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.