Most young adults graduating from high school are not sure what comes next after they walk across the stage.
But that is not the case for Shawn Stolarz, a talented artist from Marblehead who has been practicing for this moment for years.
“I haven’t technically gone to college yet, but I’ve painted for like 20,000 hours because it’s all I do. I have always loved art, and it’s just always been what I enjoy doing,” Stolarz said.
All that practice has led him to some great opportunities.
In the fall, he will be enrolled in a Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (SMFA), and he will be a part of an interdisciplinary program that fosters experimentation across artistic media.
“The flexibility at SMFA is one of the reasons I chose it,” Stolarz shared. “I’m excited to take classes in a variety of areas and to try things I haven’t done before.”
Another draw to SMFA was the opportunity to study abroad. “I’ve always dreamed of spending time in Florence,” he said. “To live near the same studio where Michelangelo once thrived.”
While he is in college, Stolarz is developing a long-term project: a series of paintings that will unfold over the next ten years, many of them drawn entirely from imagination.
“To do that, I’m preparing now—studying the muscular system so I can paint the human figure from memory,” he said. “SMFA is giving me the space to grow technically and creatively.”
But before he takes off for college, Stolarz is teaching classes at the Marblehead Arts Association, right in his backyard.
A new portrait workshop at the Marblehead Arts Association is offering artists a chance to deepen their technical skills while embracing their own creative voice.
He said the workshop will be centered on the fundamentals of painting, specifically, the human face. The class is designed for artists of all levels and aims to build both confidence and curiosity in portraiture.
Stolarz said his passion for painting is matched only by a love for teaching. “ I love seeing the wide array of styles and interpretations that artists can make,” he said.
“There is nothing I enjoy more than painting,” he said. “And teaching art allows me to share what I love most with others.”
Having dedicated tens of thousands of hours to portrait painting, the instructor brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the class, along with a deep appreciation for the wide range of styles artists can explore.
“Portraiture holds endless possibilities,” he explained. “It can be realistic, abstract, or somewhere in between.”
A key feature of the workshop is its grounding in historical influences. Participants will be encouraged to study the work of painters from the past while also developing their own voice.
“I want to encourage artists to follow their curiosity,” he said.
The workshop reflects the instructor’s own approach to artmaking, one that emphasizes both skill-building and imaginative exploration.
The workshop is not only a place to hone one’s skills—it’s a space to connect with others, to be inspired by the masters, and to find one’s own way into the art of portraiture.
“I’m really excited for this class,” he said. “There is nothing I enjoy more than painting, and teaching art allows me to share what I love most with other people.”
He said he hopes “to share what I have learned from the beautiful process of artmaking.”
According to the Marblehead Arts Association website, “Creative Portraiture” with Stolarz will be held for three days, starting on June 25 through Friday, June 27. It will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day.
The website states, “In this three-day workshop, beginner and intermediate artists will be able to choose a method that best suits their process, while more advanced artists will learn how to deepen their current understanding of portraiture.”
