The public is welcomed at Blue Ridge School of Fine Arts

Through their new institution, Blue Ridge School of Fine Arts, two classically trained painters who built one of New York City's most prominent art academies are now imparting their decades of global expertise to people of Orange County and the surrounding area. Just after the start of the year, it welcomed students and recently hosted an open house.

The founders, John and Lena Murray, have spent decades engaging in the most elite levels of the art world, where they have both left their imprint.

Lena was born and raised in St. Petersburg in the latter years of the Soviet Union. Before leaving, she attended the prestigious St. Petersburg State College of Architecture and Civil Engineering. She studied linguistics and worked as a translator for a while. After being awarded a scholarship at Colorado University, she relocated to New York City, where she settled in with a sizable group of other Eastern Bloc emigrants. She met other foreign educators and artists at this place, and they came to the conclusion that both the Slavic-American diaspora and the rest of the world needed an art school that would teach the traditions, techniques, and ideas of traditional Slavic painting. The Bridgeview School of Fine Arts, one of the most prestigious art institutions in the country, was founded in 2001 as a result of this concept.

John Murray studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where he received his degree in 1983, as well as the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. He received training at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for seven years and completed studies both domestically and overseas. He was one of only four banknote designers in the whole world. He claims that having his artwork of Abraham Lincoln appear on the new $5 bill is his greatest achievement.

He is an artist who concentrates on the abstract character of painting, while still preserving his roots as a realist and classically educated artist, according to The Art League's website. His choice of subjects is composed of conventional subject matter, aggressive brushwork, and modern compositions, and centers on figure, still-life, portrait, and landscape.

John started working at Woodberry Forest in 2020, thus the pair moved to Orange. They observed the neighborhood and recognized a chance to educate their new neighbors, just like they had done in New York City twenty years before.

Lena stated that they were amazed at how many people wanted to enroll in lessons. It's not horrible, but it was unexpected. The adult is actually the one who is curious when they see a parent entering with their kids when they were expecting them to be there to register their kids.

The Murrays' approach to education is to provide their students a solid foundation by teaching them some art history and fundamental concepts, but they also customize their lessons to each individual student's interests to keep them interested.

A 12-year-old youngster who enjoys drawing animals is one of their younger students. They really strayed a little from the norm to educate him using animal forms, as well. Normally, you would start individuals his age with sketching cubes and the fundamental shapes. It's how they prevent their pupils from becoming disinterested and disengaged.

For its weekday evening sessions, Blue Ridge School of Fine Arts is now enrolling new students. The sessions are open to anybody over the age of 12 and cost $45 per weekly lesson with a four-lesson minimum.