Jo Feldman

Since childhood in Australia, I have always loved to paint and draw, finding in them a deep source of quietude and creative fulfilment. During my university years in Sydney, I began taking extracurricular life drawing classes as a way to manage stress and reconnect with my creativity.

Over the years, I continued to attend life drawing sessions and various art classes, learning from several gifted artists who encouraged me to reach for my full artistic potential. During the nearly 40 years I’ve lived in the United States, I’ve taken classes with remarkable teachers: Philip Wade in Austin, Texas; Brandon Soloff and Rick Piloco at Chelsea Classical Studio in New York City; and John Murdoch at the Bucks County Classical Art Center (BCCAC) in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

A surprising gift of the pandemic’s isolation and introspection was the clarity to pursue my lifelong dream of formally studying art. In September 2022, I enrolled in BCCAC’s two-year intensive atelier program, focusing exclusively on graphite drawing techniques. That period was followed by a two-year painting intensive, from 2024 to 2026.

These four years of immersive study have led to breakthroughs in my artistic practice. Through a combination of precise, experience-rich instruction from John Murdoch, and my own practice of meticulous and disciplined observation of the subject, I’ve developed a keener eye and a more advanced repertoire of techniques for rendering life on paper and canvas.