Florence Academy Certificate Collection

 

My time at the Florence Academy in 2012 for their rigorous certificate program, geared toward training professional artists, yielded hundreds of drawings. The artwork below is some of my selected works each representing countless hours of dedicated observation and refinement. These pieces showcase the classical atelier approach to drawing, where patience and precision merge to create works of lasting depth.

The Long Pose Tradition

In the figure below you see the figure emerging from a process known in academies and ateliers as the "long pose" - a time-honored approach where models maintain the same position for extended periods and the drawing evolves over 6 weeks. This method allows for the kind of deep observation and careful development that characterizes traditional academic drawing. My drawings made it to the slightly more refined blocking phase with my training emphasizing accurate measuring, medium use, and development of how to use sight-size.

The Evolution of Form

Every drawing has evolved from block-ins to highly finished pieces, and follows a specific process. Larger pieces take more time to accurately represent, for example the size of the figure drawings equates the length of time it takes to get to complete a particular phase in the drawing.

  • Beginning with precise measurements

  • Developing linear structural forms

  • Finding shadow line

  • Building layers of mass and volume

  • Refining contours and edges

  • Adding final subtle transitions

Beyond Technique

For the curious and ambitious student, these drawings represent more than technical achievement - they embody the meditative quality of sustained observation. Each piece captures countless moments of discovery, adjustment, and refinement, creating not just an image but a record of focused artistic engagement.

 

death mask, Florence Academy , 3rd Bargue

8 in x 10 in

Belvedere Torso, Bargue, Large Copy , Charcoal on Roma

18 in x 24 in

Bodice, Florence Academy ,2nd Bargue

8 in x 10 in

 
Wrist, Florence Academy, 1st Barge, Graphite on Fabriano8 in x 10 in

Wrist, Florence Academy, 1st Barge, Graphite on Fabriano

8 in x 10 in

Female Charcoal long pose block in on roma

24’ x 48’

male long pose block in in charcoal on Roma , 24’ x 48’

4th Bargue, Classical Academy , Introduction piece , Graphite on Canson8 in x 10 in

4th Bargue, Classical Academy , Introduction piece , Graphite on Canson

8 in x 10 in

David's Eye 12 in x 12in

David's Eye 12 in x 12in