Andy Sjodin

Andy Sjodin was born in 1981 in Pipestone, MN and grew up in Forest Lake, MN.  He attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN where he received a B.A. in Philosophy.  After two years of AmeriCorps service in Washington State, teaching for a school year in Thailand, and then living in Homer, Alaska for a couple of years, Sjodin returned to school in 2010 to begin his formal training as an artist. Sjodin spent four years studying the drawing and painting methods of the old masters at The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Arts in Minneapolis, MN, graduating in 2014.  In the fall of 2015 Sjodin began teaching part-time classes at The Atelier and in 2018 he joined the The Atelier’s full-time program teaching staff.  Sjodin currently lives and works as an artist on a small farm in Isanti County, north of the Twin Cities.

Sjodin’s work combines a French Academic drawing foundation with an impressionistic approach to seeing and interpreting color. His subject matter focuses on the figure, portraiture, still life and interiors, as well as the occasional landscape.  Through his work Sjodin strives to honestly represent nature and light while exploring human expressiveness, thoughtful composition, and aesthetic beauty. 

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.