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About Schissler Academy

Our Mission Statement

 

Schissler Academy of Fine Arts is committed to providing the highest level of instruction in the classical realist tradition. Whether students are wishing to explore careers as professional artists or for personal growth, we believe our curriculum best enables them to realize their artistic vision as they pursue the subject, medium and technique they are most passionate about.

 

 

Our Story

 

The Schissler Academy of Fine Arts, located in downtown Loveland, Colo., launched the Classical Fine Arts Studio Certificate program in September 2017 to take students to the next level. 

 

Janeen Schissler, owner and founder of the studio, developed a two-year program equal to a four-year degree but with less cost and time involved. She added the certificate program to the studio’s foundational art program that has courses in classical fine art techniques in drawing, pastels, oils, watercolors and other mediums. 

 

The certificate focuses instruction on the classical fine art disciplines of drawing and painting in all of the classical mediums and techniques and prepares students for the professional art world. Instruction is based on the principles of drawing and painting taught by Master artists from the Renaissance to the present. The motto of “classical instruction for a solid foundation” focuses learning on realistic representations of what the students see before they explore other approaches and mediums in their artistic endeavors.

 

Schissler developed the curriculum for the certificate program and course offerings after taking an unconventional route in her own instruction. She didn’t want to go through a traditional art program and designed her own course of study with Master artists who taught her classical approaches to basic drawing and painting. She then took elements of that instruction combined with what she learned were the best practices from art history and contemporary disciplines. 

 

An artist for more than 35 years, Schissler opened several studios for teaching art and in 2005 became the director of a small classical art school called The Studio in Seattle. She had wanted to open an atelier style school in Seattle but in 2011 decided to locate it in the Bonnell Building in Loveland, Colorado. Atelier comes from the French word for “studio”, meaning the classroom has a low student-to-teacher ratio with Master-level instructors.

As a current student of Schissler Academy, I wanted to take a minute to share my experience with the 2-year Certificate Program. As a lifelong aspiring artist, I spent many years “dabbling” in art. I took the occasional online course and/or attended weekend workshops, but  I never committed to learning art in earnest. In part, some of that reluctance was due to the overwhelming amount of material there is to know about everything art.  What with the techniques, the history, the materials, the process…. ugh! Without some prior education in art, it is indeed intimidating as an aspiring artist to navigate those waters and even if you possess the talent and the desire, the enormity of "where to begin" can leave you frozen in your boots. Schissler Academy ’s Two-Year Certificate Program was the answer for me.

 

The past 2 years has been a tremendously fulfilling experience. I have learned so much and have been pushed to my edge in both art theory and practice.  It is hard to imagine learning and applying the scope of material I have learned in the past  2 years, without the Academy’s exceptional and comprehensive instruction and direction. In fact, in retrospect, two years seems a small commitment for the training and education I have received. That’s not even to mention the priceless confidence I gained as an artist. 

 

The Academy maintained a safe and supportive creative environment; a place where growth and learning was inevitable! I felt challenged while fully supported. The instructors are professional, knowledgeable and accomplished artists, each in their own right. Each instructor had their own personable way of making, even the most tedious parts of learning, fun! In this nurturing environment, classmates became lifelong friends. This 2- year program has been one of the best commitments I have ever made for myself. My confidence and abilities as an artist have grown tremendously and I am excited to move forward.  

 

I highly recommend the Academy to anyone who is looking to further their artistic education and abilities! 

- Tracy Holsapple

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