Old Masters Academy

How to paint like the Old Masters using modern materials

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I am dreaming of a life where I am a professional artist

Artwork by Claire Zanelli

… I was very excited when I discovered Old Masters Academy. It is accessible and kind (and I have been to art school- kindness is not always at the forefront of critiques!). It is a place that nurtures lifelong learning and has created a niche for people who have patience in their work and are not content with the next quick Instagram art craze.

I cannot say why people should vote for me over others to win this course. I’m sure there are many deserving people who have applied alongside me. All I know is that whether I win this competition or not, whether I reach my dream of becoming a professional or not, I will continue to paint and continue to learn.

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I promised myself I would be an artist once retired

Artwork by Judith Durling

… As a child, my biggest desire was to have a blackboard so that I could write and draw upon it. My interest in painting was given birth when one of my brothers brought home tubes of oil paint along with a brush picked up in a second hand store and said “these are for you”. That was exciting for me.

The second glimmer of hope for me in art was when my high school art teacher told me my paintings were “way ahead of time” and urged me to continue my skills in college. Art College never happened, you see, as I was born into a very poor family, and the future of a girl such as I was to get married, have children, and be a good wife, if I were lucky. …

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Why I had to Stop Painting for Sixteen Years and Pursuing My Dream Again

Paintings by Amy Spitzer

As a child, I was rather shy and solitary and lived in my imagination. I fantasized about the world in rain puddles and beyond the reflection in my bedroom mirror. As I grew up and moved into the real world, my artwork developed from my need to explore my feelings in both worlds.

My parents were not encouraging. My mother wanted me to be a concert pianist. My father was fixed that I would be a doctor. By the seventh grade, when my art teacher told me that I had ruined my project for the art fair by being rather free in my treatment of the background space, I stopped doing any drawing and painting until my early twenties and really didn’t think about art.

In the first semester of my senior year of college, I went on a foreign studies program to Japan. I took three classes, one of which was Japanese art history. The class captivated me and awakened a new interest in art work, especially painting. I loved sumi-e paintings and wood block prints and went searching to buy old prints. But even more, the design orientation of the society kindled a sleeping passion.

I came back to school in America for my last semester and only took art history classes and independent study in art history. I then prepared to go into the field of art restoration, even apprenticing for a short time with the conservator of American art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I needed additional undergraduate credits to apply to programs in this area, but as soon as I took my first studio classes, I knew I was a painter. …

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I’d love to paint like the Old Masters with modern tools

Painting Portraits by Susan Van Zyl

I am an Art teacher and entrepreneur.
My day is consumed by art even if it is just creating art, teaching, researching and learning.
I have a few strong points but do believe that you can never know too much and that you can always learn to better yourself.

I try to challenge myself to do something for myself each and every year. …

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Becoming a Contemporary Master

Portrait by Stella Han

My first dream was to become a painter when I was five. As I grew older my passions became varied, yet they were always art related; whether it was being an art teacher, comic artist, or illustrator and so on. I had my first opportunity to learn painting when I was in the 2nd grade, however after two sessions, it was unfortunately cancelled due to low enrolment.

My second artistic opportunity came when I was in the 9th grade. At first I was ecstatic, though soon enough I became disappointed. The teacher merely directed me in how to trace and lacked any traditional skill training. The fees for the class became too much for my parents, and again I was forced to leave.

By the time college rolled around I had to create and manage my portfolio all by myself and luckily I was accepted in School of Visual Arts in New York. I was truly excited to learn ‘real’ art. Once again, it was a discouraging experience because my painting professor told me: “Skills don’t matter.” All I learned from there was to paint and draw without any direction. The only feedback I received from my professors was: “That’s good.” I yearned to learn more about how the old masters created their stunning works, and wanted to discover their rigorous methods and skills; however I simply couldn’t find the answers to my questions. …

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Painting by Alina Sandra

Art inspires our Soul

My name is Sandra Alina, I`m an art lover and I think that art expresses our inner reality. For as long as I can remember I have had a pencil in my hand. I spent part of my childhood in a rural area of Romania. There was no art teacher or art classes at that time. I have developed my drawing skills by myself and I have created my own world by drawing and painting every time I could. But I never found such good information and instruction before. …