As new registration opens today I would like to reach out and share a little of what you can expect from my Atelier and 6 week classes!
In my Atelier program and 6 week courses I will be including the classical foundations that you are familiar with in addition to contemporary techniques that I learned in my time at Ani Art Academy Waichulis. You will be able to continue to work on current creative projects as well as work through a curriculum that adds to your creative toolbox! Emphasis will be focused on understanding of how light interacts with the four basic forms, materials, paint handling, in depth knowledge of graphite as well as charcoal and pastel, so that you are able to achieve a more polished and realistic quality in your work if you so choose. We will explore painting/drawing from life using comparative measurement and sight size methods as well as window shade method using a photograph reference. We will also learn how to photograph references, photoshop basics and lessons in composition. In addition to these lessons, you will create works using indirect and alla prima techniques. This foundation will allow you to have the ability to create whatever you choose with a high level of skill and confidence in your abilities to do so. I look forward to seeing you all in the studio and am eager to assist you in your creative journey! Cheers, Nicole Adkisson
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 First and foremost, I would like to say thank you to Leslie Lienau for laying the foundation of Oklahoma Academy of Classical Art. Through your leadership you have created a wonderful home for creatives to practice their craft in the Classical Tradition. We appreciate all of your hard work and dedication to the Oklahoma art community.
I am delighted to be the new Director/ Principal Instructor for OACA.I look forward to maintaining the important fundamental ideals that Leslie put in place, as well as expanding the curriculum to employ the contemporary techniques that I learned in my time at Ani Art Academy Waichulis. In the Adkisson Atelier, students will be allowed to continue previous/current creative projects as well as work through tested exercises that advance understanding of how to translate subjects from life to a 2D surface. In addition to working from life students will learn how to photograph references, photoshop basics, lessons in composition, and how to create a realistic piece using a photograph reference. This and other classes will resume the week of July 13th and registration will be available on the website on July 3rd. I look forward to working with Claire, Chris and Tracey to grow OACA and instilling a passion for virtuosity in the students that choose to study with us! I look forward to seeing you all in the studio soon! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. -Nicole Adkisson  We are excited to announce that we are reopening July 13th! First and foremost we want to assure you that protecting the health of our students, our staff and the community is still our top priority. We’ll be practicing social distancing by reducing the number of students per class and regularly sanitizing our shared spaces. In order to maintain a safe environment we will be following these precautions:
 Twelve years ago, I opened a small teaching studio in my garage. It began as The Conservatory for Classical Art. I started with just a handful of students. Shortly after opening, I moved the studio out of my garage and into the beautiful space where the school now resides. In that space, the school has grown and thrived.
Dear Friends,
The Conservatory for Classical Art (CCA) is rebranding and I want to give you a little background on why we are making this change. I am very happy and proud to say that this year we are celebrating our 8th anniversary! Over the years we've had so many amazing people walk through our doors to study with us. Some of those artists continue to study and teach, while others have gone on to bigger and better places. Many of our past and current students travel from all across Oklahoma to attend weekly classes and workshops. That’s incredible! Because of this tremendous community, growth has been steady, but little has changed as to what we do and why we do it. For a few years I’ve had a strong feeling to change the name of the school but I’d read that rebranding is risky and often makes existing customers nervous and hesitant. The whole idea and all that’s involved caused me some fear, but I’ve since realized that fear is simply a negative expectation of a future event and I choose to assume the best for the future of our school. Sometimes, change is good. It can revitalize a person, a family, a business and a community. That’s one reason for our choice to rebrand. Another is the desire to include Oklahoma in the name. I am proud to have built a successful business in Oklahoma and if it weren’t for the people here who support it, it wouldn’t exist. Finally, the word “academy” describes our school better than the word “conservatory”. We came up with the new name through an informal studio focus group. Everyone who participated voted on the best name for our school and the overwhelming response was for Oklahoma Academy of Classical Art. Our school name is changing, our brand colors are changing and our website may change a little too, but our studio community is the same. We will continue to aim for excellence, serve artists with the best possible training through classes and workshops, and, of course, all the love and encouragement we can give. That will not change. Best wishes, Leslie Leslie Lienau Founder | Principal Instructor  Emily Taylor began her studies with me four or five years ago and it's been a gift for me to watch her grow and expand her artistic horizons. Emily works diligently at her craft and she is a naturally gifted draftsman and painter. She exhibited her work at Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts Youth Show for years and has exhibited her work for three years in art exhibitions at the CCA. She is homeschooled and this year has begun her final year of high school. Emily serves as an officer on the CCA Teen Artist Guild. I interviewed Emily for this profile and I am excited to share her work and responses with you! ~ Leslie Lienau 
LL: When did you discover that you wanted to be an artist? ET: Ever since I was little I have always loved to draw. I remember one day I was probably 5, I drew a bird and everyone I showed loved it and said It was amazing. Of course I was five and everyone just happened to be my parents, but they gave me hope that maybe someday I would be an artist. 
