Opporutnities / Events

Art Book Group !

Join Our Book Group !

Open to all.  Informal discussions.  Our last book was Kandisnky’s Concerning the Spiritual in Art. 

Please email saskia@practicepreservation.org to reserve a place.

First meeting, 12:30 pm, Wednesday April 19th. Bring your opinions and let’s talk art !

Seminar: New Orleans Museums, Art Collections, and Artists

Viewing a painting of Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun in the Collection of NOMA

Seminar: New Orleans Museums, Art Collections and Artists

The seminar explores the contributions, impact, and diversity of the visual arts within the city of New Orleans. Few cities have played as significant a role in the history of American culture as New Orleans, which has long been home to one of the nation’s most diverse cultural communities. The subject matter of this course will revolve around a series of institutions/collections/working artist’s studios, active local ateliers and vary based on the season.   (Saskia Ozols)  May 16th-19th, 2023. 10am-12 pm 

Past offerings include: 

Tuesday May 16th: The Ozols Collection Archives. (Uptown) Walk through viewing and talk adressing paintings and their technique in the collection.

Wednesday, May 17th: The New Orleans Museum of Art. (City Park) Sketching Rodin. Drawing and time to create. We will draw in direct observation of Rodin’s life size masterpiece “the Age of Bronze. ”

Thursday May 18th: The Studio and Gallery of Emile Rhys. (French Quarter) We will Meet at her painting studio for a tour of her work and process then and walk over to her exhibition space & gallery on Royal St.

Friday May 19th: The Historic New Orleans Collection: (French Quarter) Viewing arranged to see Ellsworth Woodward’s paintbox and its contents along with his painting ” The Matador” . We will also see two other historic paintboxes from their archives and participate in a guided tour of their collection.

Class: Drawing the Antique at the New Orleans Museum of Art

Drawing the Antique with Saskia Ozols

 

Class: Drawing the Antique at NOMA 

This on-site museum workshop builds on an existing familiarity with sketching and rendering. It is ideal for igniting inspiration for artists of all levels and backgrounds. The group will be guided through drawing exercises in direct observation of original works at the New Orleans Museum of Art. The session is based on the traditional method of cast drawing or drawing the antique figure. A vital part of artistic training dating back to the earliest Roman Academies, this process occupies an important step between the drawing of inanimate objects and serious study of the human figure. Tools and techniques incorporated include looking for relative proportional ratios, anatomy, gesture, value, and distance rendering through a combination of atmospheric and linear perspective. Proportion and gesture of the human body are also introduced. (Saskia Ozols) June 12th-16th, 10am-12pm

Drawing the Antique with Saskia Ozols at the New Orleans Museum of Art

Internships & Apprenticeships

Internships and apprenticeships are a great way to learn through direct practice. Experiential learning is a vital part of  an artist’s journey.  Opportunities are limited and offered on a rolling basis.  Please reach out to inquire about current availability. 

Figure Painting in Oil: the Thomas Eakins Approach

 

Strengthen your figure painting with a seminar based on Thomas Eakins’ teaching. The Fine Arts Preservation Society of New Orleans is proud to announce open registration for this exciting new class. 

                                         

A study with roots in antiquity; this exploration of the human form and its anatomical structure, proportion, morphology, gesture, and potential for expression will always challenge and inspire. This course focuses on painting the live nude model from direct observation. Accompanying studies from anatomical reference materials will occur in conjunction with studio work. 

 

*Fridays 1-4 pm October 20th-November 17th  tuition:  $525. To register email  saskia@practicepreservation.org  cash, venmo, or check accepted. 

 

*All classes will take place in a spacious uptown studio with north facing skylights. 

 

 

About the Instructor:

 

Saskia has been teaching classical and realist painting techniques for 20 years. She has taught at Boston University, Loyola University, and Tulane University. She completed graduate school in 2003 at the Museum School of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and immediately following began teaching at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts.

 

Her understanding of the figure is deeply influenced by study of Eakins’ work at the pafa museum school, her own associated research/writing documented in numerous publications; and studies with contemporary figurative artists Bo Bartlett, Nelson Shanks, Vincent Desidario, and Auseklis Ozols. 

 

Saskia is a practicing artist with a 30-year exhibition record including regional, national and international venues. For more specific information on her background please visit https://www.saskiaozols.com/about/

 

Lecture Class with Auseklis Ozols/ The Golden Section: Sacred Geometry, Aesthetics & the Art of Observation