By Sean Connor
Artist Interview: Andrew S. By Sean Connor. To see more of Andrew's paintings visit his website. Academy of Art University. Andrew Sterrett Conklin, a native of Chicago, Illinois, is a figurative painter. He holds a BFA from the American Academy of Art, and a certificate in painting from the National Academy School in New York City. Conklin received additional instruction from portraitist Aaron Shikler and painter and illustrator David Levine.
Could you tell us a little about your self, your history and experience with art before arribing at the Academy of Art University?
My Earliest memories of drawing were of copying Audubon bird prints in color pencil, following the example of my older brother. Coleman spas hot tub error codes. While continuing to draw, I did not consider the fine arts and occupational choice, having no clear concept of the life of a professional artist. My first experience painting was in an undergraduate course in Chicago, and the frustration I felt spurred me to want to master the form, particularly in painting people. Luckliy, just after that term, a friend invited me to join him in NYC, where we would study at the National Academy of Design. I stayed in New York for sixteen years, during which I studied with a range of incredible painters. In addition, my colleagues were also an imprtant source of inspiration. Also critical were anual trips to Europe to see the great Western painting in situ. Finally, my wife, Helen, whom I met while a student, and who subsequently trained as a paintings conservator, sparked my interest in the technical aspects of painting. She and I eventually relocated to Chicago. It was while teaching there that I was encouraged to pursue an MFA, which is how I learned of the Academy of Art's program.
Did you have any rewarding experiences or intereactions with teachers while you studied at the Academy?
Absolutely! Notwithstandingmy prior experience as a visual artist and teacher, I found my understanding of picture-making deepened through the courses and the wisdom of my instructors, both in studio and art history courses. This dedication by the Academy faculty bore fruit in my thesis project, where, in working with Sean Connor, Warren Chang and Zack Zdrale, I combinedmy interest in the human form with that of CGI technology to create a series of paintings set in a motion catupture studio.
Are you having any upcoming shows that you'd like to share with us?
Andrew S. Conklin Painter Wife
This April, my wife Helen and I will be subjects of a two person show at Chicago's Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts. She and I have been painting together since we met in art school in NYC, and occasionally show together. This show will be a bit different, since it will highlight much of our working process and contain sketches, cartoons, oil studies as wall as finshed work.
What advice would you give to students?
Culinare rocket chef manual pdf. Several things: First, find a hero or heros. Artists whose work you admire, and whose biography and catalog you can study thoroughly. A working artist can remain in dialog with a master regardless of their origins, whether the artist is alive or dead, or even what they intended in their work. It is a source of inspiration for you to draw from. Second, revise! Always look for ways to improve an idea or design. Third, draw as much as possible: It trains your hand but more importantly, it keeps you curious.
Andrew S. Conklin Painter Company
To see more of Andrew's paintings visit his website.
Andrew S. Conklin Painter New York
Andrew S. Conklin is a figurative painter. He holds an MFA from the Academy of Art University, and studied painting at the National Academy of Design in New York City with Harvey Dinnerstein and Ronald Sherr, receiving additional instruction from portraitist Aaron Shikler and painter and illustrator David Levine.
Conklin's figurative paintings have been exhibited throughout the USA and have won him a number of major awards, including a Julius Hallgarten Prize at the National Academy Annual Exhibition, The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, and grants from both the E.D. and George Sugarman Foundations. He has shown work at the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, The Terra Museum of American Art, and at Fairfield University.
Conklin has taught graduate students at the New York Academy of Art and undergraduates at Parsons School of Design in NYC, and in Chicago at Harrington College of Design Harold Washington College Flashpoint Chicago, and the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.
The artist's work has been published in New American Paintings, Nos. 29 and 83, from Open Studios Press, and he has authored articles for the Artists Magazine and other periodicals.
His work is represented by Gallery Victor Armendariz in Chicago.
Download PDF of CV here
Conklin's figurative paintings have been exhibited throughout the USA and have won him a number of major awards, including a Julius Hallgarten Prize at the National Academy Annual Exhibition, The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, and grants from both the E.D. and George Sugarman Foundations. He has shown work at the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, The Terra Museum of American Art, and at Fairfield University.
Conklin has taught graduate students at the New York Academy of Art and undergraduates at Parsons School of Design in NYC, and in Chicago at Harrington College of Design Harold Washington College Flashpoint Chicago, and the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.
The artist's work has been published in New American Paintings, Nos. 29 and 83, from Open Studios Press, and he has authored articles for the Artists Magazine and other periodicals.
His work is represented by Gallery Victor Armendariz in Chicago.
Download PDF of CV here