The Artist ~ Teachers
Selected Artworks by Philip Rubinov Jacobson
Mantra Cora and Teaching Assistant, Ila Rose
Aside from teaching, organizing international painting seminars and coordinating exhibitions for other artists, Mantra Cora and Prof Phil also exhibit together in shows and are co-partners in passing on their broad and extensive knowledge of painting. During the seminars, they impart a knowledge of 'Mischtechnik' ("Mixed Technique of egg tempera and resin-oil painting) in a number of versions, as well as many other approaches, such as Tempera Grassa, Alla Prima and contemporary innovations of their own. They sometimes even merge Renaissance and 19th-century methods in drawing and painting creating intuitive grounds not unlike a Rorschach Test that serves as a matrix and jump off point from the unconscious and/or non-ordinary states of creativity. This year, 2023, Ila Rose will join Prof Phila nd Mantra as their Teaching Assistant. Ila brings many skills in support of the OMNV seminars.
All this underlines the importance of a profound artistic knowledge and skill in painting that is greatly emphasized in the studio, but not less than the role of the artist's and studnents' individual psyche, emotional life, spiritual imagination and process of invention. 'Psyche' and its handmaiden, 'Techne', working in total harmony. They take an integral approach in their teaching. Students learn all aspects of their craft, from the maintenance of their equipment to the different paints, mediums supports and tools, to an acute awareness of color, light-illumination, transparencies in glazing, perspective, movement and depth, atmosphere and the relationship between all of the seven elements of art. They present all this without abandoning the quality of 'human feeling' that has become elusive in the hands of many painters today, particularly those that feel a 'higher art' must exclude human feelings.
The courses are taught in English with one-to-one contact as often as possible. This takes place in an atmosphere in which the teachers prize individualized instruction tailored to each participant's unique visual language and spirit. It is not a one-size fits all formula that id found in too many seminars and academies today. Mantra's and Prof Phil's approach inspires a serendipitous process in painting that combines preparation with a natural, intuitive and spontaneous execution, enabling the artist to achieve imagery that can run the spectrum from a 'mystical precisionism' to a vibrant abstract painting; from a classical realism to an expressive and raw emotional work. The painting is infused with an 'inner light' in the underpainting, serving as a mirror to the human spirit. Today this way of painting is considered to be a sacred knowledge by Classical, Fantastic and Visionary artists alike.
Selected Artwork Teachers Prof. Phil, Mantra Cora & Teaching Assistant, Ila Rose
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Mantra Cora and Prof. Phil at Taman Sari, the Royal Garden of the former Sulatn, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Philip Rubinov Jacobson
Professor Phil holds an M.F.A. in Painting & Printmaking, an M.A. in Painting and Sculpture and a Bachelor degree in Studio Arts and Cultural Anthropology. He says he learned nothing about painting at any university and at 19 yrs. old he left the USA to study painting under his mentor, Ernst Fuchs (1930 – 2015), co-founder of the School of Fantastic Realism in Vienna, Austria (not an institution but a style or manner of painting). Their ever evolving friendship would span 42 years. In 1997 Ernst Fuchs requested that Prof. Phil formally carry on his teachings in the Mischetechnik of painting in egg tempera and oil and he has been holding his renowned Old Masters – New Visions international painting seminars ever since. In 2012, his wife, Mantra Cora, joined him in organizing and teaching in the international seminars.
Rubinov's travels have been extensive, including India, where in 1978 he studied meditation and Kashmir Shaivism with Muktananda Paramahansa, and later wandered naked in India with a group of sadhus. In 1995, the professor founded and directed the New School of Extended Studies at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado where he served as the Dean from 1991-1997 and taught drawing and techniques of painting. The artist has participated in more than 100 exhibitions around the globe and his books and writings have been read worldwide. He is the author of the now classic; DRINKING LIGHTNING - Art, Creativity, and Transformation from Shambhala Publications and PROMETHEAN FLAMES- Rekindling and Re-visioning the Creative Fire. These first two books are an integral part of a Trilogy on art and consciousness that culminates in a forthcoming monumental tome entitled: Eyes of the Soul - Exploring Inspiration in Art. Prof.Phil is currently teaching at Barton Community College, where he will also offer the first college accredited courses in Mischtechnik Painting in the USA. Mantra Cora has also joined the faculty at BCC. Together, with their daughter Liya, they are living in the Midwest and continue to paint, sculpt, write and teach.
