Drawing from Observation: an introduction to perceptual drawing

Brian Curtis has been teaching studio art at the college level for nearly 40 years. He is a representational painter whose most recent series of paintings focused on dramatic skies above the ancient stone monument in England known as Stonehenge. He is now returning to psycho-mythological narratives that explore transitional, tentative moments that occur between times of purposeful activity. In an age that is often categorized as being in a state of perpetual crisis he seeks, by monumentalizing the ordinary, to reveal the shared emotional core that is embedded in everyday experience. In the spring of 1999 Brian was awarded the Dean of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Teaching award, was a finalist for the University of Miami’s Excellence in Teaching Award for 1999 and 2000, and was nominated for the Foundations in Art Theory and Education Master Educator Award in both 2011 and 2015. Brian is currently working on a third edition of Drawing from Observation which will include two new chapters on Figure Drawing. He also intends to refresh the text and images throughout the existing chapters. It is scheduled to be in print by fall 2023. Brian currently serves as the head of University of Miami’s painting and drawing programs.