Michael Grimaldi
Bio
Michael Grimaldi has taught figure drawing and painting at Art Students League of New York; The Grand Central Academy of Art, NY; The School of Visual Arts, NY; The National Academy, NY; The Seattle Academy of Fine Arts, WA; The Water Street Atelier, NY; Studio Incamminati, PA; and Studio 126, NY.
Mr. Grimaldi has studied painting and drawing at the Art Student’s League of NY, The National Academy, The New York Studio School, The Ecole Albert Defois, The Water Street Atelier and independent studies in anatomy and dissection at Facultad Medicina, Argentina.
Awards include: The Edward G. McDowell Travel Grant (1993), Stacey Foundation Grant (1998 & 1999), The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant (1999 & 2002), and an Artist in Residence Fellowship from The Forbes Foundation (2002).
Exhibitions include: Arcadia Gallery NY, Arnot Museum, Forbes Magazine Collection, Forum Gallery NY, National Academy Museum NY, and The John Pence Gallery CA.
Classes taught by Michael Grimaldi
Oil Painting from Life
This class has no available sessions. Please email us if you are interested.
This course will present critical concepts of visual perception and their application to understanding and developing the preliminary stages of a painting from direct observation. The successful realization of a completed painting relies on the early stages of the work, which depend on a thorough understanding of the visual experience and of the human figure.
Students will work on a two week pose during this intensive workshop. Mr. Grimaldi will lead the class through the steps of constructing a successful and complete painting in oil while cultivating an ability to problem-solve and self-correct. Upon completion of the preliminary stages of building a completed “ebauche”, separate tonal and color sketches, and preliminary drawings, students will advance to the final stages of the painting.
Students will start with the basic elements of design by creating tonal thumbnail sketches. Then each student will study and explore the accurate expression of the gesture, proportion, perspective, anatomical construction and graphic shape while working on a full size, preliminary drawing. This drawing will be transferred to the painting’s surface, serving as an armature and allowing students to progress through the painting with exhaustive study of value and color relationships. Precise consideration will be given to the effects of light on form. Students will learn to separate these components, study them independently, re-construct and combine them with the other elements to work spatially within the context of the whole. This will foster the student’s ability to perceive and express the visual experience with intelligence— a strategy that is critical throughout all stages of painting.
An Introduction to Constructive Anatomy
This class has no available sessions. Please email us if you are interested.
While striving for an naturalistic representation of the visual field, an intelligent and selective application of anatomy and perspective is essential towards the expression of the human figure. Balancing the perceptual and conceptual elements of drawing the human figure from life, students will be familiarized with strategies towards the application of the knowledge the skeletal armature, it’s sculptural mass, dynamics, and the effects of perspective and light on the major forms of the figure. “An Introduction to Constructive Anatomy” will be an all day presentation, demonstrating the strategies towards the application of anatomy and perspective towards a holistic and resolved figure drawing, separate studies to isolate the major concepts and structures, and a thorough comparison between the live model and skeleton for cross reference. Students are encouraged to bring a sketchbook and selection of pencils.
Figure Drawing
This course will sequentially present fundamental and advanced concepts of visual perception and their application to drawing from direct observation. A thorough understanding of the visual experience and of the human figure is essential for anyone wishing to express and translate these elements to the picture plane. Separating the elements, studying them independently, re-constructing and combining them with the other elements to create well unified and holistic painting, will foster the student’s ability to perceive the visual experience with intelligence, apply this knowledge to their work, and cultivate an ability to problem solve and self-correct through the process of building paintings and drawings.
Working on a one-week pose students will explore the elements of proportion, gesture, perspective, light on form, relative value, and composition & design through the construction of a completed drawing and separate studies.