Andrea Rushing Academy of Art

  If you have been painting for 20 years or have never picked up a brush, you should check out the Andrea Rushing Academy of Fine Art.

  Rushing, a painter since the age of 14 and a graduate of the Academy of Art in San Francisco, has been an artist for most his life and his art is collected worldwide. His portraits and commissioned work is usually done in a surrealist style of painting.
  

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  Surrealism was a movement started in the 1920's by a group of writers and then artists. They had a belief that rational thinking and values was the reason for the outbreak of World War I.  Surrealist works embrace the unnatural, presenting the viewer with something that cannot be possible, or even nonsensical. Surrealist art was made famous by artists like Salvidor Dali and Magritte.

   Rushing's paintings usually feature a portrait of an individual in an unique setting. He has painted subjects from Joan of Ark to Yasser Arafat. Much of Rushing's work is commissioned by the investor, who usually has a unique request for their portrait. While I was at his studio, he showed me one of his commissioned paintings. A portrait of a older woman slam dunking a basketball in the nude.
 
 During my visit Rushing talked more about his students work than his own. I could tell right away he was a dedicated instructor. He took pride in showing me their progress. You could see his influence in some of the more advanced students work.

You don't have to go to art school to become an artist, but some direction can be helpful. By having a professional artist give you some tips can make a world of difference. It doesn't matter what skill level you are at, Rushing holds small classes and works with each student on an individual basis. Rushing also offers a class for children artists where he supplies all the art materials needed. If your interested in signing up you can contact Andrea Rushing at (619) 501-2068. or email at andrea.fineart@gmail.com. The Studio is located at 3535 Adams Avenue in North Park.

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