Student Testimonials

Susan Aulik, Full-Time, Painting & Drawing, 2010 - Current "I've taken art classes at UC Berkeley, the SF Art Institute and at a variety of junior colleges and small art schools. Nothing comes close to the SF Studio school. My improvement as a painter has been dramatic. The teachers are gifted, dedicated and articulate. The instruction is tailored to meet the needs of each individual student..." Louise Victor, Full-Time, Painting & Drawing, 2010 - Current "Thank you very much for the wonderful semester at San Francisco Studio School. It far exceeded my expectations. I am so happy I got the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful group of people..." German Walteros, Associate-Study, Photography, 2008 - Current "A brief note to thank both of you for facilitating a unique experience for me, your guidance and approach to the art of photography was right -on! As a beginner photographer, I never felt criticized, or out of the loop. I left feeling that my approach to my work is valuable and at the same time the process increased my awareness of my potential for growth and need for development." Anne Scallon, Associate-Study, Painting & Drawing, 2007-2009 "Your program is an integral part of my development as a painter. I am grateful for having found truly dedicated teachers who take such a genuine interest in their students' as well as in their own work." Gwyneth Tripp, Full-Time, Painting & Drawing, 2007-2009 "I am at end of the two-year full-time certificate program at San Francisco Studio School. It has been a profound experience because of the depth and challenge of the curriculum, equal focus on the language of the visual arts and the practice, and the astute, individualized, and guided instruction in painting, drawing, photography, and collage. The school is focused on cultivating the highest, informed creative potential in each student - I have experienced and witnessed the full-time and visiting faculty draw this out of students repeatedly both within the program and in the excellent workshops they offer during the summer. You will be challenged to expand what you know about your practice and the visual arts, to consider the dynamic tradition of art, and to read, think, discuss, and practice during the sessions and outside of it, which in my eyes is the pinnacle of learning. If you are engaged with your art making either as your life's work or as an enriching part of who you are, I highly recommend this school." Nathan Sigman, Associate-Study, Painting & Photography, 2006-2007 "... I have attended 4 art schools over the years and I still to this day wish to go back to the San Francisco Studio School. The facilities are excellent and the faculty is extremely well informed. The location amazing in a historic part of San Francisco and guest lecturers who are honored artists and art critics. They also have small class sizes for personal student attention. I can't find any faults with a school that thrives on freedom to express one-self through their art and teach one to articulate what they are doing through their medium. My time at the San Francisco Studio School propelled me in this self-evolution, as I am now able to articulate what I am doing through the visual language and the expression of form." Tui Suchak, Full-Time, Photography & Painting, 2006-2007 "I am grateful to the faculty at the SFSS who have been instrumental in my development as an artist, a person and a teacher. The quality of critiques and readings has not only broadened my perception of art & photography but also influenced the way I perceive and experience the world all around me. Being someone who has always been drawn to the visual medium and has consciously and unconsciously used it to express myself and my views of the world, I found a treasure when I found the SFSS. Here the faculty taught me how to SEE, understand, articulate and read the visual language. As a writer must understand the written word, a visual artist must understand the visual form... The faculty at this school is very experienced and the students who go here can consider themselves fortunate....My interaction with other artists and faculty at the SFSS, was the most memorable experience that pushed me beyond my limits and whose critique informed my work." McNair Evans, Associate-Study, Photography, 2009 "In terms of exposure, understanding, and growth in the visual arts, the experience at SFSS has been my most profound thus far. Thank you for all of the time and attention you invested in my development this Spring." Daria Francu, Full-Time, Painting & Drawing, 2006-2009 "... As a student, I was challenged to expand my knowledge of art history and aesthetics and to become more disciplined and more ambitious in my art practice. I found great value in our class discussions, readings and critiques and more substance than my MFA program had to offer. The SFSS interdisciplinary core which includes photography, painting, drawing, mixed media and critical studies allowed me to gain a comprehensive understanding of the visual language. I have never encountered instructors so dedicated to their students or colleagues so supportive of their peers anywhere in my life. As a student, like any other artist, I was encouraged to figure things out by myself in the studio, but I also received constant feedback on a weekly basis. At SFSS, my projects evolved faster and more meaningfully than ever in the past."