The Florence Academy of Art US

⚜️Eye on the Community⚜️ Since its inaugural gathering in August and September 2021, the FAA / Sweden Alumni Summer Fellowship has grown into a cherished annual tradition. For two weeks, returning graduates reconnect, create, and paint together in a supportive and collaborative environment. Each year, alumni both old and new come together to exchange ideas and reconnect with school traditions.

Read more about the Alumni Fellowship at 🔗 www.patreon.com/thefaacollective (link in bio!)

⚜️ Spotlight on Art: “Three Roses” by Elizabeth Ralph Smith ⚜️ Moving between observation and interpretation, and into the quiet spaces where petals unfold and fade, we had the pleasure of speaking with FAA Principal Instructor Elizabeth Ralph-Smith about the inspiration behind her painting Three Roses, her process of working from life, and the subtle challenges of capturing both the structure and ephemerality of flowers on canvas.

“When painting flowers, there is a kind of tension between solidity and fragility. The forms must feel substantial—solid—and carry depth, but at the same time, the painting must capture the fleeting, transient nature of the flower—an object that continuously moves and wilts with each passing hour.”
Read the full article on The FAA Collective on Patreon at 🔗 www.patreon.com/thefaacollective (link in bio!)

Image: Elizabeth Ralph-Smith, Study of Three Roses, 35cm x 40cm, Oil on Linen, 2023

⚜️ Art History Lecture w/ Andrea Jiménez Carrasquillo - Visiting Bernini ⚜️ Recent FAA Graduate Andrea Jiménez Carrasquillo takes us on a journey where we encounter Gian Lorenzo Bernini at the Villa Borghese. In this lecture available on The FAA Collective on Patreon, we study three sculptures “The R**e of Proserpina,” “Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius,” and “Apollo and Daphne,” while Andrea traces Bernini’s evolution and invites students to experience the Masters firsthand!

Follow us on Patreon and to find out more about our community of artists! For access to this lecture and the rest of the exclusive content available through The FAA Collective become a supporter at 🔗 www.patreon.com/thefaacollective (link in bio!)

⚜️ Spotlight on Art Interview: “Three Graces Reproduction by Thor Larsen” ⚜️ We sat down with Founder of and FAA Principal Instructor, Thor Larsen, who told us the interesting story of how he came to find and create a new cast of the famous “Three Graces” by Italian sculptor Antonio Canova (1757–1822).

“I found a life-size cast of the ‘Three Graces’ [by Canova] with a friend almost ten years ago. We knew an antiques dealer who came across it while it was abandoned in some kind of factory building. The rain had been dripping on the sculpture, and no one had been taking any care of it. He wanted to move it to his antique shop and try to sell it there, but when they tried to pick it up to move it, the heads and all the small pieces began to crumble and fall apart [...]”

Continue reading on The FAA Collective on Patreon at 🔗 www.patreon.com/thefaacollective (link in bio!)

Image: “Three Graces” by Canova, Reproduction by Thor Larsen

⚜️Art History Lecture w/ Ola Alaa El-Din - Fayum Mummy Portraits ⚜️ Ola Alaa El-Din, Director of the Sculpture Drawing Program, presents the fascinating tradition of the Fayum Mummy Portraits, highlighting their significance as a unique crossroads of Egyptian spirituality, Greek culture, and Roman technique. Ola traces the historical origins of these works to Roman Egypt, distinguishing them from stylized funerary masks by their profound naturalism and individuality. Through close analysis, she discusses the specific materials and techniques used, contrasting the linear precision of tempera with the sculptural qualities of encaustic painting using hot beeswax. This lecture reveals the portraits’ spiritual purpose as a tool for the afterlife—an “act of resurrection through observation”—connecting the viewer to the fragile, mortal truth of people who lived two millennia ago.

