Ani Art Academy Waichulis

In late 2010, American Painting Video Magazine (APVM) presented a feature on The Ani Art Academies educational project.  Project developers Tim Reynolds, Timothy Jahn, and Anthony Waichulis shared with viewers the inspiration behind this immense endeavor and their enthusiasm for the future of The Ani Art Academies.  This January, Michael Klein of APVM released some additional unseen footage of Anthony Waichulis at work in the studio.  It can be seen here:  http://www.youtube/JyJDp4sr2f0

Michael and Nelida Klein created American Painting Video Magazine with the goal of bringing together talented artists from all over the country.  “We enjoyed hearing conversations going on behind the scenes about art and its’ place in history, we decided it was too important to not share with everyone.”  Klein Art Productions was started in 2008 with the help of Michael’s two siblings.  It is a family business and we are honored to be able to create a place for anyone to come and find inspiration.   –from http://www.americanpaintingvideomagazine.com/aboutus.html

For more information on the American Painting Video Magazine or to download the Fall issue discussed here, please visit: http://www.americanpaintingvideomagazine.com/

With each passing day we are nearing the release of the Ani Art Academies Language of Drawing Core Training Program.  This final disc in the series is currently in the final audio development phase after which, a few final edits— and it is off for production!  As many of you already know, This project has been in the making for the past 18 months and has been quite an undertaking.  We have received hundreds of emails regarding this DVD series and we are working hard to keep everyone informed.

In recent months we have watched as a very large ‘watch-list’ has formed for this series and we are incredibly grateful for all the interest and support.  At this time I would like to provide a little more information about The Language of Drawing and its’ release.
The Ani Art Academies Core training program was created initially for all of the students of The Ani Art Academies.  The system is designed to develop fundamental representational drawing skills through a particular sequence of exercises.  The Academies’ curriculum focuses on essential fundamentals of draftsmanship, properties of light, elements of perception, and various methods of painting without subscribing to any particular aesthetic.  Through a comprehensive series of simple but challenging repetitive exercises, Ani Art Academies’ Apprentices develop the ability to communicate with a vocabulary of confident marks, lines, and values. It is the Artist’s particular employ of this highly adaptable visual vocabulary that will begin to reveal an artistic vision, and ultimately, a unique voice.

The Ani training system is designed as a precursor to a specific genre specialization.  The skills that are garnered from the Ani Art Academies training program are applicable to all venues of the Realist endeavor and beyond.

It is important that those interested in this program understand that this series is NOT intended as Edutainment.  It is not meant to be entertaining or intended as advertisement.  There are no pretty models, happy trees, or hours of witty banter.  It is our true unadorned curriculum as simple and direct as we can make it.  The discs are not designed to be watched end to end, rather—you watch the appropriate assignment and then YOU get to work.

As many of you already know at this point, The entire Ani Art Academies Core Program DVD series will be 6 DVDs in length, however due to the amount of information included it may spill over into a 7th.  The entire system is divided into two main sections, The Language of Drawing and The Language of Painting.   The course will also contain a companion workbook on CD.  With our companion text on disc, sections can be printed as needed, resulting in a complete record of your journey when finished.  An included Ani Art Academies binder contains all model sheets required for the specific program exercises.
One of the most common questions we get is in regards to cost. Here is a list of our projected prices at this point.  Please remember that these prices are subject to change.  Our goal is to make these resources as absolutely affordable as possible so that everyone who chooses to embark on this training system can have access to it.

The first 3 discs (The Language of Drawing) will be sold together with the companion text on CD (PDF format), Binder, and Exercise Model Sheets.  Each DVD in the series is planned for release at the same price point as our first DVD project: The Waichulis Studio Drawing Clinic: First Steps  ($29.95 per DVD.).  Therefore, we are projecting that the 3 discs series will be $89.95.  The Student manual, Binder and Assignment Model sheets are currently priced at $59.90.  This would bring the total package to $149.85 plus S&H.  However, any artists that have purchased the TWS Drawing Clinic will receive an approx. 10% discount bringing the total to $135.00 + S&H.  These materials (DVDs, Text CD, Binder, and Model Sheets) will only be sold packaged together.  At this time we do not plan to sell these items individually. We will be providing, both on the included CD and on our website, the plans to build all of the resources that we have available to our apprentices in the studio.  The most important resource you will need is the Waichulis Form Box or an equivalent.   The projected price for a Waichulis Form Box is $199.00+S&H.   It is very high-quality learning tool and is quite expensive to produce.   However, like all of our other resources, the plans for how to build one your self will be free on our website.   Additionally, there will be a package bundle discount for those purchasing the Training system and Waichulis Form Box together (reg. $348.85 discounted to $325.00+S&H—AND with First Steps discount: $310.15+S&H)

Also available for purchase or free plan download will be:
Collapsible Shadow Box**
Grid Stand**
Natural Form/Cast Stand**
Floating Island (for larger studios)**
Model Stand (for larger studios)**
(projected prices for these items will be forthcoming from the manufacturer)**.