Mantra Cora
Mantra Cora was born in Gdansk, Poland, relocated to England in 2006 and then to the USA in 2016 with her husband, Prof Phil and their daughter, Liya. In 2013 Mantra completed her B.A. in the Visual Arts at The University of Salford in England. She has closely studied techniques of painting with Prof. Phil, Ernst Fuchs and De Es Schwertberger and drawing and painting as an Erasmus Exchange Student at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Macerata in Italy. Her Erasmus Exchange program was followed by a 4-month internship at the Phantasten Museum in Vienna, Austria. It was there that she assisted the internationally renowned artist, Ernst Fuchs, on a daily basis. This year, Mantra will expand on her academic background by entering the MFA program at Fort Hays University in Hays, Kansas studying Painting, Ceramics and Video production.
Mantra has been co-teaching with Prof Phil since 2012 in their international Old Masters-New Visions painting seminars. At their painting retreats, she also offers a section on Creative & Innovative Grounds that inspire automatic-imagery and a serendipitous process in painting. In 2016 she organized some 88 artists from around the world for the now historical exhibition that served as a Homage to Ernst Fuchs: entitled "A Legacy of Light". This exhibition took place at Castle Gloggnitz in Austria. Aside from co-creating the exhibition, she edited the published catalog for the show, orchestrated the publicity and supervised the business aspects and public relations. Her art has been exhibited internationally, including the UK, Italy, Austria, Spain, Switzerland and the USA.
In 2022 Mantra joined the faculty at Barton Community College where she is teaching Portrait Drawing, Grisaille, Watercolor Painting and building online courses for next year. She is also currently developing a business model that will expand on OMNV and bring artists from around the world with different backgrounds to offer workshops in a variety of media and methods. This venture will also include exhibitions and publications.
Ila Rose
Ila Rose resides in Eugene, Oregon and holds a BA from the University of Oregon. From a very young age, Art was not only Ila's passion but a way to channel her emotions. On her own initiative, Ila sought out free art workshops and retreats, where she developed the fundamentals and technical skills, necessary to pursue a career as a professional painter. Over time she developed her own style, supported by the classic Mischtechnik as taught to her by Amanda Sage, Philip Rubinov Jacobson, and Mantra Cora. Ila has been working exclusively as an artist for over a decade. She has found her professional niche in painting murals. Her career has taken her not only throughout the United States, but Central and South America
Her body of work includes large scale murals, many paintings and commissioned work by various collectors. Her current project is a set of visionary paintings curated by Liba Strom-
-bolian. These works will be featured alongside established artists like Amanda Sage, Martina Hoffman and Carrie-Ann Baade. As Ila has become more established in her career, she has taught several painting workshops and various art classes. Ila believes that the practice of art-making is a valuable tool for anyone at any stage of their life; the therapeutic and cognitive benefits are vast. She hopes that in sharing her work and voice, she might inspire others to be brave enough to meet their own inner creator, even if they have never considered themselves an “artist."
Selected Artworks by Past & Present OMNV Guest Artists,
Teachers and Assistants
Over the last 25 years, guest teachers have offered a variety of techniques, methods and expertise that is rarely found elsewhere. Visiting artists add to the creative fire by bringing a unique spark of inspiration to the community and through their dialogue and feedback with both students and the teachers. Over the years they have invited many artists to visit and some to teach alongside Prof Phil and Mantra. This has included luminaries like Prof Ernst Fuchs (1930 - 2015), Michael Fuchs, De Es Schwertberger, Brigid Marlin, Peter Gric, Robert Venosa (1936 - 2011) and Martina Hoffmann. Visiting artists such as Viktor Safonkin, Daniel Friedemann, Wolfgang Widmoser, Otto Rapp and assistants to Prof Phil over the years have included: Amanda Sage, Cynthia Re' Robbins, Matthias Staber, Kim Evans, Veronica Shremeck, Jody Florman and Kris Kuksi. A sample of some of the Guest teachers' work can be viewed below. Among the future guests and visiting artists who will be invited: Ila Rose, Benedetto Fellin, Amanda Sage, Kuba Ambrose and Jennifer Mc Euen and many others.
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WOLFGANG WIDMOSER