still life painting in the european tradition: stanley bielen

May 30-June 1, 2008
Three-day workshop, limited to 12 participants
Tuition: $500
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Originally from Poland, Stanley Bielen has brought a European sensibility to his approach to the still life. His small, intimate paintings are most often of the flowers and fruits he cultivates in his backyard. An ardent gardener, his appreciation of the beauty of the natural world is manifest in these small ‘portraits’ of blossoms. Stanley will teach a small group of students about his compositional style and the attendant issues of lighting the subject. This three-day workshop will be both in the studio and plein air, weather permitting.

faculty

Stanley Bielen is known for his mysteriously quiet still life paintings that celebrate the beauty of all manner of flora. He himself cultivates over twenty varieties of roses, along with vegetables and other bouquet flowers in his reclaimed ‘greenspace’ garden in downtown Philadelphia. The link between his love for horticulture and his love of painting is celebrated in every still life. He exhibits regionally and nationally, with his works appearing in the collections of the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, among others. He is a recipient of the Julius Halgarten Award from the National Academy of Design. He is represented by Spheris Gallery in BellowsFalls and Reeves Contemporary in New York City.