Today we’d like to introduce you to Elissa Lieberman.
Elissa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have been drawing since childhood. I followed this passion to art school and on to graduate school in Maryland to receive an MFA in 2002. I taught at art schools back east and moved to San Diego. I taught at SDSU, Southwestern, USD, Mesa College, as well as the San Diego Art Department and the La Jolla Athenaeum where I gained a following for my unusual course descriptions and teaching style. I was hired to manage the art school at the San Diego Museum of Art in 2007-2008. I created all of the courses and was in charge of most of the operations of running the school. I had some wonderful teachers on my staff. I left that position but never let go of the dream of running my own teaching studio where there were no politics and I can create a safe place for a community of students who were eager to learn become artists.
I moved to Portland for a few years and worked with adults with extreme developmental disabilities before returning to sunny San Diego. I taught children for a few years but my background is primarily teaching college level. Teaching children is not the best use of what I have to offer.
I have been running a meetup group in my studio since 2014. On Sunday nights, meetup members who join “San Diego Life Drawing” can draw from a live model and enjoy refreshments and socialize. I play chill music and have been asked for playlists.
I finally opened my studio as the San Diego Art Loft in 2015 and had a great opening night where friends, family, and colleagues from years of teaching helped me celebrate by taking part in drawing from a model and enjoying the space. I also threw the coolest Halloween party that year to celebrate the opening of a small adjoining gallery that acts as a place for students to assemble before class while I prep the studio.
Figure drawing both instructed and uninstructed has become a major focus at the Art Loft. The Wednesday evening Adult Figure Drawing class is usually full. Unlike traditional studios I try to avoid preaching a technique or method but introduce many different ways to see the form, often conflicting. These become tools in the toolbox of seeing and analyzing. I have students who continue for years with new students so I can hardly repeat lessons. This challenges me to learn more and become more than a teacher but a creator of original experiences meant to reveal the reality of the human who is posing and the human who is drawing.
In this way I have become rather obsessed with the world of figure drawing. I have tons of books on the topic and am constantly learning more. It is the challenge, inquiry, and analysis that has me smitten. The concept of mastering a technique and rendering a perfect figure is miles from where I want students to be. Instead, I offer innovative and sometimes theatrical experiences meant to encourage students to connect and be responsive to visual cues and make drawings that come from an experience of being present with the subject and the journey. Amazing drawings are a natural consequence
The studio has a vibe definitely, it is communal and has heart. I connect with each student and will try to make sure it’s a good fit.
As it is less recreational, I try to attract people who have a real interest, even beginners. Dedicated beginners. I also have classes for youth age 12-18 including drawing and painting. Students gain skills in a very short time as I provide personal coaching and attempt to mentor each one.
No longer must I follow course plans as the students’ inquiry directs the unfolding of the class. Luckily, I am obsessed with course planning and have hundreds of structured syllabi and assignments in files and binders but the content is engraved now in who I am so I can let the course and students flow in an organic and responsive way. As a a nutty professor, mad scientist type, I can be frenzied with inspiration and change my mind about the days plan right before class or even during class, scrapping projects all together or allowing students to redefine the parameters and recreate the assignment. This collaboration is the magic of the studio and gives students buy in as they continue to define what the Art Loft is. I allow younger students to make decisions regarding the organization of the studio and am considering allowing the teens to teach summer programs under my guidance as I believe teaching art is an important part of making art. I am constantly engaging and responding to the individual needs of small groups of serious art students and attempt to limit the class size to eight.
Many people buy into the talent myth. Art is skill, like writing and it has a language. One must learn a language to use it fluently before we attempt to express ourselves. We aren’t born as babies speaking our native tongue fluently. We need vocabulary, punctuation, sentence structure to make a statement verbally. This is no different than drawing and painting. With good teachers, listening, and learning, we are guided to our unique expression in word and in image. For this reason, classes are based on observational painting and drawing. I prefer using actual objects, models, and spaces as subjects. My next choice is using master paintings and drawings as resources. My least trusted reference is photo reference. This is not the place to create from imagination. If you have not seen through the eyes of an artist to represent what is real, it is much more difficult to express an imaginary world with any real impact.
I engage a student wherever they are to open their eager eyes to a new way of seeing. Drawing is the most basic skill in all visual communication.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
San Diego Art Loft was just voted in the top 5 Art schools in San Diego by San Diego Citybeat. which shocked me because it is a solo project and very small and quiet.
