The Visual Scout: Meet Our Mentors – Edward Kinsella

WITH LESS THAN A MONTH UNTIL OUR SPRING 2019 COURSES START (ON FEB 2ND) WE THOUGHT IT’S THE PERFECT TIME TO INTRODUCE YOU TO OUR MENTORS AND GUEST SPEAKERS. VISUAL ARTS PASSAGE PROVIDES THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY OF STUDYING AND CREATING WITH ARTISTS STRAIGHT FROM THEIR STUDIOS.

The opportunity to learn from working professionals means you’re equipped with industry knowledge, connections, and insight while practicing the skills that bring praise and awards to each of our mentors.

Let’s meet Edward Kinsella

Visual Arts Passage plays host to some of the art industry’s most iconic names. Edward Kinsella is one of those names. His accolades include gold and silver medals from the Society of Illustrators, and a Gold Award from Spectrum. His clients include The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Simon and Schuster, The Atlantic, Penguin, Wired, Washington Post, Scholastic, The New York Times, New York Magazine, and many more.

Based out of his home studio in St. Louis, MO, he is interested in creating illustrations, portraits, and drawings using a blend of techniques learned from his mentors like Mark English, John English, Sterling Hundley, & George Pratt (all have been guest speakers at Visual Arts Passage!)

Kinsella studied under his mentors during our sister program, The Illustration Academy, in 2005. In an interview with Communication Arts, Sterling Hundley said, “In the beginning, before we believe that we are capable of doing something, we need to see it for ourselves as something measurable, quantifiable. Knowing how to arrive at a destination is a skill-set, often mislabeled as art. Finding one’s own voice goes far beyond that. The true artist seeks what is immeasurable, unquantifiable and beyond public inspection. This is a personal place where outcomes are unknown and standards are determined by the artist’s intent. That place is internal. Only you can know you are in it”.

An artist’s journey is never over, but it is always better with mentors to help push you forward. We believe that is what makes Kinsella one of our favorite artists and teachers— he has traveled along the same path as the students he teaches at Visual Arts Passage, and knows how to best push and pull the most creative and enduring projects out of his students. We hope you’re ready for an amazing 2019, filled with even more opportunities to grow alongside us.

To learn more about the courses Kinsella leads, and Visual Arts Passage program, head here.