Over the years my name has become linked with two methods which have become central to my approach to instruction: The Fletcher system of palette control and the Golden Section. Fletcher offers the painter an intelligently organized method of color mixing based on the principles of color theory. The Golden Section is an ancient method which establishes harmonious relationships within […]

“He called himself a carpenter; he was, in fact, a cabinetmaker. Mr. Griffith discarded lumber he regarded as inferior. He would cut a board, and test it, and take off a little more with his plane, and finally, he would fit the board precisely. He cut every mortise as if he were a jeweler cutting […]

When the Studios were first established, my purpose was to create a study program which would stress the value of sound instruction in classical drawing. The tradition of classical drawing has been the mainstay of great painters, sculptors, architects, designers, photographers, and craftsmen. To draw with understanding and authority is to be prepared to think visually. No other discipline can provide that ability as directly. Drawing is one […]

Western man’s fascination with appearances dates from the time of the Greeks. In the latter half of the fifth century B.C., the painter Apollodorus, who is credited with the invention of the use of tone to depict forms as volumes, initiated the quest which has informed all illusionistic efforts in western painting. Plato condemned the work of Apollodorus as illusion and deception, a […]

There’s a saying out there “Everything has been done before.” I don’t know, perhaps that phrase was invented to promote the acceptance of mediocre art. Sure, some things may be inspired by others, but you can always add your own creative twist to it. “Listen to the advice of others, but follow only what you understand and can unite in […]

Pablo Picasso is well known for his unique and crazy paintings of twisted faces, lopsided eyes, fat cartoonish fingers, and psychotic bulls, but hardly anyone knows of his masterful use of the golden section. Today we take a look at one of his largest, most famous, and dramatic pieces he ever created…”Guernica.” We’ll see how Picasso applied dynamic symmetry to his painting to help organize his masterpiece. There […]