A new year begins again at SORA. We welcomed three new students to the school who are beginning their atelier training with cast drawings and graphite studies. This year, the school saw various improvements including the donation of new easels and flat file storage spaces from Peter Hamm. Beginning the first week of school, the semester long pose has already been set and students begin studies in charcoal, grisaille, and full color under natural light. The new students are working their way through sight sized cast drawings, and the advanced students are working on various still lifes and portraits.
Here are some pictures from the 2nd week of school, after the set up of the semester long pose.

Lauren measuring the pose using sight size

Karen and Peter drawing on the new SORA easels

Jessica working on the long pose study

Next week, instructor Grigor Eftimov will demo how to do gesture drawings for students on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Pictures of the demo will be posted then!

The SORA weekend life drawing class begins again on October 31 for 6 Saturday sessions. Please check the SORA Workshops section for more details! We hope to welcome new faces there and introduce you to the sight size drawing method!

On June 13 and 14 the School of Representational Art will open its doors and invite the public to an Open House. Figure drawings, cast drawings, figure paintings, cast paintings, still life paintings, pastel drawings, and creative work from current and graduating SORA students will be on display. Join us to enjoy the results of SORA students’ efforts and meet current students, graduates, and instructors.

Saturday June 13 and Sunday June 14, 2009

Noon to 4pm.
There will be an elevator operator during those times.

SORA is located at 116 W. Illinois Ave. in downtown Chicago.

The workshops page has been updated with information on the Mini-Atelier. The Mini-Atelier is a scaled down version of the full-time fall and spring SORA program. It is a chance to engage in the Atelier method to improve drawing, painting, and draftsmanship skills. SORA has run this class over the summer months many times, and it has provided prospective students a great way to see what the full SORA experience is like.

SORA graduate Steve Cox is curating a show titled ‘Public Domain’ at Cafe Wha Who? There will be an opening reception on Friday, May 22 from 6 to 10 p.m.

Cafe Wha Who? is located at 228 W. Chicago Ave.

See Steve’s website for more information.

The SORA Workshops Page has been updated:

A new cycle of the Saturday Classical Life Drawing and Sketching class will begin on March 14, 2009. The session will run for 6 Saturdays. The session will skip April 11 for the Easter weekend and it will skip April 18 for Steve Ohlrich’s Portrait Workshop.

SORA instructor and graduate Steve Ohlrich will conduct an intensive two-day Portrait Drawing Workshop on April 18 and 19. This is a chance to learn and gain great experience drawing portraits and likenesses from a live model.

See the SORA Workshops Page for more details.

SORA graduate Steve Cox will be having a Solo Show featuring eight recent paintings from 2008 and 2009. There will be an opening reception Tuesday,  February 10th from 7-9 p.m.

Tsuki
1441 W. Fullerton Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
http://www.tsuki.us/

More of Steve’s work can be seen at:
combustiblestudios.com

SORA instructor Steve Ohlrich will be conducting several drawing classes and painting workshops in July and August. More details are here. Details on Steve’s current exhibitions can be found here.

Below is an interview with SORA instructor and professional artist, Mike Chelich. Mike has taught at SORA since its founding in 1992. Mike and SORA director, Bruno Surdo, both studied at Atelier Lack in Minneapolis in the early 80s. In addition to teaching at SORA, Mike has an active commissioned art and portrait painting practice. Mike discusses his art educational background at Chicago’s American Academy of Art and Atelier Lack in Minneapolis, his teaching experience at SORA and his reflections about his own work. –Ben Rathbone

Click here for Mike’s bio
Click here for Mike’s personal website

BR: Can you tell me about your background. How and when did you decide you wanted to be an artist?

Mike: Since I was very young, probably four or five years old, I had been doing art. I had an interest in all sorts of things as most boys do, dinosaurs, superheros and comic books. I had an interest in anatomy even as a little kid and was putting blood vessels on dinosaurs. I knew that I wanted to be an artist early, especially a comic book artist. In adition, I also loved wildlife and the natural world. When I got into high school, I saw the work of a wildlife artist named Charles Frace. After I saw his work, I knew I wanted to be serious about becoming a wildlife artist. That was in early high school. So that was the formation of my interests in art.

BR: When did you graduate high school and what did you do after that?

Mike: I graduated from high school in 1982. Leading up to that time, I was a little aimless. I put off even applying to college so lets just say I was very fortunate in the way things happened. I tried for a scholarship contest to the American Academy of Art in Chicago where you had to draw for 6 hours, and then submit your work. I did that and won a tuition scholarship. That pretty much decided it. I was interested in the American Academy, anyway, so that sealed the deal.

BR: What was the scholarship contest like?
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