Stephen Kivimaki

Federal Hall NYC

Our class this sunday was to Federal Hall on Wall St. in lower Manhattan. It was here in NY that George Washington took the oath of office as the nations first president. I’m getting a history and drawing class all in one.

Geometric Solids Part 2

This is our second go around at drawing geometric solids. Why you might ask. As benign as a subject can get, all objects can be simplified and reduced to the cube, cylinder, and sphere, and cone. Take the example of a tree; its a half a sphere on top of a cylinder. The human…

Still life drawing of geometric solids

A short three hour drawing done the first week of class. Our instructor is getting to know what every ones skill level is. The shadows are not as dark as I liked them to be but working with the available time constraint, I wanted to achieve a uniform look. For my drawing instructor, I told…

Drawing at the MET

For our first day of classes we had gone to the MET to see the exabition of Living in Style, Five Centuries of Interior Design from the Collection of Drawing and Prints. We were given around two hours to do a sketch of one or some of the prints. This is a rather crude sketch…

Munsell Skin Tones Study

Just finned up taking Sean’s two week workshop on skin tones at ARA~Bos. I do not claim to know how to paint. In fact I know less than nothing about painting but I think got a half decent color study done using the Munsell color system that Sean was teaching for the class. We first…

Plain-Air Painting

Study in oil, 5×8 inches

Plain-Air Painting

Painting study in oil, 5×8 inches. This is a color study for the background for larger painting to be done in oil

Study after Michelangelo

A master copy study is a way of understanding the hand of the artist who made it. A copy is not a xerox it is a method of studying the thought and movement that went into creating the drawing. What was the artist thinking? How did the artist move there hands? Study of ignudo drawn…

Beaux Arts Academy, Atelier Saint Luke

I have been accepted into the Beaux-Arts Atelier program this coming fall for the 2013-2014 academic year. ABOUT THE ATELIER The Beaux-Arts Atelier of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA) is a one-year intensive program in the study of design, architecture, and art following the method of the École des Beaux-Arts. Students receive in-depth instruction in…

Angel in Charcoal

This is a charcoal drawing done from a cast that was done over the past year. With the cast drawing the cast and the lighting don’t move or change as a model would if sitting for the artist. Charcoal on Paper 19 1/4″ x 17 1/2″ Framed 25 1/4″ x 23 1/2″

Thinking of Spring

Natalia sat for us again over the winter semester at the ARA. It was a long cold winter and all I could do was wait for spring to arrive. Maybe if I drew spring then it would arrive earlier. No such luck. I have been working in charcoal for the past few drawings. It allows…

Charcoal Drawing of Ed

The finished drawing of Ed that I had done over the Fall semester at the Academy of Realist Art in Boston. This drawing was done in charcoal and measures 16 x 20 unframed. This drawing with frame will measure 22 x 26

Baltic Birch Painting Pallet

I will be starting my painting assignments here at the ARA and so I went to get my supplies. Not being a painter I went to get a pallet for class and what I found only left me with a question mark over my head. I can make myself a better pallet than what I…

Painting Workshop

I recently took a two week workshop in painting the figure with Colleen Barry.

Gallery Show of the Academy of Realist Art

Beaux-Arts and the New “Bohemians” The Artists of the Academy of Realist Art, Boston: Continuing the French Academic Tradition.

Back to School

I just wanted to welcome everybody back to the fall semester at the Academy of Realist Art. School starts september 10th. Head through our front door to find out more information. See you there. Stephen