The Barbara Johnson Studio School, art classes in painting and drawing, is located in Cottage Street Studios in Western Massachusetts in the town of Easthampton, The studio is near the famous Oxbow, on the Connecticut River memorialized in the painting View from Mt Holyoke by Thomas Cole, the founder of the Hudson River School painters. The American tradition of Realism was built on careful observation of nature in concert with the technical methods of strong representational painting grounded in the Renaissance. These same principles are the cornerstone of the skills taught in the studio school program of Classical Painting Techniques. Individual students develop their own vision through their response to exercises designed to build a facility in drawing and painting methods. The still life, portrait, figure drawing, anatomy, and landscape are the subjects explored.
The Pioneer Valley and the nearby Berkshires are home to a wealth of art museums that enhance the visual journey. Along with musical, theater and dance venues continually showcasing local, national and international talent we have great restaurants, fine bed & breakfast and hotel accommodations all to provide a memorable educational experience for those traveling from a distant location.
Nearby Airports: 35 minutes to Bradley International in Hartford, 2 hours from Logan in Boston, and 3 hrs to JFK in New York.