James Sulkowski had been living in New York City for 20 years and had been painting oil-based-portraits when his agent contacted him and told him about a new commission to paint murals for King Khalid bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia. The pieces continue to hang as a permanent installation in the Abdul Aziz Military Museum in Riyadh.”It was definitely one of the most impressive things I’ve even done,” said Sulkowski in a phone interview. “But President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush also have a painting of mine.”Sulkowski is a classical artist who has been contracted to paint for everyone from foreign royalties to local CEOs. His work can be seen in Point Park University President Paul Hennigan’s boardroom and also in the galleries of Carnegie Mellon University.Sulkowski’s ties to Point Park continue. During the 2009 to 2010 school year he taught at the School of Arts and Sciences as an adjunct professor of drawing and painting.On Thursday, April 14, Sulkowski will return to Point Park for a one day workshop where he will teach the principles of drawing the human head to anyone who wishes to attend. Proportions and planes, as well as lighting and shading of the features, are just some of the points that Sulkowski plans to focus on.”The most challenging [course] for me is to teach in the university atmosphere,” Sulkowski said. “Because you have to condense things and simplify everything so that the students can grasp it in a short time.”These workshops are held all over the country. Sulkowski said each year he receives more invitations than he can accept due to the physical demands of the travel and work.Dr. James H. Thomas, Jr., of the Office of Academic and Student Affairs, said the success of his invitations come from Sulkowski’s personal connection to the university.”He had been teaching here for a few years, and we wanted to provide these workshops so that any student could learn from them, not just the students in his class,” Thomas said. “He likes it here a lot and he likes the students a lot.”Following his workshop at Point Park, Sulkowski will travel south to Charleston, S.C., where he will teach outdoor plain air paintings to another class.Sulkowski began drawing when he was five years old. Officially, he is a classical oil painter of still lifes, landscapes, murals and figure drawing. Sulkowski described his work as “traditional or classical in style.” His paintings utilize a combination of subtle colors and noticeably linear brushstrokes to create a very relaxing image. Light can be seen reflecting off the fruit tables and the realism of his portraits is amplified by the proportions of the subjects’ bodies and the small twinkle of light in their eyes.Jack Tomayko, president of the Tomayko Group, is a local collector of Sulkowski’s work who said his preference for the artwork comes from the traditionalism of the pieces.”I’ve been collecting for while, and I like it when I feel a connection to the art,” Tomayko said. “Jim [Sulkowski] was classically trained and that can be seen coming through in his work.”Sulkowski’s schooling includes the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University and the Art Students League of New York.”The Students League was the best for me because the teachers there were practicing artists rather than just instructors,” Sulkowski said. Sulkowski began his workshops after receiving numerous invitations following his write-ups in national art magazines such as “American Artist,” which named him as one of the top 12 instructors in the country. Sulkowski said the initiative for this list was decided upon last year through a public blog where people could log in and vote for their own favorites and nominations for best instructors.”I’ve had students starting out with the basic shapes [like eggs] and end up painting a portrait and figure, and they did really well,” Sulkowski said.Sulkowski feels that art is a progressive outlet.”My philosophy is that art is something that can be taught and that the person can then take it and do what they want with it,” Sulkowski said. “The more knowledge someone has, the more creative they can be.”The workshop will be held on Thursday, April 14 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the University Center, room 219. RSVP with Jan Ryan of the Office of Academic and Student Affairs. Samples of his work can be viewed at www.jamessulkowski.com.