FAS Alumnus: Max Stiebel
In the 1960’s, I took Famous Artists School’s Commercial Art Course. The Guiding Faculty were an inspiration to me as I embarked on my artistic career. Personalized teaching and excellent lesson plans gave me a solid base to develop and evolve as an artist. I anxiously awaited assignments that were sent back with my instructor’s comments on my work. This was always an enlightening experience for me.
Since completing the Course, I have worked as company artist in the head office of a mining company, as a commercial artist in various production houses, as art director for advertising agencies, and as art director for the past 30 years in a communications unit at McGill University. I have never stopped sketching and painting, and I credit FAS for instilling this desire.
For 20 years I have conducted portrait and landscape workshops at home and overseas. I have received a number of notable awards and distinctions, including one presented at the National Arts Club in New York, and the Grumbacher Gold Medal in Ottawa, Canada. My work has been featured in magazines such as The Artists Magazine, the Pastel Journal, and the Pastel Artist International. I have demonstrated my painting approach in three instructional videos and enjoy signature member status with four art societies. FAS’s books are a wealth of information and even to this day I find myself using these fundamentals when teaching my students or assessing my own work.
My advice to beginning artists: get good personalized instruction such as FAS offers, and be prepared to work hard—which is easier to do when you’re enthusiastic. Don’t be too self-critical. At times we have to send our “judge and jury” on vacation. Spend as much time learning to observe as learning how to draw and paint.
