This weeks’s Spotlight on Art features Hermits by FAA graduate and former Principal Instructor Zacheriah Kramer.
The idea behind the picture:
It seems we go wrong when we fail to see ourselves as part of the world around us. If this is not a modern tendency, at least I often fail to appreciate it enough. I try to counteract this in part by growing and raising a large part of my family’s food from the dirt, water, a...
2021-07-30 16:01:03 +0000 UTC
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A Book Recommendation featured on The FAA Collective Patreon
Dear Patrons,
This week we are pleased to present you a book review by Tom Richards.
Tom is Assistant Director at The Florence Academy of Art and Director of the Art History program. He is also a painter and works on commission in his studio in Florence, Italy.
We asked Tom to recommend a book that would appropriately cap off our se...
2021-07-21 16:01:03 +0000 UTC
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We are very excited to present you with our second challenge: Landscape painting!
From today JULY 18TH to SEPTEMBER 5TH we will be accepting entries of a landscape either drawn or painted in any medium.
Send a high resolution jpg to soci...
2021-07-18 15:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Dear Patrons,
This week we would like to present you with a collaboration between realist painter Tanvi Pathare and Dior.
Fine art and fashion meet to create beautiful one of a kind travel trunks!
Tanvi Pathare, FAA Graduate and Principal Instructor, contributed to the world of fashion recently, thanks to her commission from the house of Dior, to take part in an exc...
2021-07-13 16:01:02 +0000 UTC
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An Installment in the Art History related content on The FAA Collective Patreon
Dear Patrons,
Thank you for your support!
This week we would like to present you with the final lecture of our three-part series given by Tom Richards, Assistant Director of The Florence Academy of Art, focusing on various dualisms within the broad genre of “landscape.”
2021-07-10 13:00:04 +0000 UTC
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We at The FAA Collective congratulate a new class of graduates from the full-time painting certificate program at The Florence Academy of Art!
These artists persevered and completed their studies in painting during extremely difficult circumstances! Throughout the year of Covid, each worked with special determination to bring their paintings to completion.. circumstances in the studio required strict adherence to safety protocols, and the 10 pm curfew in Florence through...
2021-07-04 16:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Dear Patrons,
The last few copies of our first limited edition Art prints are on their way!
Each year we select one artwork of FAA Collective Artists and produce a limited edition Art print that is exclusive to our Art Collector tier subscribers.
We thank our supporters and, as we get ready to produce next years print, we would like to share with you the story behind the limited edition art print of 2020/21.
Portrait of...
2021-06-30 11:43:24 +0000 UTC
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An Installment in the Art History related content on The FAA Collective Patreon
Dear Patrons,
Thank you for your support!
This week we would like to present you with the second lecture of our three-part series given by Tom Richards, Assistant Director of The Florence Academy of Art, focusing on various dualisms within the broad genre of “landscape.”&nbs...
2021-06-26 13:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Dear Patrons,
This week we are excited to present you the third and final episode of Toby Wright's video series: “Painting Between Giants: Pushing Boundaries”.
During these three 8-minute videos of far-reaching scope, Toby begins his alpine adventure in episode one, “Painting between giants. Mer de Glace”, and charts for us his prospective journ...
2021-06-18 09:49:09 +0000 UTC
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Dear Patrons,
In our previous edition of Eye on the Community, FAA alumnus and former instructor, Toby Wright’s three-part painting adventure in the alps was premiered.
Part I followed Toby’s preliminary exploration of the vanishing glacier...
2021-06-18 09:45:42 +0000 UTC
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“I feel I need to include the elements from all my senses, not just from vision. What I’m looking for is to bring more to the table in terms of creating a painting that conveys a sense of being in a place.”
FAA Graduate and Workshop Instructor Toby Wright has recently released a series of videos showcasing his travels and landscape painting in the high French Alps. This video follows the first day of Wright’s acclimatization t...
2021-06-18 09:44:36 +0000 UTC
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This weeks’s Spotlight on Art features Moonrise over Château de la Treyne by FAA graduate Tina Orsolic.

Tina Orsolic
Moonrise over Château de la Treyne
Oil on canvas
60 x 50 cm
2020
Tell us about this artwork and where you created it.
Moonrise over C...
2021-06-14 16:00:51 +0000 UTC
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A Materials demo from The Florence Academy of Art faculty featured on The FAA Collective Patreon
This carefully prepared demo, leaves no stone unturned, as graduate in residence at the Florence Academy of Art, Hannah Sutton guides us through each step to preparing beautiful, aesthetically pleasing and “nicer-to-paint-on” panels - from the making of rabbit skin glue to applying the gesso emulsion to a wooden...
2021-06-10 13:17:16 +0000 UTC
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An Installment in the Art History related content on The FAA Collective Patreon
Dear Patrons,
This week we would like to present you with the first lecture of a three-part series given by Tom Richards, Assistant Director of The Florence Academy of Art, focusing on various dualisms within the broad genre of “landscape.”
This first lecture Symbols vs. Fact...
2021-06-05 03:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Dear Patrons,
It’s finally June and it’s the start of Landscape Season at The FAA Collective!
We have very special content coming your way to celebrate the arrival of summer. Over the next couple months, we will be sharing with you:
- An exclusive Landscape Lecture Series (vols. 1-2-3) given by the Florence Academy’s As...
2021-06-03 12:19:05 +0000 UTC
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This weeks’s Spotlight on Art features ‘Self portrait’ by FAA Principal instructor Nicholas Chaundy.
Last Fall, we had the pleasure to feature Nicholas Chaundy in a video about the process of painting self portraits that explored Nick’s choice to use his own image as a frequent subject in his paintings, and the liberating artistry that comes from being his own model.
In case you missed it, if you are subscribed to any of our tiers cl...
2021-05-26 15:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Dear Patrons,
We are happy to announce that 'Letting us in' in now online on the FAA website!

