About Us

Phil Levine is founder of the Art Students League of Denver and served as its first president from 1987 - 1993. During his travels throughout France in the early 90's he decided to begin organizing artists workshops for American painters. He organized his first workshop in La Rochelle in 1993 for instructors Kim English and Quang Ho. He received the support from Michel Crepeau, the mayor of La Rochelle and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. For the next five years the city of La Rochelle offered warm and joyous welcoming ceremonies, in the true French tradition, to the groups of American artists coming to capture the region with paint and brush. He has received a key to the city of Malestroit in Brittany, home of the famed Museum of the Resistance.

Since then he has organized workshops in New York City and Aspen, Colorado; Provence, Paris, Burgundy, Normandy, La Rochelle and Brittany in France; Venice, Italy; San Miguel de Allende and Oaxaca, Mexico and Sesimbra, Portugal. He chooses instructors who have strong communication skills, are successful artists in their chosen media and are enthusiastic about sharing what they know with their students.

Phil has organized workshops for Ann Templeton ( 3 times), Kim English (5 times), Quang Ho, Joyce Pike, Tom Hill, Gregg Kreutz (4 times), Kevin Macpherson (2 times), Charles Sovek (4 times) , Ron Riddick, Clyde Aspevig, Richard Schmid and David Lefell (these latter 4 all in Colorado through the Art Students League), Teresa Vito, Dyan Law, Nancy Chaboun, Lois Griffell, Tom and Pat Cory, Phil Starke and others.

Philip speaks French, lodges with each group and accompanies groups to all painting and photography locations.

click on the logo to read Oct 2002 article

see my demo for TV station NY1

Françoise Bres is a native of France living in Denver, Colorado. She has taught French as a second language for over 15 years both privately and with the Alliance Francaise of Denver. Francoise has organized tours in the Burgundy and Brittany regions of France.

Francoise' knowledge of France and the French people allows participating artists a measure of direct experience of the culture not ordinarily available to ordinary tourists. But artists on tour with Francoise are much more than tourists. They are introduced to all levels of local culture, whether interacting with local residents or sharing their lives and experiences as artists with a community happy to open its doors to Americans.

Workshop participants come to rely on Francoise for her deeper understanding of all facets of French life and the customs of the country.

John and Barbara Lencicki: John is a graduate of Pratt Institute and Barbara has a B.A. in Art History from Cornell.They've lived in Denver since the late 70's , having moved there from New York. Veterans of Phil Levine workshops to Brittany and Auvillar (SW France) they've also Led their own workshops and professional art retreats to Tuscany, Redstone, Colorado, Acapulco, Corsica, Brittany, for the past 12 years. Previously Barbara held jobs at Denver Art Museum and Alliance Francaise in Denver. John teaches Figure Drawing and Painting at Art Students League Denver and taught 20 yrs. at Rocky Mtn. College of Art and Design. John Exhibits at Saks Galleries in Denver and Southwest Gallery in Dallas and also paints large-scale museum murals.