| SPECIAL PROGRAMS |
“Poussin had the habit of saying that it is by observing things that the painter becomes skillful, more than in tiring himself by copying them. Yes: but the painter must have eyes.”
“Poussin avait coutume de dire que c’est en observant les choses que le peintre devient habile plûtot qu’en se fatiguant à les copier. Oui: mais il faut que le peintre ai des yeux.” – JAD Ingres
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For a full course description, including price, faculty, class size and eligibility, click any course title:
| Online Course Title | Subject & Location | Program Dates | Application Deadline |
| 2025 SPRING FIGURE PAINTING | figure painting in oil Tobias Hall – Argenton-Chateau |
6 Mar – 29 Mar | 29 November 2024  |
2025 SPRING PORTRAIT PAINTING |
portrait painting in oils – Nicole Michelle TULLY |
10 Apr – 3 May |
6 September 2024 |
2025 SPRING in PARIS PORTRAIT STUDIO |
drawing & painting the portrait – Paris Timothy STOTZ & Nicole Michelle TULLY | 12 May – 6 June |
29 November 2024 |
| SUMMER in PARIS – DRAWING STUDIO 2-week program |
2 weeks drawing with David BAIRD – Paris | 30 June – 11 July |
29 November 2024 |
| SUMMER in PARIS – PAINTING STUDIO 2-week program |
2 weeks painting with David BAIRD – Paris | 14 July – 25 July |
29 November 2024 |
2025 SUMMER in PARIS – FIGURE DRAWING |
2 weeks figure drawing – Toby HALL |
17 Aug – 29 Aug |
31 January 2025 |
Special Programs – General Overview
Studio Escalier’s full-time faculty and very select visiting faculty occasionally offer Special Programs in various topics, 3 to 4 weeks in length, for 8 to 12 students at a time.
Two to five Special Programs are now scheduled annually, normally between the months of March and September.
Anyone may apply. Enrollment is by advance application only, including portfolio submission (2 images).
Working alongside some of the best contemporary classical artists and teachers, Special Program students also profit from each other’s practices, as they attend short, effective classes and lectures.
Special Programs typically concentrate on figure drawing, copying after masterpieces in the Louvre, or portrait painting. Other topics include still-life painting, pastel painting, figure structure and anatomy, materials and techniques, etc.
Additionally, Special Programs at Studio Escalier place students in a setting conducive to concentration, art-making, forward-looking professional exchange… featuring small-town living in an artist’s colony atmosphere (Argenton-Chateau), or in the heart of French art, art history, and culture (Paris).
For answers to frequently asked questions about arrival and departure, travel, transport, and lodging, please refer to the individual course description, as well as the FAQS about Argenton Chateau page.
Special Online Programs
Online special programs may concentrate on portraiture, color, figure drawing, or other topics.
Special Programs in Paris
Most special programs held at our Paris Program Studio may concentrate on figure drawing, figure painting, portraiture or other topics, and typically included lecture-tours or visits to the Louvre, or to concurrent special exhibitions in Paris.
Housing cost in Paris is not included in the price of tuition. Students must locate and lease their own housing in Paris.
For answers to other frequently asked questions about arrival and departure, studio location, public transport, and advice about how to search for housing in Paris, please refer to the individual course description, as well as to the FAQS about Paris Programs page.
Special Programs in Argenton-Chateau
Special programs also convene in Argenton-Chateau, France. They may concentrate on portrait painting, figure painting or other topics.
These programs sometimes run in parallel to our on-going 3-month Intensive Courses, with the express aim to engender a creative atmosphere between different groups of artists and art students.
Previous Special Program Tutors, Lecturers and Critics
Timothy STOTZ draftsman, painter, Fulbrighter, founder – Studio Escalier
N. Michelle TULLY draftsman, painter, founding faculty – Studio Escalier
Anthony RYDER draftsman, painter, author – Ryder Studio School (Santa Fe, NM), Artist’s Complete Guide to Figure Drawing
Krista SCHOENING draftsman, painter, printmaker, adjunct faculty – University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
Ted Seth JACOBS draftsman, painter, author – Drawing with an Open Mind, Light for the Artist
Rita NATAROVA painter, Fulbrighter – Maryland Institute College of Art, Jerusalem Studio School