Follow us on Patreon and  to find out more about our community of artists! For access to this lecture and the rest of the exclusive content available through The FAA Collective become a supporter at 🔗 www.patreon.com/thefaacollective

Image: Tondo of the Two Brothers (Antinoopolis Tondo)
Roman Period, reign of Hadrian, (c. AD 117–138)
Size: H. 24 cm, W. 38.5 cm
Place of discovery: Middle Egypt, el-Sheikh Abada, (Antinoe)
Material: Wood (unspecified), encaustic, pigment (unspecified)
Collection of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt

Congratulations to the many FAA alumni and faculty who are winners, honorable mentions, and finalists in the 18th International ARC Salon! Many thanks to the ARC for their continued support of the FAA and art by our alumni! ⚜️

Erica Arcudi, Adjunct Professor in the FAA MA in Studio Art Graduate Program – FWSD Award, Honorable Mention / Plein Air Painting
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Eirik Arnesen, FAA Principal Instructor – Honorable Mention / Figurative, Second Place / Sculpture

Mitch Shea, FAA Director of Sculpture – Dual Category Awards / Fully From Life & Sculpture

Gabriel Akre, FAA Graduate – Dual Category Awards / Fully From Life & Sculpture

Omma Moonfalk, FAA / Sweden Graduate – Honorable Mention / Fully From Life

art Gaia Yoel, FAA Graduate – Honorable Mention / Figurative

Sepideh Behbehani, FAA Graduate – Honorable Mention / Sculpture

Gabriel Montechiari e Silva – Honorable Mention / Sculpture

⚜️Art History Lecture w/ Elizabeth Ralph-Smith - Mary Nimmo Moran ⚜️ Available now on the FAA Collective on Patreon is a lecture with FAA Principal Instructor Elizabeth Ralph-Smith presenting the work of Mary Nimmo Moran, highlighting the artist’s significance as a pioneering American painter and etcher. Elizabeth traces Moran’s early training, her transition from painting to etching, and the remarkable technical assurance visible in works such as Gardiner’s Bay from Fresh Pond, Long Island. Through close analysis, she discusses Moran’s practice of etching directly from nature, carrying prepared copper plates into the landscape, and drawing into the wax ground on site. This lecture reveals Moran’s ability to capture both the visual and emotional truth of place, which speaks to patience and skill but also a love of nature that cannot be taught.
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Follow us on Patreon and to find out more about our community of artists! For access to this lecture and the rest of the exclusive content available through The FAA Collective become a supporter at 🔗 www.patreon.com/thefaacollective
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Mary Nimmo Moran, “Gardiner’s Bay L. I., Seen from Fresh Pond”, Etching (in brown ink) and plate tone on cream wove paper, 20 cm. x 28.75 cm., 1881
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⚜️Eye on the Community⚜️ Available now on the FAA Collective on Patreon is a new article featuring FAA Graduate Dan Russell’s experience moving to Pietrasanta to teach alongside .foot.sculptor Martin Foot in the FAA’s Marble Carving workshop!
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“It was immensely rewarding to share our knowledge in a way that was both structured and rooted in classical training, providing students with a deeper and more enriching learning experience.” -Dan Russell

Follow us on Patreon and to read more and learn about our community of artists while exploring our collection of articles, interviews, art history lectures, and more! 🔗 www.patreon.com/thefaacollective

📷: courtesy Dan Russell

⚜️Art History Lecture w/ FAA Faculty - The Art of Etching ⚜️ Available now on the FAA Collective on Patreon is a lecture on Etching by FAA Faculty members Issie Weir, Matteo Taverna, and Andrew Waller, with an introduction by FAA Founder Daniel Graves. Together, they open a window into the world of etching, guiding us through its processes, techniques, and artistic challenges, while also sharing reflections on the artists who have most inspired them. This lecture not only reveals the depth of printmaking as a discipline but also celebrates the artistic lineage that continues to shape and enrich this tradition at FAA.

Follow us on Patreon and to find out more about our community of artists! For access to this lecture and the rest of the exclusive content available through The FAA Collective become a supporter at 🔗 www.patreon.com/thefaacollective

Image: Mariano Fortuny y Marsal, “An Arabic man keeping watch over the dead body of his friend”, Etching, 21.5 × 41.1 cm, 1866