In association with the Academy of Realist Art (Toronto), HCAG curator Bruno Capolongo is seeking artwork for a February 2011 exhibition devoted entirely to the finest examples of work from ARA faculty, students, and alumni. An annual or semi-annual exhibition is envisioned.
A VISION FOR EXCELLENCE
Bruno Capolongo is guest curator at the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts Gallery (HCAG) for the 2010-2011 season. As guest curator, Bruno’s vision is to exhibit Canadian and international contemporary fine art of the highest quality, making the newly improved* HCAG a venue of consistently high caliber visual art in the heart of downtown Hamilton - Canada’s 10th largest city – and just blocks from the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the nations 3rd largest public gallery. The HCAG is housed in the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts, one of the nation’s oldest cultural institutions, dating back to 1897. (*Two new walls have been added to the gallery)
EXHIBITS AT THE HCAG
The HCAG is at the heart of a vibrant arts institution, with an audience comprised of over 1000 visitors per week; including gallery visitors, faculty, students, and tours. A highlight of exhibiting at the HCAG is the Conservatory’s annual concert series (October to April) featuring world renowned performers and capacity audiences with two receptions in the Gallery per concert.
ABOUT THE UPCOMING ARA EXHIBITION
The curatorial mandate for this exhibition (title TBA) is to give form and context to the worldwide resurgence of the “academy way” and the undeniable blessings and challenges this poses to both the art establishment and artists alike. Curator (and fellow artist) Bruno Capolongo will also work closely with ARA associated artists and ARA Leadership to round out the exhibition with informative didactics (wall mounted texts) to enlighten gallery visitors. Academy of Realist Art associate artists have been selected in recognition of their exceptional work and the ARA’s status as one of the leading academies in the world today.
ARA Graduate Evelyn Choi has 1 week to complete 3 portrait commissions. These include 2 former Prime Ministers and a Canadian actor playing Brian Mulroney for a movie production company.
The movie is called Politics R Cruel and will air next year - we will keep you posted.
Funny note that during filming at Castle Loma - visitors and tourists were snapping pictures of the portraits.
Two years ago, Shaun Downey, a Toronto painter, hooked up with a friend of a friend over MySpace and invited her to sit for a portrait. She just had this kind of strange beauty, he recalled recently. I knew, when I saw her, that this was someone I wanted to paint.
Good instinct. Two years later, Downey, 32, entered the portrait of 17-year-old Dearbhail Bracken-Roche in the annual Portrait Award competition at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England. Not only was it among 58 chosen for an exhibition at the gallery from a field of 2,177, it was plucked as its lead advertising image, appearing on the cover of brochures, catalogues, in magazine and newspaper ads, and in Tube stations.
Star Portraits is a TV series that explores and celebrates the art of portraiture, while providing a unique and compelling twist on celebrity profile.Each episode begins by bringing together one famous Canadian and three accomplished portrait artists for a sitting. The sitter’s identity is a secret, the only clue being the specially chosen location. First, our host Louise Pitre introduces us to the three artists, then with a dramatic set-up, brings on the surprise guest, and kicks off the sitting. The artists are given three hours to study, sketch and photograph the sitter, and generally get to know them through conversation and questions. Then, the artists are sent off to their respective studios for exactly two weeks to complete their works.
ARA Instructor Juan Martinez has been invited to participate in the 2011 Portrait Society of America's "Face Off" competition on the Friday of the conference. It was a really popular event last year.The Art of the Portrait Conference will be held April 28 - May 1, 2011 ‚ Atlanta, GA
We are pleased to announce the participants of the popular Face-Off program and share with you below a preview of some of the engaging programs planned for next year's event.
During the annual four day conference, attendees will have the opportunity to experience personal portfolio critiques, demonstrations, lectures, workshops, artist book signings, networking, meeting with art materials manufacturers and visit the High Museum.
2011 Face-Off Faculty Tom Donahue, Judith Carducci, Romel de la Torre, Jon Houghton, David Kassan, Bart Lindstrom, Jeremy Lipking, Juan Martinez, Sherrie McGraw, Tony Pro, Anthony Ryder, Alexey Steele, Mary Whyte, Lea Wight and Dawn Whitelaw.
Juan's painting of Alex Trebek is on the cover of a cutting edge online arts magazine called Poets & Artists (Octobe 2010 issue), published by Didi Menendez.
