition; rather than a school or academy. There are no additional instructors, and it has no predesigned program beyond what Virgil Elliott deems most appropriate for each individual student. This is based on his assessment of the student's strengths and weaknesses. The emphasis is placed on the old-fashioned approach of developing the students' talents and abilities through drawing from direct observation, including cast drawing, work from live models, and, later, painting from life. However, the curriculum is flexible, in order to tailor the lessons to
best address each student's unique attributes and shortcomings.

Prospective students are expected to be highly motivated of their own
accord, and to possess the requisite degree of obsession with Great Art that all serious artists should have."