This section of Skill-Based Art: A Learning Resource for Art Students & Artist-Teachers™ is committed to raising awareness of contemporary traditional artists who have lineage to the teaching methodologies of the 19th century ateliers and academies of Europe. It is through an unbroken chain of knowledge that was passed on from master-to-pupil over the centuries that the fine arts of drawing, painting and sculpture have been maintained to this current day. A focus on building dexterity and attaining the highest levels of craftsmanship in academic drafting through skill-based training is emphasised as a prerequisite to creating finely crafted works of art.
 
The collection of content focuses on the biography and training of artists who were born into an art world filled with modernist ideologies that embraced abstraction, experimentation and relativism which was at odds to their own beliefs of the timeless relevance of traditional notions concerning beauty. As such, the majority of artists interviewed were ostracised by the art establishment and chose to walk their own path, seeking teachers who too were rejected for their anti-modernist predispositions. These artists have made a conscious decision to dedicate their lives to creating masterful works of art that have a prodigious verisimilitude to the works of artists of the western European academic tradition. 
September 20, 2023
​Interview with Michael Klein
​In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews world renowned floral painter and director of New Salem Museum and Academy of Fine Art (NSMA), Michael Klein. Michael has spent his life pursuing beauty through his evocative figurative paintings which capture an aesthetic sensibility akin to the French Academic and Impressionist painters of the nineteenth century. As well as a life in painting, Michael’s passion for connoisseurship has seen him found video production companies which include, American Painting Video Magazine (APVM) and East Oaks Studio. Through these ventures, he has successfully brought to light prominent artists who are leading the resurgence of creating classically orientated realist paintings in the twenty-first century. Topics covered range from Michael’s youth growing up in Minot, North Dakota, where he first discovered his love for painting, to training with artists who have direct lineage back to the nineteenth century Beaux-Arts tradition such as Patricia Jerde and Richard Whitney. Michael elaborates on solidifying his training by developing a sensitive comprehension of form through studying at the Water Street Atelier in New York, to cultivating his interior life and vision in his wife’s homeland of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Additionally, Michael provides insights into his recently appointed role as director of NSMA and his new company, Pochade Palette. Further to this, Michael shares valuable information on his painting technique, subject matter and the evolution of his painting process over the years.  
 
Michael's website: www.michaelkleinpaintings.com
Michael's email: [email protected]
Pochade Palette (Michael's company): www.pochadepalette.com
September 22, 2020
​Interview with Daniel Graves
In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews traditional realist painter, etcher and teacher, Daniel Graves. Daniel is known as a champion of the Humanist tradition in contemporary Florentine painting who founded the ever-popular Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy; a school which has been categorised as the “Harvard of traditional realism.” As a foremost steward of beauty and fine craftsmanship, Daniel has trained many painters in methods derived from his intensive study of Renaissance and nineteenth century artists and the teachers which he trained under. Topics covered range from Daniel’s journey discovering pieces of the lost tradition through artist-teachers who include, Frank Russell, Joseph Shepard, Richard Serrin, Richard Lack and Pietro Annigoni, as well as the early beginnings of the Florence Academy of Art and the stories involved with the many students and teachers who Daniel encountered along the way. Information regarding Daniel’s philosophy on art, teaching, culture and beauty are shared as well as the evolution of his drawing and painting over the years. Further to this, Daniel also shares what he has planned for the future of his school and his advice for the next generation of realist painters and sculptors.
 
Daniel's website: www.danielgravesart.com
Daniel's email: [email protected]
Florence Academy of Art (Daniel's school): www.florenceacademyofart.com

July 22, 2020
Interview with Del Parson

​In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews American traditional realist painter and art teacher, Del Parson. Del is widely recognised for his religious paintings that commonly depict scenes from the life of Jesus Christ as described in The Book of Mormon which have been reproduced into countless prints that have been disseminated throughout the world. For over thirty years, Del has been an art professor at Dixie State University in St. George, Utah where he has influenced countless students through his teaching of traditional drawing and painting skills. Throughout his life, Del has successfully supported himself and his family by earning a living through painting commissions and his love of teaching. Topics covered range from Del’s childhood growing up in Rexburg, Idaho and being influenced by his artist father, Oliver Parson, completing his formative training at Ricks College and Brigham Young University, receiving the commission from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1983 to paint Christ in Red Robe which has become one of the most recognised paintings of the Saviour by Church members, as well as discourse on the history of classical art in Utah. Discussion also focuses on the adversity that has occurred throughout Del’s life and how he has overcome these difficult periods through his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This interview is dedicated to the memory of Joycel and Chancy Parson.
 
Del’s website: www.delparson.com
Del’s email: [email protected]
April 22, 2020
Interview with Mandy Theis (Hallenius)
In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews traditional realist painter and art teacher, Mandy Theis. Mandy is the president and co-founder of The Da Vinci Initiative, a K-12 non-profit education foundation that is committed to promoting skill-based art training in primary and secondary education. She is also the founder and director of School of Atelier Arts located in Jersey City, New Jersey. Topics covered range from, Mandy’s experiences of her initial art teacher training in university, discovering skill-based training and taking classes with D. Jeffrey Mims, Kamille Corry and Juliette Aristides, as well as her efforts in establishing The Da Vinci Initiative to teach skill-based techniques to art teachers around the world, in order to improve visual literacy in contemporary society.