More updates will be forthcoming as we near the release date.  Right now it is still looking like early Feb. for everything!  We will announce a specific release date as soon as possible.  Again, we thank you all for your continued interest and support.

If you haven’t done so already, remember that you can sign up for the Ani Art Academy Waichulis Seasonal Newsletter at anytime.  As the Ani Art Academies continue to grow, our Artists are excited bring their latest works, exhibits, and related news to your attention.  As always, we are extremely grateful for the continued interest, support, and inspiration that we receive from our ever-growing circle of patrons, colleagues and friends.

You can subscribe to our newsletter through the www.aniwaichulis.com website here: Subscribe Ani Waichulis website or for those of you on Facebook, you can subscribe though our Ani Art Academy Waichulis Facebook page here:  Subscribe Facebook.  We look forward to sharing our latest news and efforts with you!

We are so very proud to announce that November saw the first Open House for the new Ani Art Academies Anguilla.  It was an amazing event filled with many aspiring artists ready to dive into the program’s many skill-building challenges.  We were overwhelmed by the warm hospitality and passionate enthusiasm shown to us by the beautiful people that populate one of the most attractive places in the world.  Here is an excerpt from a recent feature story covering the event in the Anguillan:
Publishing date: 18.11.2011 08:22

Now that the first of a number of planned Ani Art Academies around the world has been structurally completed in the Limestone Bay area in Anguilla, Government officials and members of the public, including school children, have had an opportunity to tour the facility. That chance was provided during an open day event held on Tuesday afternoon this week.

“This is the first of a number of schools to be built around the world,” Project Director, Ira Bloom, told reporters. “The purpose of the schools is to teach young aspiring artists how to draw and paint … to make a career for themselves. Tim Reynolds, who is the owner of Ani Villas, is funding the development and operation of the schools and they all are going to be free for students. So the school here is completely free for Anguillian students; the tuition, materials and everything else are paid for.”

Bloom continued: “The objective is that a good number of students will graduate from the programme here in Anguilla and will be able to produce work to be sold both locally and internationally. Together with the villas, the school will be helping to market the work of the students, with all the proceeds going to the students themselves. We hope to get support from the local tourism industry, the hotels, galleries and other villas to help showcase and market the work of the artists here. I can see us for one day a week, for a few hours, holding an open house at the school so that interested tourists can see what the students are learning. Other times we will also use the school as a gallery for shows.”

Mr. Bloom said that, currently, another school was under construction in the Dominican Republic and targeted for opening in June next year; and land was being finalized in Thailand and Sri Lanka for art academies there hopefully in 2013.  It is being arranged for the art academy to be opened in Anguilla around the first week of March coming. The full-time professor, Timothy Jahn, who is presently in Anguilla, is expected to return to the island in January to interview and select the first group of some ten students, others being added later on.

“I will be the only teacher here so that we will keep the teacher/student ratio at 1:25. We will never exceed that,” Professor Jahn said. “I will be here definitely for two years, but it could be more depending on how things work for the entire foundation. Anybody who takes my place will be a qualified and certified instructor, and eventually we want an Anguillian to run the school so that is our long-term goal.”  Mr. Bloom and Mr. Jahn took the opportunity to escort the visitors on a tour of the school, and Anthony Waichulis, creator of the teaching methodology, explained the approach to the three-year programme. The tutoring will first concentrate on developing basic art skills in black and white and later proceed to colour painting.

Erika Funke speaks with artist Anthony Waichulis, about his work, the New Ani Art Academies program, and the very special ‘Ani Art Academy Waichulis Capturing Realism 2011′ exhibit.  ArtScene, with Erika Funke as the host/producer, is a daily short program which brings attention to the area’s arts and cultural events. Join her weekdays at 11:00am for interviews, reviews and commentaries on films, books, jazz, and classical music.

You can listen to the podcast by clicking here: http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wvia/local-wvia-994009.mp3

We are very proud to announce that The Ani Art Academies Waichulis’ Capturing Realism exhibit was a celebrated success!  We were thrilled to share this exhibit with the area that gave us our start.  However—it’s not too late to see the exhibit as it still runs till Dec. 10th.!!!  If you are in the area, stop in and see one of the strongest collections on Contemporary Realism in the country today.  You can still see an online preview of the exhibit here: http://www.aniwaichulis.com/capturing-realism-2011/

Below is an excerpt from a feature covering this very special exhibit by The Times Leader’s Features Writer, Mary Therese Biebel:

“The “Ani Art Academy Waichulis’ Capturing Realism 2011” exhibit includes Still Lifes, Portraits, Landscapes and Trompe L’oeil pieces from the students of Anthony Waichulis of Bear Creek, Joel Carson Jones of Plymouth and Timothy Jahn of New Jersey.  For Waichulis, 39, an exhibit at Misericordia is an every-other-year tradition. But this is the first time he’s showcased his work there since January, when his Bear Creek studio became known as the Ani Art Academy Waichulis.

