Jeff Hein’s newest work of art.

This will be the only and last opportunity to view his painting in the United States.

• When:  Saturday,  April  30,  2011   from 6 – 9 pm.

• Where:   Hein Academy of Art –  16w  700s,  Salt Lake City,  Utah 84101     (801)502-9185

• Light Refreshments will be served

We look forward to seeing you there!

Jeff Hein’s newest work of art.

This will be the only and last opportunity to view his painting in the United States.

• When: Thursday, April  14, 2011 from 6 – 9 pm.

• Where: Hein Academy of Art –  16w 700s,  Salt Lake City,  Utah 84101     (801)502-9185

• Light Refreshments will be served

We look forward to seeing you there!

I’ve been Privileged enough to be included on the spring issue of American Painting Video Magazine. I am in good company in this issue. Painter Michael Klein is the creator of this magazine and it is sponsored by Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine. Klein is an incredible painter who has sacrificed his own painting time to travel, film and edit this video magazine. He tells me it is a passion project for him in order to bring what he considers to be the best living painters to one location for us. If a man of his caliber believes in it that much, you artists and collectors out there ought to give it a look and support the cause. Its just 10 bucks an issue.

Check it out here 

http://www.americanpaintingvideomagazine.com/

Jenna hand sewing a leather pouch for Jeff's painting in progress

Jeff Hein has been working constantly on his multi-figure painting this week, and has the background and most of the foreground of the surrounding jungle completed.  The plants he was using to paint from have found new homes or places throughout the studio.    The mannequins have moved in closer again, as Jeff has been making some new additions to the attire of both of the children that help to move the eye of the viewer, and  break up the larger fields of color of their dresses.   The robe of the adult figure is nearly complete with two small areas needed to be refined.  Cast shadows have been added by overhanging branches and a sense of filtered light has seeped into the background.

Today,  Jeff had his assistant, Jenna, make a small leather purse, as part of the attire of one of the children. After Jenna hand sewed the design  he had in mind,   Jeff then lay the  purse loosely into the painting while it hung on the shoulder of one of his mannequins.  Next week, his models  will be coming back into the studio, so that he can finish up their faces, arms and some toes. Until next time, Ciao!

finished leather pouch

Courtney starting her drawing

Good evening all!

I just wanted to share with you a recently finished work by Courtney.  It is very beautifully drawn, and is now honored by being a part of “The Wall” with all of the other amazing works done by the more advanced students and  some of Jeff’s demos and studies.

Courtney has been attending the Hein Academy for about 9 months.  She has her BFA from the University of Utah, and then moved back to Utah (after living in Northern Virginia for 5 years) especially to attend The Hein Academy. She does Graphic Design part-time alongside with her art studies, and is looking forward to exploring her fine art side more when she graduates from the Hein Academy.

Courtney's charcoal drawing

Artists have always been innovators; adopting and inventing new technologies.  These new tools raise questions about whether technology is a crutch or enhancement.  As the pendulum swings towards traditional methods and materials, criticisms that were made about Albrecht Durer’s perspective machines in the sixteenth century are being repeated today about photography and computer software.

This is a short clip of the wonderful and fascinating discussion / lecture that we at the Hein Academy of Art had the pleasure of learning with Micah Christensen, an art historian, and author of the beardedroman.com.

There were no conclusions drawn, but we were all left with the lines of our preconceptions of what was acceptable, and what was not, blurred.  At the end of this discussion I felt  that all to often we plop down our times and culture onto another’s era and culture.   I cant wait to share the full discussion with you all.  This particular discussion will be part of a continuing series “Art by Humans | Discussion Series + Critical Essays”.  Have a wonderful evening,  Ciao!

Keep shapes abstract

Few values / light and dark pattern

Draw what you see squinting

Avoid half tones and detail (for now) – Achieve likeness at this stage.

Remember “Fuzzy Faces”

I remember at one time, that Jeff told me that the drawing at this stage should look exactly like them, but walking towards you from 50 feet away; no details but all about the light planes of the facial and bone structure. I hope that this helped some of you, or you found it as interesting as I did! Have a wonderful evening, and for those students that will be attending the art history discussion with Micah Christensen, I look forward to seeing you there tomorrow night at 6-9 pm. Ciao!

Charcoal drawing of model, by Hein Academy student Jenna

Today on this amazingly laid back Saturday, I am going to highlight one of our fellow students at the Hein Academy of Art, Jenna.

Jenna has been attending the Hein Academy for 2 ½  years is also one of Jeff’s assistants.  She has always been interested in fine art, as she was always encouraged and inspired by her mother growing up to explore art history, and other art interests.  Jenna attended for a short time, The San Francisco Art Institute focusing on fine art, and then later exploring  costume design, and theatre.  She found Jeff Hein and his Academy through a family connection, as they grew up in the same town in New York.  Once she spent some time at the Hein Academy, she said it just felt right, and she didn’t want to leave.  She really appreciated the authenticity of his studio and Academy.

Jenna’s passions in art are very eclectic. Her art goals are to explore without limits and create beauty with her hands. The authenticity of the process,  that which Jeff Hein does with his own work, is one of her great aspirations with her own art .  She finds that in this society where everything is made by machines, she needs  to create with her hands, something Real, human, and done well.   She wants to be a part of the whole process of creating her art, instead of just the painting aspect.  She cherishes the ability to be able to create with her hands, anything and everything that she might need for a multi figure painting or other project.  She strives to be self-sufficient in her knowledge of the process, be it costume design, making oil, building stages, or painting from life. She has always been fascinated by the female form, and people in general.  She is looking forward, once she graduates, to create powerful real art.

Jenna's work in progress