About The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Arts

Our Mission

The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Arts focuses primarily on teaching fine draftsmanship and painting skills leading to the creation of well constructed artwork. The Atelier has passed on from teacher to student, a method of instruction which melds formal academic training with influence of the French Impressionists. American art students in the late nineteenth-century European art academies brought this combined education home to pass on to their own students.

The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Arts, lead by Director Cyd Wicker and Assistant Director Laura Tundel, closely follows these original precepts offering students the opportunity to master the fundamental principles in the classical discipline of realistic drawing and painting.

Upon completion of a four-year course of study, the student has a foundation of knowledge and experience to pursue a career as a professional painter.

Our History

A portion of The Atelier's educational lineage is as follows:

• Jaques-Louis David (1748-1825)
• Paul Delaroche (1797-1856)
• Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904)
• William McGregor Paxton (1869-1941)
• R. H. Ives Gammell (1893-1981)
• Richard F. Lack (1928-2009)

Dale Redpath, retired Director Emeritus and Head Instructor, served as Co-Director of The Atelier with Cyd Wicker from 1992 to 2017. Cyd Wicker continues as Director and Head Instructor at The Atelier with Laura Tundel as Assistant Director.