He’s excited about the change, which he believes will lead to his methods of art instruction spreading around the globe.  In 2010, Waichulis said, patron of the arts Tim Reynolds, who is also co-founder of a Wall Street trading company, asked his help in establishing a series of art schools.  “He approached us because he learned of our studio and our success,” said Waichulis, whose works have been shown at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and have appeared in American Art Collector and Fine Art Connoisseur magazines.  Waichulis agreed to have his studio become the first Ani Art Academy, named for a derivation of a Nigerian word that means “path.” The second Ani Art Academy is on the Caribbean island of Anguilla, and a third is near completion in the Dominican Republic.   “I will not be teaching there,” Waichulis said. “But the artists that leave the flagship school here, those graduates will be offered teaching positions at those schools.”

Waichulis’ philosophy of artistic training involves an apprenticeship program with a small teacher-to-student ratio. It starts with “a very natural approach to the fundamentals of drawing and painting, a replication of the natural world that we can observe,” he said, and continues as students “augment their ideas with artistic license.” “I can’t imagine getting training like that anywhere else,” said Vinson, a former student. “We’d paint from 8 in the morning until 2 in the morning, constant work and study. (Waichulis) was always available. He was the perfect teacher in that he’d give you encouragement and instruction but also crack the whip.”

Waichulis said he will use the local talents of Mario Bellizia, Ken Marquis of Marquis Art and Frame, Keith Schutter of Cadworx and Co. and Dave Tredinnick of Tredinnick Construction for studio furniture, design and construction as well as teaching aid, production, materials and framing. “I am very proud to be able to work with each of these brilliant people,” he said.”

What and Where and When:

What: ‘Ani Art Academy Waichulis’ Capturing Realism 2011’ exhibit

Where: Pauly Friedman Gallery, Misericordia University, Dallas Township

When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays; 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

This December, The Butler Institute of American Art hosts the America China Oil Painting Artists League’s Exhibition of Contemporary American Realism.  This exhibit features many of the top artists of today in one stunning exhibit.  In the few months since its inception, The America China Oil Painting Artists League (ACOPAL) has captured the imagination of the most outstanding Realist painters throughout the United States and China . Its current Members consists of the greatest artists of the 21st Century including Daniel Greene, Charles Pfahl, Scott Burdick, Susan Lyon, Joseph Todorovitch, Jacob Collins, Chen Yanning, Steven Assael, Graydon Parrish, Ronald Sherr, Gaberilla Dellosso, Anthony Waichulis, Dan Thompson and David Jon Kassan to name a few and the list is rapidly growing.  Don’t miss your chance to see this amazing collection of works!

The Butler Institute is the first museum of American art. The museum’s mission is to preserve and collect works of art in all media created by citizens of our country. The Institute’s holdings now exceed 20,000 individual works, and the Butler is known worldwide as “America’s Museum.”  This Stunning exhibit open on December 18th 2011 and runs through January 22nd 2012.  The Reception will be on January 22,2012 from 1:00 to 3:00pm.  Hope to see you there!

Once again ACOPAL hosted another amazing call-to-artists to offer the chance to participate in this exhibit.  You can see the top 50 finalists and the Grand Prize winners here: http://acopal.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=59

When and Where:
Exhibition Dates: December 18, 2011 – February 26, 2012
Reception Date: – January 22, 2012 – 1-3PM

The Butler Institute of American Art
524 Wick Avenue
Youngstown, Ohio 44502
www.butlerart.com

America China Artists Oil Painting League
National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South
New York, NY 10003
WWW.ACOPAL.ORG

The Pauly Friedman Art Gallery at Misericordia University will present, “Ani Art Academy Waichulis’ Capturing Realism 2011,” a premier exhibit from Oct. 29 through Dec. 10 that will feature the collaborated works of more than 40 artists representing Ani Art Academies, Jahn Studios and The Studio of Joel Carson Jones. The exhibit is open free to the public.

Artists from these ateliers will celebrate Mr. Waichulis’ biennial homecoming with a carefully selected representation of realist works including still life, Trompe L’oeil, landscape, portrait and figure renderings in graphite, charcoal, oil and pastel. The opening reception will be held Saturday, Oct. 29 from 5-8 p.m. The evening’s events are open free to the public.

Pauly Friedman Art Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; and Saturday and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.

