Painting Demo + Portfolio Review with Zane York (MFA 2003)

In this demonstration, Zane York introduces the historical concept of pairing Value and Temperature in 5 distinct ranges to build viable illusion with both extensive form and contexturalized color. From a simple foundation, artists are able to create volumetric paintings that exhibit bold yet surprisingly nuanced color. After a brief overview, the demonstration will showcase the simple and effective organization of the palette and how the mixtures are used to create a representational painting.

 

Saturday, March 14, 2026

 

10:30am – 2:00pm	3:00 pm – 6:00pm
Individual portfolio reviews (limited slots available)	Live 3-hour demo Painting from a model

 

Policroma Estudio Calle Roma 1, Int. 202 Colonia Juárez 06600 CDMX

 

 

About Zane York 
Zane York’s paintings balance playfulness and profundity, transforming everyday subjects into deeply imaginative and emotionally resonant works. His practice explores the space between the beautiful and the grotesque, the real and the artificial, and life and death—finding vitality and meaning in moments of quiet absurdity and transience.

His work often focuses on animals, entomology, and natural oddities—subjects that are not conventionally “pretty” or “ugly,” but intensely visual. Through themes of mortality, anthropomorphism, and perceived beauty, Zane invites viewers to reflect on the complexity of existence. A bird’s skull, for example, becomes at once a symbol of design, fragility, and memento mori.

A lifelong draftsman influenced by early exposure to comic culture, Zane’s work ultimately moved beyond caricature and simplification toward a celebration of the ordinary in all its complexity and beauty. Today, he is a faculty member at the New York Academy of Art and the Rhode Island School of Design, where he continues to mentor emerging artists.

 

 

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