Old Masters Academy

How to paint like the Old Masters using modern materials

Art Competition Archive

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I want to perfect my oil painting skills, especially in the style of the old masters

Artwork by Anne Sheppard

Talking about myself is not a comfortable conversation to have. It is not that I feel sorry for myself, but I often berate my self for not seeming to produce more work. I studied Art at school, Art school and college and the promptly changed track to that all familiar territory of earning a regular living.

I am 56 woman who leads a quiet life, reading, writing, gardening, sewing, cooking and a keen amateur astronomer. I have a part time retail job, with the bonus of excellent and supportive friends and family.

Art is imperative to my daily life. I find the very actions of drawing or painting to be the ultimate cohesion of hard work and relaxation. I can work on a piece at any time of the day and still have butterflies at the thought of shutting out the world and mixing the paint. Being any kind of artist or creative person can be a solitary, even lonely profession or hobby, but it is embedded in my very being, albeit in a very quiet and private way. …

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I have loved art since very young

Artwork by Bruce Hamaty

I believe the most love for art and the talent to do it is mostly a genetic trait. Many of my relatives on my mother’s side have artistic talent. When I was about 12 and with my mother in a store I saw a beginners paint set and asked my mother to buy it. I could hardly wait to get home from school and paint. But unfortunately like other things, I graduated from high school, then went to college, then got an important job and put art on the back burner. But I always knew the desire to do art was inside me waiting to come out.

Unfortunately at age 60 I had a stroke and was forced to take early retirement. However I bought some art supplies and have been oil painting for the last 6 years.

I have always gotten inspiration from the old masters. Several years ago I discovered the Web Art Academy and was pleased to learn they can teach you many things that you can’t find in any art book. I always have many questions about art and painting, both technical and creative, and usually find the answers in one of Natalie Richy’s video’s. She is one of the world’s foremost artists and you can see a lot about her on youtube. …

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Art for beauty sake

Artwork by Lvca Morrow

The first copy I painted was when I was working as a Scenic Artist at a TV studios. It was a 6’x10′ canvas of ‘Diana, Huntress in the Forest’ by Titian.
Very exciting to see the original a few years later hanging in the National Gallery, London.

Really enjoy working on large size canvases. …

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I have taught myself technique of the Old Masters…

Artwork by Sripriya Mozumdar

I am Sripriya Mozumdar, an ex-marketing professional turned self-taught artist. I have been painting full time since the past 10 years and along the way have taught myself oil painting and further within that, the Old Masters technique through extensive reading, viewing and practice.

In my journey of teaching myself oil painting, I was instinctively drawn to the multi-layered techniques of the Old Dutch Painting masters and to photo-realism. Photo-realism’s focus on amplifying the image, rather than the artist speaks to my sensibilities as an artist. And I like to bring forth the inherent beauty and minute details of the mundane, rather than focusing on the hand working the piece. Me as the artist is best present in my total absence in the painted image – that is my expression, my voice. My greatest joy is when my painting is mistaken for a photograph.

Being entirely self-taught, my biggest challenge has been that each painting I work on is a new experience – and often I discover that I had made some mistakes in the early layers, which can no longer be fixed at the color layer. …

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I never miss the opportunity to learn

Painting by Ben Morales-Correa

I started drawing very early, since my father, who was what is was called back then a commercial artist, saw that I had a natural disposition to hold a pencil and draw some intricate geometrical designs that I discovered inside a magazine. That is the legend he told me later on. The fact is that he let me look and copy the masters from his many art books.

My first figure anatomy book was by Reginald Marsh. My dad’s concern was always to improve on his craft, which explains why many of his books of art were more of the “how to” side. That yearn for learning how to produce excellent art was passed on to me. I never miss the opportunity to learn.

Much of what I have accomplished is by self-teaching, picking up tips here and there. There is so much out there to achieve, which is why I say I’m always satisfied when I put something new on an art piece, but never allow myself to feel 100% pleased with my results and prefer instead to strive for more. Art is very significant in my life, not just the visual, but music and literature, too. A respect for History and cultural tradition is essential in seeking the best in very field. …

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When I was young I thought that I do not have enough talent to be an artist

Artwork by Mariana Birsanu

I always dreamed that I am going to paint when I will retire. I imagine people looking at my paintings and make them happy and forget about their problems.

I would like to learn more about the art of the Old Masters and I believe that this course will help me find out more about it. …