When I managed the Art School at the San Diego Museum of Art, I was responsible for all operations but I had a staff of teachers, an assistant, and some other support as well as the museum itself.
Trying to wear hats that don’t always fit an artist’s right brain has been a huge struggle. I also am not a great delegator so finding help is a challenge. Students and parents must practice patience with me as I try to handle administrative tasks and most importantly, my own art gets put on the back burner.
I have run out of space to use the studio for my own work. I now have a home studio where I can take up the space I need and have privacy.
Another issue is getting students that are a good fit. Beginners are most welcome as well as more practiced artists. The success comes with what I call studentship which is receptivity, responsiveness, ability to ask for help and direction when needed, and ability to try the advice of teachers and peers. Studentship will lead to results.
I face interest from people I am not best to serve. Those with misguided beliefs about what art is or those who are looking for a fun recreational hobby may be disappointed. Those seeking a place to be purely abstract and expressive, bypassing necessary skills training may not be a good fit. I am also not qualified to serve those with attention deficit and other learning differences. For this reason, I have a wide but defined target student and have abandoned the idea of online registration. Students in middle and high school do very well. Adults who can commit to a schedule and have a real interest in drawing and painting are often very successful. I am confident that as word seeps out about the studio, I will attract the right kind of student. That does not mean someone with art ability. It means someone with the interest in learning and absorbing new ways of seeing.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about San Diego Art Loft – what should we know?
The San Diego Art Loft is a small art school or I refer to it as a teaching studio in the Sorrento Valley area that specializes in teaching students age 12 through adult painting and drawing from real life. Students draw from real actual objects and models as well as master artists copies and sometimes photos. Proportion, shading, and perspective, color, light, brushwork, and design principles are covered through projects both assigned individually, or as a group. Some students even keep a wish list of projects.
Classes typically run 8 consecutive weeks and it is best to be there for all classes. The classes can have as few as 4 students and as many as 8 and I will accept no more that 10. They often feel semi private. The tuition depends on the course but averages less than $300. A model fee has been factored into some of the classes and most materials for adult classes are not provided.
The resources in the studio include massive collections of Art Magazines ranging from traditional to contemporary subjects. Famous artists books, art instruction books (Art Teacher Bibles), and even books on the expressive, emotional, and spiritual aspects of art are in my library.
My most valuable class is currently the Wednesday evening “Life Drawing class. ” Professional Art models pose as I train the eyes to see the human figure through many unique perspectives.
I also offer a meetup group on meetup.com. San Diego Life Drawing and Painting Group meets on Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 to draw to chill music, wine, snacks, and between 6 to 12 other artists and novices learning how to see the human form.
I do take some private students in the Art Loft in Sorrento Valley and my home studio in Normal Heights. I also assist in portfolio creation and advisement for college entrance.
I was nominated in the top 5 Art Schools in San Diego by Citybeat Magazine this year and as small an outfit as I am, that feels great. I hope to be amongst those other amazing institutions again next year.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Without empathy, vision, and presence, I could not see through a student’s eyes to find where they are internally stuck. I can feel those sticking places. I can help a student manage that critic voice to listen for where there is useful information. Obstacles of doubt and judgement will always impede our path. I can wield the machete in that jungle whacking away the underbrush of internal dialogue that stops student’s momentum and help clear a path for a journey less encumbered. One of my models told me my teaching style is very unusual. When pressed to explain, she said,” It’s like you’re right there with them.” I’m with them on their journey but they are with me on my ride as new ideas pop up mid class and we twist and turn our activities to reflect my curiosity regarding what works. My “what if” moments are often tested and students and models oblige me allowing the process to be more collaborative.
I am a to be a teacher of mindful presence with art as the vessel. Just like mindfulness meditation and fitness training, we sometimes need a gentle guide to get back to the task. All spiritual principles are found in the process of learning to draw and paint. If one can stay open, it is a lifetime of inspiration and a way to find what is real in the moment leaving the chatter of life at the door.
Pricing:
- Group classes range from $250 to $315 for an 8 to 10 week class.
- Private lessons offered at $50 per hour with a minimum package
Contact Info:
- Address: 3421 Tripp Ct. #2
San Diego, CA 92121 - Website: Www.sandiegoartloft.com
- Phone: 8582137120
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Elissa Lieberman
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