LL: Who and what inspires you in your creative process? ET: Events in my life. Whether it is going to a festival and people watching, a simple bike ride, or a cherished memory. One of my most recent inspirations was at a swing dance club. Occasionally the vision is clear but I have learned sometimes one has to look for ideas to see them, and once you train your mind to see life through a transparent canvas you will have more revelation than you want. I sometime carry with me my "ideas book" and when I see a potential painting or a possiblesculpture I make a quick sketch. 
LL: Have you studied different styles of painting and drawing? Do you have a preferred style for yourself? ET: I have mostly learned the technique of drawing and painting though realism. But it is an ambition of mine to expand my artistic horizons and to practice other styles and mediums. I once took a gestural figure drawing class and I learned how to draw the human figure and to capture the gesture in a short amount of time. I have used that method mixed with realism to capture moments of a persons life and turn it into a two dimensional memory. 
LL: Do you wish to continue your art studies after high school? ET: Yes. I will always paint, draw and hopefully learn how to make a living doing it. But I do not plan to attend an art school immediately after I graduate from High School. LL: If yes, what would you like to study? ET: I am not sure yet. LL: What are you currently working on? ET: I am currently working on a master copy. Edgar Degas the Star. It is a painting of a ballerina on stage striking a graceful pose. This has been a fairly difficult project. The original was painted with pastel and some of the strokes are very prominent, so it has been a challenge to try to duplicate that with a paint brush. But it has also been a great learning experience.  First meeting of the Teen Artist Guild at CCA with Karen Prior leading. Dear Reader, This blog post is long overdue. I have been remiss in writing regular blog posts about our Conservatory's events, classes and other important news. This post is dedicated to our teen board , The Teen Artist Guild, which was launched in October of 2013. The brainchild of forming the board was presented to me by Karen Prior, who is the mother of our third year Youth Atelier student, Katie. Karen spearheaded the organization of the teen board which has been nothing but successful and entirely fun since! The Teen Artist Guild offers students of CCA and community youth the opportunity to learn leadership skills, get involved in the community by volunteering their time and energy and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow students with similar interests and the pursuit of art education. We have monthly meetings that include art projects, presentations by local artists, field trips and more! I will present to you a gallery of photos that represent the events and fun times the youth have enjoyed thus far. If your child is interested in the CCA Teen Artist Guild, please contact me @ [email protected]. You may follow us on Instagram @ccateenartistguild. Here we go! Please enjoy. We want to know what you think, so please send us your comments! All the best, Leslie Leslie Lienau Founding Director Teen art guild very first meetingTeen Art Guild curates annual youth art exhibitionDecember 15, 2014. The Teen Artist Guild curated the First Annual Youth Art Exhibition. They did everything from collecting the work to hanging the work and even framing several pieces. They organized and hosted the opening reception for the community and their families. It was so much fun! We had great food and live music by Kyle Reid too! 
