Old Masters Academy

How to paint like the Old Masters using modern materials

Art Competition Archive

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I want to continue learning the historical techniques of the Old Masters

Paintings by DebiLynn Fendley

I’m a 53 year old artist who lives, breathes, and sleeps art but is still forced to have a day job to pay the bills. I have three graduate degrees, one of them an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art. I am single, and art is truly all I have in life. I have sacrificed much, including any chance at a social life or normal familial relationships to make art.

Although I studied art in college, the formal practice of oil and academic painting was not part of what I learned. I think this has left a huge deficit in what I do as an artist. I know in theory the proper way to work with oils, but the demonstration I need to have confidence in pursuing academic painting has eluded me.

I want to continue learning about the historical techniques of the old masters in order to pursue oil painting in an archival way. I have mastered watercolor and acrylics, but oil painting is king. It is and always has been more revered than any other media. …

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I have gone as long as 10 years without picking up a brush …

Artwork by Linda Hauser

As a child, I spent part of my summers on the picnic table, drawing and painting with any supplies I could find. I used #2 pencils, crayons, cheap water colors of the type that came in those plastic containers with 6 or so colors, and the oil paints that came packaged in paint by numbers kits.

As an adult, I began to take an occaisional workshop or class through the local Student Art League, quite sporadically, over the next few decades….I have gone as long as 10 years without pickng up a brush….I am finally at a point in my life where I can finally dedicate time and effort to learn, improve and create art. I am most inspired by places, people, or things I have experienced and have recently painted some works en plein air. …

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At the age of 63 now I still want to learn

Artwork by James E Amidon

As early as I can remember, I wanted to make Art my life. Since the age of 5 years, I have been striving and pushing myself to be the best I could be. Drawing almost every day in my adolecent years up through high school, I spent hours on copying out of magazines and photos to achieve that most realistic level.

In High School there was no Art teacher so again I would take every opportunity after school to hide in my drawing, developing my shading and composition skills. …

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My Art Story

Art by Richard Langley

I used to be good at drawing, but my school did not offer art tutoring of any kind, so my natural talent was not developed from the childhood. In spite of this, I wen to a local art school hoping for a better guidance, yet our art teachers only gave us assignments and spent a minute or two critiquing our work. Looking back, I just think how much time has been lost and how my art wold be different should I have proper art education from beginning.

I consider myself a self-taught artist. Every time I visit a museum, I feel an urge to paint and draw. I just want to make great masterpieces the old masters were able to create.

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A Lifelong Quest for the Secrets of the Old Masters

Artwork by Andrew Collins

For over 30 years I have been transforming the homes of customers with paint. I am a painter and decorator and my knowledge of art and design gives me extra skill when helping them to choose colours that bring architectural features to life. As a young man, studying at high school, I was only interested in the arts and literature, particularly the history of art, but I was discouraged about a future career as an artist.

New Zealand is a small country that, being so far from Europe, had been out of touch with the great art history and vision of Europe and without this appreciation and with a limited market, real jobs for artists were scarce. In the 80’s travel for a young person was not as easy as it is today and without the means to study abroad, I settled for a vocation that would at least allow me to use paint!

Later, although by then I had a family, I decided this wasn’t enough. I returned to study at the age of 30 in 2000, completing a bachelor degree in Visual Art & Design. During this time, I gained further a real passion for the work of the Old Masters. …