I was lucky to get an education in Ohio in the ‘70s. We studied Biology, Chemistry and Physics, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and Calculus. We learned logic, philosophy, debate, Latin, Spanish and French. We took phys. ed., art, music (choral, band, orchestra) and theatre classes. Why do I write this long list?

I’m writing because I miss it –the mental work to discover, integrate and grow. I want to keep challenging myself to learn and discover more. And I love to see that yearning for understanding in my colleagues, my employees, and my friends. The value of continued education is its ability to expand us both personally and professionally.

One life-altering course I took in 2009 radically altered my art and my career; the Winter Intensive at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. That cold January in New York City, I worked night and day to learn about architecture in eye-opening new ways. I learned proportion and theory of forms and spaces.  I studied history and how it influenced architecture. I gained new ways of seeing buildings, and new rendering techniques. As a final project, the class was asked to integrate our new-found knowledge of past precedent into a new design for contemporary use.  The project I chose was a classical approach to a farmer’s market inspired by Findlay Market, a vibrant public place I had loved while a student in Cincinnati.

I’m grateful for all that I learned at the Winter Intensive. I use what I learned in my practice today.  This Autumn, the Southern California Chapter of the ICAA will teach it’s own ICAA Intensive at Greystone Manor in Beverly Hills. Some of the same instructors from the Winter Intensive will  come from New York to teach courses such as Linear Perspective and Theory of Proportion.  Instructors from the Southern California Chapter, including Erik Evens and Domiane Forte, will also join the faculty. The course is open to Architects, Interior Designers, Landscape Architects, Fine Artists, Graphic Designers –  anyone with drawing and drafting skills – who are interested in expanding their horizons. The dates are Sunday, October 15-Sunday, October 22. Applications will be available soon. Stay tuned!