Norman musician Kyle Reid
Teen art guild day long retreatThis day long retreat was lead by Karen and Dave Prior. The board members learned about various aspects of being on a board from conduction meetings to organizing events. They learned all about The Robert's Rules of Order. It was a lot of fun! Here are some pictures of some of the art projects they got to do during the retreat, which included making tattoos on bananas! I am pleased to present a second guest post from my student Kiana Daneshmand. Kiana has been studying with me for several years and her talent is exceptional. She was another willing and eager beta tester for Miira, the mobile application I developed for iOS. I believe that Kiana’s story will be inspiring and motivating. ~ Leslie Lienau Using the Miira app to get a likeness By Kiana Daneshmand When I first started drawing Audrey Hepburn, I used the Miira app on my iPhone to achieve an envelope fast and accurately. But getting the envelope down was only the first step. There were still all of the features and shadow shapes to think about. Plus, since Audrey Hepburn is a well known actress, I knew it was important to make sure there was a likeness. In order to accomplish this, I used the line tool to help find the placement of things such as her eyes, nose, and mouth. After getting those down, I was able to block in the shadows and start to see a good similarity. I was able to check my work as I went along and make minor adjustments when needed using the overlay tool. When I was pleased with the foundation I had built, I was ready to start adding details. Using the Miira app made it easier to get a really good likeness and a satisfying finished product.  Born in California, Kiana Daneshmand is a beginner artist who enjoys working in the medium of painting. Prior to taking art classes about a year and a half ago, she worked mainly with graphite and some charcoal. Although she has only just begun painting she hopes to develops her artistic abilities in years to come. A couple of Kiana’s favorite artists include Thomas Kinkade, and Kelvin Okafor. They inspire her to work hard and one day be as good as them.
Share your MIIRA app story and images with us via email at [email protected]. 
A couple of years ago I founded Miira Artist Tools out of a need to invent tools to help me be a better instructor. One of our products, Miira for iOS, is a powerful mobile app that I believe changes the way the artist sees the natural world. I've had the privilege to work with a remarkable young artist, Katie Prior, who has studied drawing and painting with me for several years at the CCA. When we began to develop our mobile app Katie was eager to be a beta tester. Her input was instrumental in making the Miira app work even better. Katie's story about her experience using the Miira app will be eye-opening and I believe will influence your perspective and approach to your work. I trust you will enjoy this story and I invite you to download the app, try it and share your story with us too! Enjoy! Leslie Lienau To link to Miira's website, click here Using the Miira app to create an envelope by Katie Prior Standing in front of a blank piece of paper, with the expectation of drawing my very first drapery study, I really didn't know where to start. I know about drawing shapes and the light and dark, but it was still overwhelming. I decided to use the Miira app on my iPhone. I started with the outline; sliding the guides on the app to create an envelope, a simplified outline, around the study. I then transferred the envelope to my paper, making sure that all the angles were correct. 
I used Miira’s overlay feature to check that the envelope on my paper matched the actual piece of drapery. Having the envelope correct to begin with saves tons of time later, so that in the middle of blocking in shadows you don't realize that one fold should be another inch to the left. From this point, I was able to draw in the shapes of light and dark. 
I've spent many hours on this study and it's almost finished. The Miira app has helped me many times along the way to confirm the shapes and angles in my drawing. 
Katie Prior is a second year Youth Atelier student at the Conservatory for Classical Art in Edmond, Oklahoma. Her preferred means of expression are computer pixels, vine charcoal, and the written word. www.katieprior.com
We are proud to announce our First Annual Youth Art Exhibition and Sale. Artists who will be featured are studying in my Youth Atelier or attend youth classes with CCA youth instructors, Ella Moore and Emily Bruce. This year, the exhibition has been curated by our newly formed Teen Art Guild. Under the guidance and tutelage of Karen Prior, our junior high and high school students are learning leadership skills and the many aspects of participating on a teen board. A special thanks must go to the youth who have helped to curate the exhibition: Kiana Daneshmand, Julian Houston, Katie Prior and Emily Taylor. Thanks to Karen Prior too! This endeavor would not have happened if it weren't for her enthusiasm and diligent efforts! Best wishes, Leslie 
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AuthorNicole Adkisson is the Director and principal instructor at the Oklahoma Academy of Classical Art. Thanks for reading - hope you enjoy! Archives
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