Mandy's email: [email protected]
Mandy school's website (School of Atelier Arts): www.schoolofatelierarts.com
January 14, 2020
Interview with Gary Christensen 
In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews co-founder and former president of The American Society of Classical Realism (The ASCR) and long-time friend of Richard Lack for more than 25 years, Gary Christensen. Gary designed and produced all of The ASCR’s publications which include, Classical Realism Quarterly, Classical Realism Journal, numerous exhibition catalogues, and several books which promote the tradition of fine picture making. He is also the author of Richard F. Lack: Catalogue Raisonné: 1943-1998. Topics covered include, Gary’s career in commercial art, discovering Classical Realism and Mr. Lack, co-founding The ASCR, the process of publishing the Catalogue Raisonné, as well as Mr. Lack’s working methods and Gary’s personal recollection and memories of his time with Mr. Lack.

Gary's email: [email protected]
October 3, 2019
​Interview with Elizabeth Ives Hunter
In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews Elizabeth Ives Hunter, goddaughter of R.H. Ives Gammell and wife of the late Boston School painter, Robert Douglas Hunter. Elizabeth is an art historian, art consultant and former museum director who is today the leading scholar on the life and work of Mr. Gammell. Topics covered range from, Elizabeth’s experiences growing up in the Fenway Studios in Boston, a comprehensive recollection of her memories of Mr. Gammell and being Curatorial Adviser to the R.H. Ives Gammell Studios Trust, as well as a biographical overview of Mr. Hunter and the development of his illustrious career, along with much more.

Elizabeth’s website: www.elizabethiveshunter.com
Elizabeth’s email: [email protected]
September 26, 2019
​Interview with Richard Whitney
In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews New Hampshire painter, Richard Whitney. Richard has established a reputation as one of the finest realist painters in America, who is equally adept at landscape, portrait and figurative painting. Topics covered range from, Richard's training with the famed R.H. Ives Gammell where he took extensive notes on the craft of painting, progressing from being a traditionally minded art student in the University of New Hampshire to receiving gallery representation and solidifying his reputation as a portrait painter. Discussion also covers the acclaimed books that Mr. Whitney has written including, Painting the Visual Impression and his recently published, Advice to a Young Artist: Letters from Ives Gammell to Richard Whitney. 

Richard's website: www.crescentpond.com
Richard's email: [email protected]
September 25, 2019
Interview with Dony MacManus
In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews Catholic sculptor, Dony MacManus. Dony has become the leading authority on interpreting Saint Pope John Paul II’s teachings on Theology of the Body in the visual arts and has been teaching art students how to interpret the true meaning of the body in contemporary culture for over three decades. Founding his first academy of art in Ireland focused on teaching academic drawing, painting and sculpting techniques, the Irish Academy of Figurative Art and founding the Sacred Art School in Florence, Italy, MacManus is a pivotal figure in the Renaissance of figurative art as seen through a Judeo-Christian, Greco-Roman and Roman Catholic framework. Topics covered include charting his biography from his initial exposures to art in high school, to undertaking undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, followed by his sojourn to the New York Academy of Art to attain a masters in academic sculpting skills, before long pursuing another masters in Liturgy, Art and Architecture completed at the European University of Studies, at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome and finally to the motherland of Renaissance art, Florence, Italy. Discussion also focuses on the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church and its moral and ethical teachings. Supplementary to this, Dony also sheds light on his vision for a Vatican Academy of Art which is aimed at training artists in both technique and liturgy in order to serve Jesus Christ through their work.  

Dony’s website: www.donymacmanus.com 
Dony’s email: [email protected] 
April 11, 2019
​Interview with Paul Ingbretson
In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews Boston School painter and foremost authority on the school's philosophy and methodology, Paul Ingbretson. Paul has dedicated his life to painting and researching the practice of depicting the visual impression of nature onto paper and canvas and subsequently, sharing his findings through his teaching. Topics covered range from, Paul's progression from being a young art student in the 1960s searching for answers to the obsolesence of academic and impressionist training in American art institutions, to developing the capacity to converse with the great masters of the past through receiving time-tested training in both, academic drawing and impressionist optics via R.H. Ives Gammell, his commitment to maintaining the tradition through finding Ingbretson Studio of Drawing and Painting, as well as the place that painting occupies in one's coming of age. 