Mr. Waichulis, a native of Bear Creek Township, Pa., is founder of the highly successful Waichulis Studio and program designer for the Ani Art Academies. He has established an international reputation for his Trompe L’oeil paintings. His works are highly prized by knowledgeable collectors worldwide and have been lauded by critics on many occasions. Mr. Waichulis is represented by The John Pence Gallery in San Francisco, Calif., one of the most prestigious galleries in the United States, and he has exhibited in many of the most respected venues throughout the country, including the Arnot Art Museum, The Washington Museum of Fine Arts, The Smithsonian Institute, The Midwest Museum of American Art and the Orlando Museum of Art.

Mr. Waichulis’ works continue to appear regularly in top national publications such as The Artist’s Magazine, American Art Collector magazine and Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. His efforts have gained top honors in both national and international competitions as he continues to command an ever-widening audience. In 2006, Mr. Waichulis became the first Trompe L’oeil painter to be granted Living Master status by the Art Renewal Center.

In 2010, The Waichulis Studio was approached by a newly forming entity with aspirations for an educational effort on a global scale. This new entity, The Ani Art Academies, was the brainchild of Mr. Tim Reynolds. A co-founder of a thriving Wall Street, N.Y., trading firm, Mr. Reynolds is a passionate artist, patron of the arts and founder of The Tim Reynolds Foundation. He felt that placing some of the strongest artistic training into the hands of many aspiring artists around the world would give rise to a generation of creatives capable of contributing exciting new ideas, sharing robust cultures, and pioneering new means of connection and communication through expression on a scale not seen before. The name “Ani” was chosen to represent this massive undertaking as it is a play on the Swahili word “Andjani,” meaning the “road” or the “path ahead.” With Mr. Reynolds’ inspiring vision in place, The Waichulis Studio merged with The Ani Art Academies project to create, The Ani Art Academy Waichulis, a new entity with far more resources and opportunities for aspiring artists today.

Additional Ani Art Academies will open in 2012 — one on the Caribbean island of Anguilla (Ani Art Academies Anguilla) and the third in the Dominican Republic (Ani Art Academies Dominicana). Academies are also scheduled to open in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka in the very near future.

In addition to Mr. Waichulis, other artists featured in the Pauly Friedman Art Gallery exhibit include:

Timothy W. Jahn, Joel Carson Jones, Jonah Aben, Kelsey Amy, Erin Anderson, Erika Baez, Justin Balliet, Oleksandra Barysheva, Svitlana Barysheva, Monica Baumann, Helen Crispino, Rodney Davis, Edward Dillon, Brandon D. Drake, Stuart Dunkel, Lois Edwards, Star Galler, Justin Gu, Emma Hirst, Beverly Jean Johnston, Alicia L. Lang, Roger C. Long, Ricardo E. Martinez, Neil Mattern, Steve Mihal, Laura Mitchell, Kevin A. Moore, Brian O’Neill, Bernard Poremba, Omar Rodriguez Jr., Terese Rogers, Kate Sammons, Adam Vinson, Leah Waichulis, Susan Wallace, Zachary Wood, Stephen Yavorski, Kierstin C. Young, Joe Dillon, Sharon Hourigan, and Michael E. Hockenbury.

For more information about The Ani Art Academies, please log on to www.aniwaichulis.com or www.aniartacademies.org. For more information about the Misericordia University Pauly Friedman Art Gallery, please contact (570) 674-6250 or log on to www.misericordia.edu/art.

This October, The John Pence Gallery is hosting its’ annual Trompe L’Oeil exhibit with a mix of longtime celebrated gallery artists and several stunning newcomers.  Artists participating in the exhibition include Juliette Aristides, William Bartlett, Helen Crispino, Joel Carson Jones, Adam Vinson, Anthony Waichulis (image shown), Slade Wheeler, Russell Harris, and Wil Wilson among others.

“Trompe L’Oeil paintings have long commanded the interest of keen collectors everywhere. When you stand before a painting that you know is a flat surface (and yet your eye tells you it is three-dimensional) a state of perplexity exists until the mystery is solved. Once one comprehends the trickery, you salute the artist and celebrate his/her artful guile.

As a gallery, we are particularly fond of the Trompe L’Oeil genre. As a result, our artists constantly hone their skills and reach a bit further. New artists are drawn to us and these shows always feature first time presenters at John Pence.

These paintings represent a high degree of drawing skill, a comprehensive understanding of light and shadow, and a sophisticated ability to paint airy space; the subtle quality that distinguishes the exceptional painter from others.

Our Trompe L’Oeil shows have drawn a lot of attention and we plan more of these exhibitions for the future. As a result, we strive to keep an active inventory and encourage you to acquire fine examples of this painting genre. History bears out the high esteem in which this work held by knowledgeable collectors the world over.”  -www.johnpence.com

The exhibit will open October 14th with a reception from 6-8pm.  It will run through the 12th of November.  Definitely one not to miss!

Be sure to check out October’s American Art Collector for an insightful feature regarding this exciting upcoming exhibit:  www.americanartcollector.com