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The Teachers' Gallery 
Lead Instructors * Guest Artist-Teachers * Artists in Residence *
& Teaching Assistants

On Artistic Lineage, Vision, and Pedagogy:
 

Prof. Phil is a distinguished artist, author, and educator whose journey with Mischtechnik painting began in 1973 under Austrian master Ernst Fuchs. In 1997, Fuchs formally entrusted him with carrying forward the sacred lineage of visionary and fantastic art. Holding a B.S. in Studio Arts and Cultural Anthropology, an M.A. in Painting and Sculpture, and an M.F.A. in Painting and Printmaking, Prof. Phil’s work is grounded in classical European techniques—egg tempera, resin-oil, Tempera Grassa, Alla Prima, Grisaille, and Brunaille. He integrates these with contemporary, intuitive, and spiritually attuned methods in both his art and teaching.
 

In 2011, during a seminar in the Austrian Alps, Prof. Phil met Mantra Cora, a gifted Polish artist. After a time in England, they married in Las Vegas in 2016 and now reside in Kansas, where Mantra is a U.S. citizen. She holds a B.A. in Studio Art from the University of Salford and studied under both Prof. Phil and Ernst Fuchs at Vienna’s Palffy Palace. She also studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Macerata in Italy and is currently pursuing her M.F.A. in Painting, Ceramics, and Video Production at Fort Hays State University. Since 2012, Prof. Phil and Mantra have co-led international painting retreats. Mantra contributes with a focus on Creative & Innovative Grounds that foster automatic imagery and a serendipitous creative process. In 2016, she curated the major exhibition A Legacy of Light: A Homage to Ernst Fuchs at Castle Gloggnitz, Austria—coordinating 88 international artists, overseeing publication, publicity, and operations. In 2022, she joined the faculty at Barton Community College, where she teaches Portrait Drawing, Grisaille, and Watercolor Painting, while developing online curriculum. She has exhibited her work internationally across the USA, UK, Italy, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Portugal. In 2026 Mantra's role in the OMNV seminars has shifted to "artist-in-residence".
 

Together, Prof. Phil and Mantra have led seminars and retreats across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and beyond—from focused 3-day workshops to immersive multi-week intensives. Their teaching blends Renaissance foundations with modern innovations—emphasizing Rorschach-like improvisation, meditative states, and visionary experience. Rather than imposing a formula, they guide students to discover their own visual language and spiritual voice. Their approach is both technical and transcendent—infused with an “inner light” that reflects the soul of the artist and serves as a mirror to the human spirit. To this end, they have invited artists to come and join them in teaching and inspiring their students from all over the world. Guest Artist teachers have included Michael Fuchs, Robert Venosa, Martina Hoffmann, Peter Gric, Kris Kuksi and De Es Schwertberger, other visiting artists have included the legendary Ernst Fuchs, Mati Klarwein, Wolfgang Manner, Viktor Safonkin, Daniel Friedemann, Otto Rapp, Zolton Molnos, and Eliza of Sweden.  Teaching Assistants have included Amanda Sage, Cynthia Re' Robbins, Kim Evans, Veronika Schremeck, Matthias Staber and Jody Florman. Their work is also represented in the slide show above.

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Who Is Philip Rubinov-Jacobson?

"Lead Instructor: Philip Rubinov-Jacobson is an internationally recognized artist, writer, teacher, philosopher, and traveler, renowned for his work in the Fantastic and Visionary art movements."  https://integrallife.com/author/philip-rubinov-jacobson/

  • Educational & Artistic Foundation
    He earned a BS, MA, and MFA in Painting, Printmaking, and Sculpture, with additional studies in Psychology, Philosophy, Cultural Anthropology, and Comparative Religion

  • Key Mentorship
    In 1973–74, Rubinov-Jacobson traveled to Vienna to study under Ernst Fuchs, the founder of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism. In 1997, Fuchs formally designated him as heir to this visionary tradition raastrange.wixsite.comFine Art America.

  • Exhibitions & Writings
    His work has been exhibited in over 90 international shows, and he’s authored several books, including:

    • Drinking Lightning: Art, Creativity and Transformation

    • Promethean Flames: Rekindling and Re-visioning the Creative Fire

    • Eyes of the Soul: Exploring Inspiration in Art (forthcoming)
      Noted thinkers like Ken Wilber and Michael Schwartz have written forewords to his works 

  • Teaching & Leadership
    A co-founder of the first U.S. Institute for Contemplative Education and Visionary Art (1981), he later served as Dean of Extended Studies at Naropa University (1991–97) raastrange.wixsite.comIntegral Life.
    He continues to lead the acclaimed “Old Masters–New Visions” seminars, blending classical techniques with spiritual and intuitive approaches to creativity.

 

Who Is Mantra Cora (Magdalene Jacobson)?

Background & Personal Journey

  • Born in Gdańsk, Poland, Artist-in-Residence, Mantra Cora and OMNV Instructor (2012 - 2025) moved to England in 2006 and later to the U.S. in 2016 with her husband, Philip Rubinov Jacobson.

  • Growing up under communism in Poland, she used drawing and painting as a meditative escape to create beauty and harmony in her life.

Education & Training

  • She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts from the University of Salford (completed in 2013).

  • As an Erasmus exchange student, she studied in Macerata, Italy, and completed an internship at the Phantasten Museum in Vienna, assisting the visionary artist Ernst Fuchs.

  • She is currently working toward an MFA degree from Fort Hays State University, where she serves as a Teaching Assistant.

Artistic Practice & Style

  • Mantra Cora works across mediums—painting (using the Mischtechnik of oil and egg tempera), mixed media, digital art, and photography—with both abstract and figurative dimensions mantra-cora.tumblr.com+1.

  • Her spiritual practice, as a Vajrayana Buddhist (Kagyu lineage) has deeply informed her art, and to this approach she has added entheogenic experiences, studies in Hinduism, Jungian Psychology, and Philosophy. She describes herself as a "layerist," both technically and spiritually, weaving multiple layers of being, consciousness, and light into her work.

  • Her creations are designed not just to be seen, but to act as instruments of consciousness and inner transformation—reflecting the inner freedom and depth she experiences through meditation and creative flow.

Teaching & Collaborations

  • From 2012, she has co-taught alongside Philip Rubinov Jacobson in the Old Masters–New Visions (OMNV) international painting seminars, imparting classical techniques and spiritual insight to students worldwide. Her new role for OMNV seminars, beginning in 2026, will be “artist-in-residence”, engaging students who will be witnessing exactly how her paintings evolve.

  • She currently resides in Kansas, where she serves as an adjunct faculty member at Barton Community College, teaching courses in portrait drawing, watercolor, and independent studies.

Exhibitions & Projects

  • In 2016, she co-curated and co-authored the catalog for the exhibition “A Legacy of Light” at Schloss Gloggnitz in Austria—an international showcase featuring more than 100 visionary artists.

  • Her artwork has been exhibited across Europe and the United States, including venues in the UK, Italy, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, and the USA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2012, The Pallfy Palace, Mantra and Prof Phil assist Ernst Fuchs on his painting: "THE ANGEL OF DEATH OVER THE GATE TO PURGATORY",

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