Artwork from poster by Carla Paine, Before the Bath, Oil on linen, 30 x 32 in, 2021
A room, a g...
2021-05-23 13:00:01 +0000 UTC
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Dear Patrons,
This week we would like to introduce you to one of the processes used at the FAA to train for visual accuracy in drawing: the sight-size method of measurement. Through this technical exercise that can be easily practiced at home, you will develop skill over time to take accurate measurements of your subject. This method can be used in your own work, or as preparation for studies at an academic art school like the FAA.
The exercise is at the basis of th...
2021-05-20 16:00:09 +0000 UTC
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An Installment in the Art History related content on The FAA Collective Patreon
Dear Patrons,
Thank you for your support! This month we are excited to present you with a lecture given by Tom Richards Assistant Director of The Florence Academy of Art on the concept of drawing! What is Drawing takes us on journey through the philosophical and material boundaries of the tradition. Origin...
2021-05-12 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
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A Book Review from The Florence Academy of Art faculty featured on The FAA Collective Patreon
This week’s book recommendation is brought to you by FAA painter, graduate and principal instructor, Dasha Belokrylova.
In this video, Dasha speaks about one of her favorite reads, “Seeing Ourselves - Women's Self-Portraits”, by Frances Borzello - a book that uncovers a fascinating and...
2021-05-04 16:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Dear Patrons,
Thank you for your continued support!
It's thanks to your generous contribution that we are able to give ongoing visibility to the unique journeys and projects of our artists.
We hope you enjoy the third edition of our Eye on the Community online magazine, designed to keep you up to date with the latest news regarding our community of students, graduates, and faculty of The Florence Academy of Art
2021-05-03 15:47:55 +0000 UTC
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This weeks’s Spotlight on Art features ‘Be’ by FAA Alumnus Eric J. Drummond.
Eric’s passion for figurative art and portraiture leads him to search for truth in his work, and working from life with live models is an essential aspect of his practice.
We had the pleasure to interview Eric last year and today, we have asked Eric a few questions about how this portrait came to ‘Be’.
Click here to watch our video 2021-04-25 17:00:04 +0000 UTC
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An Installment in the Art History related content on The FAA Collective Patreon
Dear Patrons,
This week on The FAA Collective Patreon we are excited to present you with a fantastic art history lecture with Tom Richards, Assistant Director of The Florence Academy of Art! Focusing deeply on a specific theme, Richards takes us on a journey through time, through a...
2021-04-17 15:01:01 +0000 UTC
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Dear Patrons,
Today we are delighted to announce the winners of our first Artistic Challenge!
We would like to thank you all for submitting so many beautiful artworks. It was very difficult to limit our choices to one winner and two runners-up. Here are all the beautiful entries we received!

The criteria for judging this year’s self ...
2021-04-10 14:00:05 +0000 UTC
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A Tool review from FAA Graduate in Residence featured on The FAA Collective Patreon
Have you ever stood in front of a sculpture and wondered how different textures are achieved? How masses are applied, and creases refined?
In this video, Graduate in Residence at The Florence Academy of Art, Jana Büttner, displays her arsenal of favorite sculpting tools (drawing, loop and rake to na...
2021-04-08 16:33:07 +0000 UTC
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Erica Arcudi
'Medusa'
Oil on canvas, 76.2 x 101.6 cm, 30 x 40 in.
Completed October 2020
'Medusa' is a personal project I created while working from home under the quarantine restrictions in North Carolina. Since taking Latin in sixth grade, I fell in love with everything ancient and Classical. I earned my bachelor’s de...
2021-03-28 16:00:04 +0000 UTC
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An Installment in the Art Talk related content featured on The FAA Collective Patreon
Dear Patrons,
We are happy to present you with a fantastic video interview with Thor Larsen, Principal Instructor and graduate of The Florence Academy of Art, explaining the ins and outs of his latest commission, a large-scale public sculpture depicting well-known and beloved characters from the Dani...
2021-03-25 13:41:04 +0000 UTC
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An Installment in the Art History related content on The FAA Collective Patreon
Dear Patrons,
We are very grateful for your continued support! This month on The FAA Collective we would like to present you with an art history lecture with Tom Richards, Assistant Director of The Florence Academy of Art. Originally presented to the sculpture students at the FAA Florence campus, t...
2021-03-19 17:00:01 +0000 UTC
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A Book Recommendation featured on The FAA Collective Patreon
Dear Patrons,
It is our pleasure to share with you the second installment of our new series on book recommendations by FAA Collective artists.
Books are an immense source of knowledge and inspiration to our community, and this week’s review is from sculptor and historian, Jason Arkles, of Malvina Hoffman’s, Sculpture I...
2021-03-12 17:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Dear Patrons,
Thank you for your continued support!
It's thanks to your generous contribution that we are able to give ongoing visibility to the unique journeys and projects of our artists.
We hope you enjoy the second edition of our 'Eye on the Community' online magazine, designed to keep you up to date with the latest news regarding our community of students, graduates, and faculty of The Florence Academy of Art ...
2021-03-03 16:33:57 +0000 UTC
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