Paul's websites: www.studio.ingbretson.com www.bostonschoolpainting.com
Paul's email: [email protected]
January 25, 2019
Interview with Jacob Collins
In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews traditional realist painter and leading figure in the neo-academic revivalist movement, Jacob Collins. Jacob has been successful in establishing several art schools in New York which include, the Water Street Atelier, Grand Central Atelier and the Hudson River Fellowship. Topics covered range from, Jacob’s childhood and early exposures to art and culture, the varying philosophies and methodologies of the contexts he trained in, the adversities and triumphs of establishing his schools’ and the numerous incarnations of each, as well as comprehensive discussion on the resuscitation of the traditionalist epoch in our contemporary era and hypothesising the future of the reclaimed traditional realist movement, along with much more. 

Jacob's website: www.jacobcollinspaintings.com
Jacob's email: [email protected]
Grand Central Atelier (Jacob's school): www.grandcentralatelier.org
January 24, 2019
Interview with Iliya Mirochnik
In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews Iliya Mirochnik, a Russian-trained realist painter with extensive knowledge of the Russian academic tradition. Iliya is one of the few American artists who successfully completed the Master of Fine Arts degree in painting at the Illya Repin State Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in St. Petersburg, Russia. Topics covered range from, a comprehensive discussion of the history, curriculum, epistemology and working methods of the Academy, comparing and contrasting the Leningrad School of Painting with the Peredvizhniki, illuminating the differences between Russian and Western Visual Arts training, as well as insights into Iliya’s biography and his pursuit to find a unique visual language. 

Iliya's website: www.iliyamirochnik.com
Iliya's email: [email protected]
January 22, 2019
Interview with Peter Bougie
In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews Peter Bougie, a faith-based figurative and landscape painter who hails from the traditional lineage of picture making carried forward by Richard F. Lack. Topics covered range from, Peter’s decision to forgo his job to train full-time with Mr. Lack, his commentary on undertaking a traditional course of drawing and painting instruction during the 1980s, directing Bougie Studio in Minneapolis, his curriculum for training traditional realist painters, as well as exploring ideas concerning depicting “truth” in contemporary culture. 

Peter's website: www.peterbougie.com
Peter's blog: www.peterbougieartcom.blogspot.com 
September 26, 2018
Interview with Carl Samson

In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews Carl Samson, one of America’s most prestigious portrait, figurative and landscape painters. Carl has been extremely influential in propelling the honourable tradition of American painting into the twenty-first century, and has maintained a standard of excellence in his work which is reminiscent of the Boston and Cincinnati School. Topics covered range from, Carl’s journey to seek a sound academic training, anecdotes and personal experiences regarding his time training with Allan Banks, R.H. Ives Gammell and Richard F. Lack, as well as discerning the principles and methods used by the American painters, Frank Duveneck and Herman and Bessie Wessel, along with much more. 

Carl's website: www.carlsamson.com
Carl's email: [email protected]

July 11, 2018
Interview with Katherine Lack
In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews Katherine Lack, wife of the late twentieth century artist, Richard F. Lack. Topics covered range from, Mr. and Mrs. Lack’s initial encounter in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the progression of their courtship, Mr. Lack’s working methods, founding Atelier Lack in the late 1960s, as well as conversation concerning the impact of Mr. Lack's legacy on the contemporary lineage of traditional, representational art.  

Mr. Lack's former school's website (The Atelier: Studio Program of Fine Art): www.theatelier.org
January 16, 2018
Interview with Martinho Correia
In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews Martinho Correia, an artist whose beliefs are deeply rooted in the grand Catholic Traditions of Painting, Theology and Philosophy. Topics covered range from, Martinho’s formative years growing up as a youth in Calgary (Alberta, Canada), his discovery of the contemporary realist movement, training in the birthplace of the Renaissance, as well as discussion pertaining to the role of the Sacred Arts today.

Martinho's website: www.martinhoart.com
Martinho's email: [email protected]

January 4, 2018
Interview with Kirk Richards

In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews Kirk Richards, a distinguished painter in the Classical Realist Tradition. Topics covered range from, the place of art in Kirk’s childhood, his experiences studying art in higher education, training with Richard F. Lack in the late 1970s, establishing his own teaching studio and the trials and tribulations of pursuing the artist’s life. The book discussed during the interview; For Glory and For Beauty: Practical Perspectives on Christianity and the Visual Arts, can be ordered by contacting: [email protected].

Kirk's website: www.kirkrichards.com
Kirk's email: [email protected]

December 23, 2017
Interview with Allan R. Banks

In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews Allan R. Banks, one of the world’s preeminent figurative painters. Topics covered range from, Allan’s early exposures to figurative art, his training with both, R.H. Ives Gammell and Richard F. Lack, as well as his experiences in creating a name for himself as an exemplary portrait and landscape artist.  

Allan's website: www.allanbanks.com
Allan's email: [email protected]

September 30, 2017
Interview with Rob Gutteridge

In this podcast, Emilio Longo interviews Rob Gutteridge, the director of the first ARC (Art Renewal Center) approved art school in Australia. Topics covered range from, Rob's educational background, the resurgence of skill-based art, establishing Rob Gutteridge School of Classical Realism (RGCR), the process of applying for ARC accreditation and much more.

Rob's school: www.rgcr.com.au
Rob's email: [email protected]
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