"Absolutely," Peaden said. "I think if we got something going, then, yes, there would be enough interest, especially if we could offer it at an economical price."

"There's a lot of students around here who, like myself, came to BYU and just aren't able to find that kind of training," said Covington.

"My feeling," said Swanson, "is that the school could be viable with 50 students." He also believes some art students from around the world who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will come to study so they can participate in the LDS environment of Utah County.

But Brown is quick to point out that this type of training isn't for every artist. And Swanson agrees.

"There's two philosophies," Swanson said. "One is, don't worry about skills. Just express yourself, and your inner self will find a level of skill to accomplish the work; the level tends to be a lower level of skill, but a higher level of interpretation."

The other, according to Swanson, is the academically trained artist who, while highly skilled, often has very little to say of substance.

There's a gulf between the two, but Swanson and Brown believe both philosophies are necessary and important to different artists for different reasons. "We just don't want art students to be shackled by their own inability," said Brown, who believes a bridge between the two philosophies would help all artists.

But both Brown and Swanson are skeptical that a university setting — given its class-time restrictions — can give students the type of atelier training many desire. "Not to take away from anything the university is doing," Brown said, "because they teach good art principles. But I think if you can get the training off campus, it will build on what they're getting at the university."

So the goal for Brown and his group: to create artists of technical virtuosity who will make substantive statements in a contemporary environment . . . not unlike Sargent.

It is a lofty and certainly worthy objective, but only time, education and money will tell if the group can pull it off.

Individuals interested in offering financial assistance to Brown, his students and the potential art school should contact Brown at ryan@ryansbrownart.com.

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E-mail: gag@desnews.com

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