Catalyst Documentary Features Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art Founder Jeffrey Larson

Great Lakes Academy--Main hall.

The Catalyst Content Festival is approaching fast, now under three weeks away. In addition to meetings, training workshops and networking, a central feature of events of this type is the screening of films, or in this case, films and podcasts, scripts and pitches. Everything from drama series, short film, documentary and comedy will be showcased.

As I looked through the offerings I noticed there's a short documentary about Jeffrey T. Larson, the artist who with his son co-founded the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art. (GLAFA) The school has now entered its fourth year and its students have been producing phenomenal work. (Here is link to their third Student/Instructor Exhibition last spring.)

Painting by Larson

The short film is titled, simply Jeffrey T. Larson. You can watch the trailer here.

I believe I first met Jeffrey Larson when he gave a talk at the Tweed Museum of Art the summer before the GLAFA was opened. In retrospect it seemed clearly designed to raise awareness that something big was emerging on the West Hillside here in Duluth. At the end of their first year they held an open house weekend in which their first year students were showcased. This practice has continued each spring.

Detail from larger piece.

Detail from painting "Heidi"

In similar fashion, artist Jeffrey T. Larson has reproduced a passion for painting in his son Brock and together they have undertaken an enterprise that goes far beyond making art. After much deliberation they have undertaken to start a world-class art school here in the Twin Ports on Duluth's West Central Hillside.

The photos on the page feature Larson's painting, the school and students at work. Between the GLAFA, the Homegrown Music Festival, Duluth Dylan Fest, DuSu Film Festival, Grandma's Marathon, Blues Fest, and now the Catalyst Content Festival--not to mention the exceptional beauty of our lake and region--we've got some seriously great foundations being laid to make Duluth a premiere cultural center of sorts.

Thank you to all of the artists and people who have worked to make these things possible. We, the community, are the beneficiaries. How cool is that?

Larson is fascinated with objects....

* * * *

Detail

...and Light, and People.

Related Links
Megan McGarvey and Katie Lindow Discuss Outsourced, Their Documentary Film About a Decision at UWS
The Changing Face of Post-Production for Movie Makers
Catalyst Content Documentary Selections
Catalyst Festival Home Page
Jeffrey T Larson Documentary Trailer 

Local Art Seen: Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art Celebrates Third Year with Style

View from the front entrance of the school.

This past weekend the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art celebrated its third annual Student/Instructor Exhibition with a weekend open house. It's a fabulous event, showcasing the students' development as they have mastered essential skills as artists. The pictures on this page need no real explanation, each being worth a thousand words.

The school was designed as a three year program, so this group show features students from its first graduating class. Co-founder/instructors Jeffrey T. Larson and son Brock were thrilled not only by the student's progress but also the school itself.

This study of wrinkled paper is all part of "learning how to see."

* * * *

Students begin in black and white.

* * * * 

              "You can only paint truthfully what you can truthfully see."

* * * *

Co-founder Jeffrey T. Larson (R)

* * * *

"Victor Hugo After Rodin"--Patrick Glander, Graphite on paper.

* * * *

Instructor Brock Larson. This is a painting, not a sculpture.

* * * *

"Vessel"--Oil on linen, Kelly Schamberger. 21st century Vermeer?

* * * *

"Blue"--Oil on canvas, Kelly Schamberger

* * * *

Small, still life oil paintings by various fourth year students. 

* * * *

Anatomical studies by guest sculptor James Shoop reveal what is beneath the skin.

* * * *

Archie Page, pencil on paper

* * * *

"Female Figure"--Oil on canvas, Kelly Schamberger

* * * *

"Elephant Figurines"--Oil on canvas by Eric Rauvola

* * * * 

"All that painting is or ever will be is an arrangement of puzzle pieces, each made up of the right relative hue on top of a correct value within a specific shape."

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Get into it.

A Visit with Painter Brock Larson, Co-Founder of the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art.

"Alder Grove" -- Brock Larson

One of the exciting developments in the Twin Ports arts scene was the decision by Jeffrey and Brock Larson to establish the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art (GLAFA) here in the Northland. I first learned of the school’s planned formation in the summer of 2016. I'd gone to hear co-founder Jeffrey T. Larson give a talk at the Tweed Museum of Art on the subject of “Training the Eye to See.” As it turns out this message is essentially the heart of what this school is about.