The feature on me starts on page 48. The publication is viewable online or dowloadable for desktop or iPad. There's also a print-on-demand capability at a reasonable price! Lots of great artists (and poets) have been featured in previous issues.
Juan Carlos Martinez is an award-winning artist from Toronto, Canada whose work has been featured in various publications and exhibitions around the world. He was trained in what is now known as the classical realist tradition under the tutelage of master painter, M. John Angel in Toronto and in Florence, Italy.
Juan started his professional artistic journey rather late in life because in a previous incarnation he had been, among other things, an intellectual property lawyer but, eventually, he gave up that life to pursue his vocation as a classical painter.
Today, in addition to maintaining his portfolio and working on commissions, Juan is usually busy teaching, writing, or lecturing. He has acquired an international reputation both as an artist and art educator. His work hangs in numerous private and institutional collections in Canada and the United States.
Juan Martinez is also a chief instructor at Toronto‚ Academy of Realist Art (ARA), one of the largest and most significant institutions of its kind. He is the author of a popular 6-part instructional series in International Artist Magazine, entitled ‚The Academy Way. Juan has been interviewed or featured in a number of publications, both online and in print, and has recently appeared in ‚ Star Portraits: Season 1, on Canada‚Bravo! network. Included collections are the office of the President of Humber College, Toronto, the Crane School of Music (SUNY, New York), and the private collection of Fred and Sherry Ross.
Date: Saturday October 23rd, 2010 at 5:00 pm Location: ARA Toronto
HOSTS:
Eva Chwojko, art historian (University of Toronto) and journalist
Steeve Chwojko, composer, music historian (Sorbonne University, Paris)
Meet Caravaggio, who created an outrage in 16th century Rome, not only because of his volatile character and temper but also because of his controversial painting methods. He chose beggars and drunkards as models for saints and painted them in realistic fashion, causing scandal after scandal. Some of his large-scale paintings were refused by the patrons who had commissioned them, but he also had supporters who protected him from the police whenever he got into trouble.
Let’s look at his life and his powerful paintings – rejected by his contemporaries, but today deemed to belong among the greatest masterpieces of art. Music was just finding its classical voice at the same time, with the first opera in the world produced in Italy just before Caravaggio’s death. What did these paintings look like? What did this music sound like? Come and see it,
come and hear it!
This year, the Buckhorn Fine Art Festival hosted a Canadian Masters exhibit featuring an unsurpassed display of original artwork for show and sale by a collection of elite artists.
Robert Bateman generously provided an original oil painting for sale created especially for the show. His work was exhibited along with artists, A.J. Casson, Krieghoof, Glen Loates, Michael Dumas, Brent Townsend (designer/artist of the Toonie), Chris Bacon, Norval Morrisseau, Ken Danby, Fenwich Lansdowne, Claudio D' Angel, and sculptures by Nori Peter and Joseph Jacobs. Works by ARA’s own Fernando Freitas and Juan Martinez were also featured. This exhibit is unique, since artists on show were all chosen by their peers.
Both Juan and Fernando were in attendance for the opening ceremonies and very honored to be included in this prestigious. It was a wonderful evening where guests had an opportunity to view and purchase exquisite original works by great Canadian artists. Despite the three hour drive from Toronto, the event drew a standing room only crowd.
The Buckhorn Fine Art Festival was named one of the Top 100 Festivals and Events in Ontario for 2010 for the third year running. It was chosen from among over 2,000 festival and events that are held across the province each year. The Top 100 list includes such marquee events as the Toronto International Film Festival, the Ottawa Tulip Festival and the Kitchener Waterloo Octoberfest, to name a few.
After many months of preparation, cross-Atlantic travels, and visits from dignitaries and art lovers, we’re delighted to announce the official opening of the Academy of Realist Art Portugal on June 20. Fernando Freitas traveled to Portugal for the opening ceremonies, which were attended by Azores President Carlos Manuel Martins do Vale Cesar . The curriculum will kick off with a six-day Old Master Painting workshop starting August 16. Additional workshops in the works for 2010 include an introduction to the Bargue program, and portrait drawing and painting. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as new workshops become available.
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Now you can start learning the "classical" Academy figure-drawing techniques on your own, with our Volume I video, Drawing the Figure, available now on DVD. Learn the same step-by-step approach we use every day in the Studio!
