Congratulations to Diliana Popova who recently graduated from the ARA program.

Diliana has been a student with us for a number of years.  She teaches the ARA children's program as well as various workshops throughout the year.

Well done D!

About Diliana:

Painting for me is a ritual. It provides for me a window of perception which is unequalled by any other act. I find my inspiration and drive in the often imperceptible nuances of personality and the endless capacity for expression and meaning found in the human form.

My work consists mainly of studies of the human figure and portraiture. It is through these subjects that I have found the greatest freedom within my craft. My aim, every time charcoal touches paper or paint canvas, is to capture the unseen through the obvious; the tiny mechanism of the internal clock that all put together, show the uniqueness of a subject.

My greatest influences are found in El Greco and August Rodin for their unparalleled ability to animate the human figure.
I have been painting and drawing for as long as I can remember and have always been attracted to the more traditional side of the art spectrum. To me craft has always held a high place in the hierarchy of creating and the communication of the visual narrative. This led me to study Art History and Traditional Painting and Drawing techniques.

Diliana's website:  http://dilianapopova.com/painting/

Find the perfect session to advance your fine art training with our proven, step-by-step system. Academy of Realist Art's fine art workshops include drawing, painting, figure, portraiture, and landscape, as well as special art travel and tours. Scroll down to see the current workshops.Group sizes are kept quite small, so each participant gets lots of one-on-one attention from our superb instructors. ARA instructors teach year-round so, unlike many artists who offer summer/holiday workshops, our teachers are professional teachers as well as successful, award-winning artists.Workshop Hours & Schedules:Most workshops are scheduled five days per week, Monday to Friday. The hours are usually 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., but will occasionally go to 5:00 p.m. If you are coming from out of town and need local accommodations, we have a list of inexpensive places to stay near the Studios.Workshop Fees (in Canadian dollars):One-Week Workshops: $600, 7 Day Workshops: $750, Two-Week Workshops: $975, with the early-registration discount. Full price for late bookings is $1,050, so please register as soon as you can confirm your plans.To enrol or get more info: click a link under your selected workshop to pay an immediate deposit (the best way to ensure you get a place!) or just get more information. Please note: registrations are not guaranteed until a deposit has been paid.

Workshop T11-02
March 28 - April 1, 2011
Location:  Toronto
Instructor: Juan Martinez

This new one-week workshop is designed for artists who want to learn the alla prima technique working from live models. Alla prima - which means "at once” - is a painting style that is done in a quickly-executed wet-into-wet fashion for faster results. Artists of all skill levels will have an opportunity to develop a good "vocabulary" for sketching from life, as well as delve into paint and brush handling for achieving a representational, realistic portrait in a more immediate way. Painters already using alla prima methods in other genres such as landscape, will also benefit from this workshop.

Save Your Seat now for this art workshop (pay $200 deposit)
Not ready to register yet? Just find out more about our fine art workshops

Workshop T11-13
November 7-11, 2011 
Location:  Toronto
Instructor: TBA

This very popular workshop explores the direct painting techniques of this 19th century painter.  While copying a chosen portrait, students will learn a systematic approach to painting in Sargent’s manner. During the course of the workshop, students learn brush techniques, paint application, and flesh tone palettes made simple while developing a strong "vocabulary" for sketching from life. The class is ideal for beginners or experienced alla prima artists who work in other genres and wish to pursue portrait painting in a direct manner. This workshop fills up quickly, so be sure to reserve a space early.

Save Your Seat now for this art workshop (pay $200 deposit)
Not ready to register yet? Just find out more about our fine art workshops