Welcome to Hein Atelier of Traditional Art

Jeff Hein has been named a "Living Master" by the renowned Art Renewal Center.

to learn more about Jeff Hein visit

www.JeffHein.com

What is the Hein Atelier of Traditional Art 'Apprenticeship Program'?

In Person Study

This engraving is a depiction of the Renaissance master Tintoretto’s own studio. The original drawing was made by one of his helpers, Odoardo Fialetti, and was copied and used as an illustration for the first drawing manual* ever published in Italy (1608). This is a glimpse into the sort of school that all the Renaissance masters attended. There are students and helpers of all ages—one of them is just a child. An older student helps the beginners and corrects their drawings of the plaster casts. A shop hand kneads clay or grinds colors. The old master sits at his easel while a helper prepares another big canvas or finishes some area the master has left to him. This is the way master painters were trained for centuries before modern schools and Universities took over the business of training aspiring young artists. The Hein Atelier of Traditional Art has enthusiastically adopted this format of art education.

A complete immersion of the art student into the life, work and practices of a working professional is the most effective means of education. This is why the Hein Atelier is patterned after these Renaissance studios. On a daily basis Hein Atelier apprentices are given the opportunity to witness Hein's art making process. Working alongside Hein, the apprentices do numerous drawings and paintings as they follow a strict curriculum designed to prepare them for professorial careers as fine artists. In this environment the mysteries of the working artist are revealed and students are better prepared and trained to enter the art world confidently and independently.

Those enrolled in the Apprenticeship Program are each provided a personal work space, storage space and easel. Apprentices have 24 hr. access to the studio so that they may have as much time as possible to devote to their studies. Jeff Hein is present from 10-6 Monday-Friday and is available for instruction and critiques during these hours. For three hours, every weekday morning, apprentices have the opportunity to draw and paint from a live model while the remainder of their time is devoted to the study of still-life drawing and painting. Perhaps the most important benefit of the Apprenticeship Program is that each apprentice has the rare opportunity to learn directly the professional processes of an internationally renowned artist through daily exposure to his creative processes and techniques.

To apply to the (in person) Apprenticeship Program 

call 801-502-9185 

***Due to high demand those interested in the apprenticeship program must begin with the online Mentorship Program in order to be considered. Once enrolled in the mentorship program simply request to be added to the apprenticeship waiting list. (see Mentorship Program below)***

What is the Online Mentorship Program?

In 2007 I founded the Hein Atelier of Traditional Art, in Salt Lake City, where I mentor 12 apprentices to became successful, professional fine artists. For Years I've had an extensive waiting list to this program. Due to this long waiting list, proximity to my studio, schedule conflicts, and various other difficulties, many people who have had interest in studying with me have not had the opportunity to do so. For this reason I am now mentoring up to 45 students online, using the same curriculum that has proven successful for more than 20 years and continues to improve. This Mentoring format not only opens up 45 more slots for potential students but offers an even more affordable tuition, the convenience of studying at home, much more flexibility with your schedule, and can be taken advantage of by anyone with an internet connection, anywhere in the world. 

In this program students and I meet together online for individual critiques, lessons and demonstrations weekly. With each student I strive to consider personal strengths, weaknesses and needs, and to individually guide him or her toward mastery of all levels of the curriculum.  While my platform has a quickly growing library of hundreds or hours of recorded demonstrations and lessons, my goal is not to just to provide information. There is plenty of that out there. My goal is to personally assist you, through weekly zoom meetings, and other personal communications, in reaching your artistic goals and to help you avoid the constant trying and failing that so many self taught artists experience year after year. Let me help you become a full time working artist or just paint and draw better than you ever imagined possible.

If studying with me in my studio is your true desire, start here. Don't wait. Let's cross as many bridges together as possible online so when space opens up in my studio you will be so much further ahead. 

To Join the Mentorship Program 'Subscribe' to The Hein Atelier Mentorship at the bottom of the page.

Curriculum

Far too often ateliers and schools will give a student an assignment, critique him over and over until the work is acceptable and then move him on to the next stage of the curriculum. In some, even worse, cases he is simply graded and then moved ahead to the next assignment.   Over my twenty+ years of teaching I have had many students enroll with me after having studied at other institutions. In almost every case, if their portfolios are impressive, their abilities are immediately demonstrated to be far inferior to what "their" portfolios have implied.  It didn't take long for me to realize that these portfolios are not the work of the students alone. Yes, they were done by the hands of the students but by the minds (and in some cases hands) of their instructors as well, through repeated critiques and revisions. One can know when this is happening if a school bases their education on a timeline (ie: said school is a "4 year program") because every student learns at a different pace and it is not reasonable to believe that every student would develop sufficiantly according to a fixed set of assignments. A student should not be moved through a curriculum based on a time line or on simply completing assignments. He should be moved at a rate consistent with his own achievement and understanding. This is why, at the Hein Atelier, students are expected to show, independently, a solid understanding of each area of the curriculum before they may progress. After much instruction, critique and practice each student must then complete, to a professional level, several works in each area of the curriculum without assistance. This means that every student will progress at a different rate depending on his/her work ethic and aptitude. I am proud to say that EVERY student that has graduated from the Hein Atelier has done so with a professional level of knowledge and skill. Not only does their work reflect their achievements alone, but each graduate has continued to make professional work, without my assistance, long after graduation.

