Gemini School of Visual Arts | Cedar Park

By Andrea Lorenz Friday, 19 February 2010

CEDAR PARK — Nestled in Cedar Park, artists spend their days in front of easels or computers at the Gemini School of Visual Arts, a four-year career program for professional artists.

The 24 students come from all over to immerse themselves in art with classes in drawing, painting, computer graphics and business.

And they come to learn from Roger Barcilon, a professional illustrator who started the school with his wife, Colette.

“That man has amassed so much over the past 50 years or so,” said Justin Kauffman, a native of Austin in his second year of the program. “I want a piece of that knowledge.”

The program’s rigor—students are at the studio from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. five days a week for four years—and a faculty made up of professional, working artists sets it apart.

During the first year, students learn drawing, then move on to painting the second year. The third and fourth years are devoted to creating digital art on the computer.

“We train them to be versatile,” Roger Barcilon said. “What happens when they go out, [is] they will get a job easily because it’s like hiring two people at the same time.”

The Barcilons started the school in England in 1984.Barcilon wondered why art schools did not prepare students better and thought he would take on a maximum of five students and teach them everything.

The school expanded quickly in England, and after an offer to train artists for the growing video game industry, the Barcilons moved to Central Texas.

In 2003, the school accepted its first three students in the Cedar Park location.

The handful of students who have graduated since then have jobs at gaming companies such as Disney Interactive Studios and Edge of Reality or have started freelance careers.

The Barcilons concede that the intensive nature of the program is not for everyone, but say most thrive in the environment.

The program does not come cheap, however. Four years of tuition costs $73,000, and 23 students are on a waiting list for financial aid. The school is seeking accreditation so students can apply for federal loans.

Still, students say the time and effort is worth it.

Recently, a student asked Barcilon how to do a specific technique, which took Barcilon 10 years to learn, and he explained it to the student in a few seconds.

“When they come out, they paint much, much, much better than I did when I started,” he said.

The school also offers summer workshops, which anyone can attend, and in the next few months will launch online video art lessons by Barcilon.