THE ARTIST AND THE ATELIER

The vibrant white walls of the French Norman estate at 830 Green Bay Road are layered in apparent contradiction. Tapestries hang beside abstracts which hang near a steam punk painting. Rather than clashing, the juxtaposition of styles and viewpoints creates an unexpected masterpiece. Dissonance yields to harmony.

That is precisely the vision, for both the décor and for Lake Forest’s new center for art, creativity, and deep thinking— The Atelier.

“The art world needs creators,” says Hector Hernandez, master painter and resident artist at The Atelier, “but also custodians of the arts and the noble ideas that create them.”

Like Barbizon and the Impressionist schools of the 1800s, The Atelier provides a place for artists from various disciplines to collaborate and exchange ideas on everything from art to philosophy to politics. A place where, like the artwork on the walls, dissonance yields to harmony.

Every aspect of The Atelier is built on patience, from the meticulous restoration of the David Adler-designed estate where it is housed to the classical painting technique Hernandez teaches his apprentices. With a jaw-dropping CV that includes studying at Chicago’s American Academy of Art and the Atelier Neo Medici in the South of France, Hernandez is an authority on “Technique Mixte,” a Renaissance method that combines tempera emulsion and oil paint to achieve a profoundly intricate level of detail and a glowing aesthetic reminiscent of the old Dutch, French, and Italian masters.

“Hardly any schools—academies, universities, or ateliers— teach this,” Hernandez says. “I think this is something that makes what we are trying to do special.”

Technique Mixte requires each layer to fully dry before the next is applied. It is slow art. And like the slow-food and slow-flower movements, as well as the broader “slow” movements, the slowness of this process is the source of its depth. Luminescence is achieved in the waiting periods between brushstrokes.

As is much else.

Those waiting periods provide time for reflection and long-form conversation, which Hernandez views as critical not only for the preservation of art but also the preservation of society. Beyond creating art, The Atelier at 830 Green Bay Road aspires to create an antidote to today’s fast-paced, short-attention-span, polarized society.

“Artworks require the spectator to contemplate—not just see—in order to obtain their wisdom,” Hernandez says. “Sadly, our fast-paced world is not just making our deepest ideas, feelings, values, and arts disposable … but also ourselves. Contemplation requires us to slow down and really appreciate what is meaningful and preserve and promote its artistic manifestations.”

In preserving old-world painting techniques, Hernandez will honor, if not implement, the Renaissance instruction model of mentorship, where a “Master” painter evolves from three levels of intensive studio edification: Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master.

“The Apprentice learned from the Master and Journeyman, while doing all the preparatory work for projects—everything from grinding colors and preparing canvases,” Hernandez explains. “The Journeyman had the education and knowledge of the Master, but they owed their education to their Master and thus stayed to assist in projects until their debt was paid. The Master ran a studio with workers and students and had the knowledge of how to do everything.”

Atelier Neo Medici, where Hernandez learned Technique Mixte, followed this classical teaching model. There, Hernandez studied under Patrick Betaudier and Greg Pelizzari, master painters who also trained local artist and The Atelier founder Nancy Smith. That is the connection through which Hernandez came to the North Shore after spending 10 years as a prominent oil painter in Mexico.

Hernandez, Smith and third founding partner, artist Steve Jones, envision their atelier as a haven for art lovers and art learners of all skill levels. They are more concerned with attitude than aptitude. “The most important thing is having the proper disposition and work ethic to learn,” Hernandez says.

The slow process of Technique Mixte affords Hernandez the time to work closely with each student, adjusting his lessons to meet their needs.

“The Atelier allows for a more intimate, one-on-one approach that encourages artists to grow at their own pace,” he says. “Those who want to learn faster can, since a strict curriculum isn’t followed. This is a system that has been used for centuries and one that I personally think yields the best results.”

Like the tapestries on its walls, The Atelier seeks to weave itself into the fabric of Lake Forest. Its grand front doors will be open to the community for drawing and painting demonstrations, lectures, and special events. Hernandez and Smith, an accomplished painter herself, also intend to work with the private sector and local government to create art for Lake Forest’s public and private spaces.

“Florence during the Renaissance was nothing but a small village; the only difference is that they had an enormous vision,” Hernandez says. “I think it would be interesting to recreate and implement what they did as much as possible. I want to help build up the talent, further beautifying Lake Forest with artworks.”

That process may take time. But slow processes, after all, are the hallmark of The Atelier.

For more information about The Atelier email [email protected].

Words by Kate Smith, with contribution from Wendy Altschuler.