Student Reviews

• Jeff Hein’s online program is like none other - it’s amazing, truly!  He is an incredible teacher that cares about his students, and patiently guides them with personalized critiques and step by step guidance.  I have been in other programs, and I can tell you, if you are seeking to become an artist, you will receive your best instruction right here. -S.R. 
• Jeff brings the same passion to teaching that he does to his own career in art. He goes the extra mile to relay what he feels we need to know to become successful professionals. He obviously can't do the hard work for us but he keeps us accountable to a standard he knows is needed to excel in this field. -Andrea Tedesco, Arizona
• Jeff Hein's own journey of developing his artistic mastery drew me to seek his support---who better to learn from than someone who's figured out so much on his own? Apprenticing with Jeff this past year has opened my eyes to how much skill can be developed with dedicated mentorship and a ton of hard work. Jeff's high expectations for his apprentices combined with his patience, encouragement, and willingness to explore our questions motivates me. I've made more progress in one year than I would have ever imagined possible. I can see and do more, and I know I wouldn't have been able to advance this quickly without Jeff. He's a delightful guy who I look forward to sharing my work with and his kindness makes me want to keep trying when I fail to hit the mark. He helps me appreciate that the skills I need come through disciplined work, a lot of it. I feel confident that with his continued guidance I will achieve the level of mastery I desire. -Sara Pendergast, Washington
• I was very excited when I got accepted in to the Jeff Hein Atelier. I have been a graphic designer/illustrator for over 40 years. I started taking classes at a local college when I retired which was great but they could only take me so far. The best thing about Jeff's curriculum is that it's really well thought out. You keep advancing and perfecting your skills, as you move from level to level. I have been in Jeff's program for over a year. I have learned so much and hope to keep getting better. Jeff is always willing to explain concepts and his philosophies about art in an understandable way. If you are willing to put in the time and the work, I highly recommend his courses. -Kathy Stone, Utah
• My position in the program is a little unique. I've been a student in Jeff's atelier as well as in his online apprenticeship. The demands of running a home and caring for a young family made attending in-person, at the atelier, difficult. After two years at his atelier, I switched to online. I was fortunate to have the opportunity, when I began studying with him, that option did not exist. It felt great to know I didn't have to give up the incredible opportunity to be mentored by Jeff, and I could still grow and develop artistic skills with his help. I was curious to know in what ways learning online would be different. I thought it may be easier and I may not learn as much. I was wrong! I am learning just as much, if not more than I was before making the switch. His critiques and very articulate, he is thorough in his demo's. He cares enough to explain things over hundreds of times to make sure students understand concepts. He also explains concepts in ways NO one would think to explain them, with the most clever, sometimes strange, yet ALWAYS articulate and relevant analogies! Hahaha. He has the patience of the most long-suffering saint and the sometimes brutal (though never mean) honesty of a New-Yorker... (which is great combination of traits in a teacher when you really want to learn). If you want to learn from the best and you take your learning seriously, in my mind, this is the best way to go. -Crystal Jenson, Utah
• Jeff Hein is not only the best art teacher I’ve ever come across, he’s one of the best teachers I’ve come across in any subject. It’s one thing to spend years of effort to master a subject but another thing entirely to spend years mastering how to teach it to other people. Jeff has done both. Has he found the absolute best way to teach people? That’s unknowable. All I can say is that all of his principles of how to teach align with my years of figuring out how to learn. What, specifically, does he do in his program that is so hard to find in other programs?

  First and foremost Jeff critiques his students’ work himself. One can find no end of online instruction videos on every topic in art, but I challenge you to find anyone who will critique as much and as often as Jeff does for his students. He will critique twice a month on multiple submissions (if a student can provide them). These are not terse, perfunctory notes on a piece, these are live discussions on what needs to be fixed to improve them. This is more feedback from an instructor than you are likely to find in any program, online or not.

  The second most important thing about the program is that it is structured in a sequence where new skills are built on previous skills, and a student cannot advance until they have demonstrated–via their own unaided efforts–proficiency in the current stage. Many curriculums provide a sequence, many ostensibly require passing grades, but I would be astonished to find many whose requirements were as rigorous as Jeff’s. It is clear he wants to graduate successful artists who can succeed on their own efforts.

  I could say much more about Jeff’s training philosophy and principles but these two aspects of the program make it clearly superior to anything else I’ve found. -Gordon McNutt, Idaho (see his work below)

Contact Info

Jeff Hein

 16w 700s, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101

[email protected]

801-502-9185