about us

Owner/Instructor

Born in New York, currently based in Los Angeles David studied at the Rhode Island School of  Design where he received his BFA. He then pursued studies in Italian language and literature at Brown University and continued his studies at the New York Academy of Art. While studying at the Rhode Island School of Design, David participated in their European Honors Program in Rome, the first American Art and Design program ever established in Italy.   David has spent extensive time in Italy over the years, learning the language and maintaining personal and professional relationships.

Instructor

Sean Cheetham has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with honors from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. Sean exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London in 2005 where he was included in the prestigious BP Portrait award show. His self-portrait “Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams…” is currently hanging in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian in Washington DC. Sean lives and teaches painting in Los Angeles.

Instructor

Marc Trujillo resides in Los Angeles. He received his B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and his M.F.A. from the Yale University School of Art. He has had many shows on both coasts in the U.S. and currently shows with Hirschl & Adler Modern in New York and Chis Winfield Gallery in Carmel. His work is in numerous public and private collections including the Long Beach Museum and the New Britain Museum of Art. Marc has taught figure painting for more than 15 years in Los Angeles and has also taught and lectured at numerous institutions including The Getty Center in Los Angeles, Mount Royal School of Art in Maryland,  and Boston University.

Instructor

Kate is a realistic oil painting and charcoal artist, selling her art and teaching others how to tap deeper into their own innate creativity. Her workshops are open to anyone, no matter the aesthetic they strive for or skill level they bring. She offers workshops to help other artists acquire new techniques and produce work that they are proud of through a process Kate adapted and enjoys. She encourages students to let go of self-imposed pressure to freely express themselves through charcoal drawing.

Instructor

A graduate of the Art Center College of Design, Natalia Fabia began showing her art in group exhibitions around Los Angeles in the early 2000’s, establishing herself as a contender in the figurative painting arena. Using her surroundings and life as a rich garden of inspirations, Fabia began making colorful, sultry scenes filled with people, lush environments, ornate fashion, light, interiors, glamour, graffiti, landscapes, punk rock music and an unapologetic sexiness entirely her own.

Fabia finds a genuine comfort and truth in the realness and imperfections within her subjects. She glorifies the individuality and unique aspects of her human figures. Hers is a colorful world celebrating the vibrant diversity and beauty of the life she lives and that exists around her. Painting, she feels, exists to allow artists to create any world they want – make it, and make it yours. Infused with Fabia’s signature style, vividly saturated candy color palettes and a dazzling spectrum of light, her work is a combination of fantasy narratives and actual moments captured from the artist’s life.

Influenced by artists the likes of Henri Toulouse Lautrec, John William Waterhouse, John Singer Sargent, Rebecca Campbell, Lisa Yuskavage etc., plus fashion designers like Alexander McQueen, Fabia’s painterly studies in oil are marked by bold, determined strokes that offer depth and clarity. Having studied with many contemporary masters, her knowledge and understanding of the color palette underscore her ability to bring life and light to canvas.

Fabia has had multiple solo shows at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles. Her work has been featured in numerous galleries and art fairs including Jonathan Levine Gallery, NY , Zhou B Art Center in Chicago, IL, M Modern in Palm Springs and Sirona Gallery in Palm Beach, Florida, LA Art Show, Art Palm Beach International Art Fair, etc.  Museum exhibits include Bristol Museum of Art, MXW Masterworks group exhibition at Long Beach Museum of Art, The Fort Wayne Museum of Art and Lancaster Museum of Art. She has been featured in American Art Collector, Poets Artists, Juxtapoz, New York Arts magazine, Hi Fructose, Art Ltd., and Angeleno Magazine. Fabia was featured in LA Weekly’s 2010 People Issue as one of “LA’s 100” most fascinating people. Fabia currently works from her studio in Orange County, CA.

Instructor

Daniel Hughes is a figurative artist who has exhibited his work throughout Canada and the United States. He has had solo exhibitions in London and is a two-time recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields award. He recently completed a commissioned portrait of former Chancellor David Dodge and his most recent solo exhibition was at the Ingram Gallery, Toronto. 

Instructor

Stephen Bauman is a classically trained artist and I spent 12 years as an instructor in the drawing and painting program of the The Florence Academy of Art. In addition to that I was the director of the Anatomy & Ecorche Department for 6 years, first in Sweden and then in the USA. In 2020 I left the academy to focus my efforts on my art career & online courses.

Instructor

Patrick was born in Busan, South Korea in 1984 and raised in La Grange, Illinois. He earned his undergraduate degree in Art History and English from the University of St Andrews in 2006. From 2010 to 2014 Patrick studied drawing and painting at Grand Central Atelier in New York, NY. In 2017 he relocated to Paris, France, where he now lives and works. Patrick’s immersion in the methodology, philosophy, and traditions of the classical atelier continues to inform his studio practice, while a determination to evince the beauty and vulnerability of his subjects provides the inspiration for his work.