GLAFA is located in the former St. Peter's Church at 818 West Third Street here in Duluth. Their teaching approach follows the Atelier method, the standard approach of guild artists from the middle ages to the 19th century. Over a period of three years the students develop mastery of the essential toolkit of skills and knowledge.

"Damp Leaves" -- Brock Larson

The other co-founder is Jeffrey Larson's son Brock, who is himself a painter of exceptional skill. Brock is also an instructor in the school. This coming week the two will be headed to Charleston for their first 2-man show, hosted by the Helena Fox Gallery. It will be the first time they’ve shown together as equals. (Brock has had some of his pieces shown as an add-on in some of his father’s shows.)

"Morning Lit" -- Brock Larson

Brock's work had been recognized from a fairly young age, winning a number of awards before the age of 10 for his painting. He not only had his father's example, his grandfather Marvin Espe was also a professional painter. Growing up he would sometimes paint with them. It's cliche but I will say it: sometime the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree.

Brock's academic art training began with Master Copy portrait painting. What this means is that the student attempts to reproduce portraits painted by the Masters.

Here's the concept. All painter are, in essence, interpreting reality. For example, when they paint a beach, they do not paint every grain of sand. Rather, they translate the three dimensional lakefront landscape onto a two dimensional surface.

In the same way, portraits are an artist's effort to convey the three dimensional face and head onto a two-dimensional surface. Instead of a math problem, it is a visual translation problem. By reproducing the works of the Masters, student see and internalize the manner in which these great artists have resolved the issues of interpretation.

Or as Brock explains, "by reproducing existing portraits you learn how other great artists translate 3D to 2D. You get inside their methods by painting it rather than just looking at it. You learn more this way."

Brock's advanced training included five years at the Atelier School where his father taught, after which he taught evening classes for two years.

At a certain point in time Brock and his father discussed the idea of starting a school together. "It started rolling from there," Brock said.

I asked the 27-year-old veteran painter if there was ever a time when he felt intimidated by how talented his father was.

"At times I have," he admitted, "but then I remind myself that it all comes down to working hard, being patient and gaining experience. I try not to compare myself to anyone out there painting, mainly just on improving my work and enjoying the process."

I then asked if he would care to elaborate on this central concept of the school: “In order to paint a subject one must learn how to see the subject."

"Learning to see is the key element to how we paint, disassociating our preconceived ideas of what nature looks like. Seeing in abstract colors, values and shapes is foundational and is a large part of the training at GLAFA," he said.

Of his many awards I found this one to convey a sense of special honor. The young Larson was selected to annually paint the Minnesota State Bar Association’s presidential portrait, published on the cover of MSBAs magazine, Bench & Bar.

The school, GLAFA, is now nearing the end of its third year. The renovation work that was taking place in year one is now a thing of the past. The students have ingested some incredible experiences here, and in May the public will once again be invited to see their progress.

Meantime, Brock is busy framing and preparing 12 landscape and still life paintings for the Charleston show.

Painting of Palisade Head in progress. Below the large canvas is Brock Larson's field study.

* * * *
Another topic we touched upon is the upcoming Northland Plein Air Fest, slated for the summer of 2020. Plein air painting, or "in open air" involves artists going out to engage their subjects rather than painting in the controlled environment of the studio. This past year Jeffrey Larson approached Tweed director Ken Bloom regarding the possibility of making Duluth a premiere destination for plein air painters worldwide.

While we do not have a monopoly on beautiful scenery, we most assuredly have settings and scenes comparable to anywhere in the world. Few places have the variety. 365 days out of the year the Great Lake itself is sensational.

According to Brock, there is a  lot of excitement building from plein air artists with whom they have shared the vision. "We're still working on the details," Brock added.

It's an exciting story unfolding here.

Related Links
Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art  
Jeffrey Larson at the Tweed

Weekend Open House Shows Why the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art Is a Gift to Our Community

Friday evening at the GLAFA  (Photo courtesy Ramona Marozas)

Tricycle by Jeffrey T. Larson

How does light work? How does perception work? How do we synthesize everything in our minds to form images of the material world? Light reflects off the surfaces of things, yet we do not see the light waves moving through space as it strikes the surface of things. How is it, too, that while our eyes are in motion everything appears fixed in time and substantial. We move about within a space and yet the room doesn't move with us, unless you've had too much to drink. Why do colors shift when the light is brighter or more restrained?

Photo courtesy Ramona Marozas

The Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art is having its second annual student/instructor exhibition this weekend. The school uses a method of teaching that was developed in the 17th century called the Atelier method. Students spend hours every day drawing a two-dimensional reproduction of a 3-D object using techniques that enable them to accurately depict reality. The first year is devoted to drawing and learning to see. The second year students also begin painting, but it is not till year three that they introduce color to their paintings. Next year's open house is expected to be a yet more vibrant one as second year students look forward to the broadening of their pallets.

The images here are from this weekend's open house, which continues today for several hours, from noon till three. After that the students and instructors will break for the summer. Jeffrey T. Larson and son Brock are looking forward to a painting trip to the mountains of Colorado later in the week. And the students look forward to seeing what new themes will spring from their own imaginations, with more advanced skillsets for translating their visions to reality.

Co-founders Jeffrey T. and Brock Larson (Ramona M photo)

Ramona M, right and center. w/ artist Daralyn Berg Peifer

Showing how it's done when working from real life.

Photo of student by Ramona M.

Early in evening. Students eager to share their achievements with friends
family and fans.

Friday evening was another stellar open house for the school. I paid a visit Saturday afternoon to grab some of the photos here and offer my best wishes to the students who have clearly demonstrated their willingness to commit to a very demanding regimen. The proof of the pudding is in the eating they say... They have achieved new levels of eye-hand coordination, learned new ways of seeing, and have promising futures. I can hardly wait till next year.

REMINDER: Doors will be open this afternoon from noon till three. Take advantage of this opportunity to get inspired.

Related Links
How the Eye Sees
The Atelier

Head Studies: Art of the Portrait (Local Art Seen)

Head Study by Jesse Kane

Form Study: II, Brock Larson

It's been a week of rarified realism and representational art here in the Twin Ports, and the local art fans are enjoying it very much. Last week the Plein Air Painters of America (PAPA) were performing their magic in our midst, culminating in a show at the one-year-old Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art. The preceding evening the Tweed Museum showcased plein air painters whose focus was America's Industrial Landscapes. Thursday we'll see a clan of local artists who have been doing representational work as well, and through November the Red Herring has decorated its walls with a new exhibit titled Head Study, Art of the Portrait.

The Red Herring show features work by GLA founders Jeffrey and Brock Larson in conjunction with their first year student body. The students are clearly marching along a good path here. It has to be gratifying to experience the progress they've made as they begin their second year of the program.

The Poet, Brock Larson

I've identified some of the pictures here but if you need complete attributions, the Red Herring Lounge is walking distance from the center of town on East First Street. The six student artists: Daralyn Pfeifer, Cam Conlon, Patrick Glander, Jesse Kane, Kelly Schamberger and Eric Rauvola.

Earlier this summer I spoke with some of the students about their experiences this first year and what they've been learning.

“I’ve learned how to see things better and judge values," said Kelly Schamberger, who added that she wasn't as good of an artist as she thought she was. This, of course, is the first step in teachableness, and she's become quite accomplished by the end of her first season.

Cam by Daralyn Peifer

“My taste has changed drastically," she noted. "My standards are higher. I've had to work hard and stay focused for long periods of time.” Like the other students she's also learning how to use the materials. “I can see, by looking back, the progress I’ve made. You don’t realize the progress as you’re going along. I think all of us are way ahead of where we imagined we’d be.”

Jesse Kane, from Wilmont, South Dakota had studied 2 years of graphic design before coming to the school here in Duluth. His dad is a farmer, mother an insurance adjuster, and both are supportive of his art ambitions. “Breaking down mental pre-conceived notions of what drawing is and putting full trust in what Jeff and Brock are doing," has been invaluable. He's always asking questions: what is the correct shape? Are these the right values? Is the edge right? It requires patience and discipline.

Self-Portrait by Jeffrey Larson

According to Jeffrey Larson, who co-founded the school with his son Brock, half the first year students had art degrees already when they enrolled.

Ellen, by Daralyn Peifer

Drawing by Patrick Glander

"Jake" by Brock Larson; Oil on Canvas Panel

Again, Head Study will be on display through the first week of November. A closing reception will be held on November 2. Do it if you can. It will be a great way to mark a moment in time for the school and this crop of second year students.

* * * * 

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Engage it.

* * * *

EdNote: Some of black and white drawings have splashes of color on them. These are reflections off the glass and not necessarily intentional by the artists. I personally find them interesting, even if it does present a challenge for photography in certain settings.