• "Communication Arts at VCU is a model of professional standards. If I were going to go to art school, I couldn't think of a better one. The instructors I met were dedicated professionals, talented and experienced, accessible to students and forward-thinking in their approach to communication."

    Brad Holland - Internationally known Painter, Illustrator and Writer

  • "I credit the Communication Arts Department with giving me the tools I needed to successfully enter into my chosen profession."

    Brian Leister - Alumnus

  • "Choosing VCU ranks up there as one of the smartest decisions of my life."

    Becky Heavner - Editorail Illustrator, Alumna

  • "I can see how much I learned on a visual, practical and mental level while studying Communication Arts."

    Samantha Baker - Art Director, Alumna

  • "My Communication Arts education helped me approach illustration problems conceptually and it gave me a sense of the business of illustration."

    Phyllis Sarloff - Freelance Illustrator, Fine Artist, Alumna

  • "I feel very fortunate to have studied under the direction of such wonderful artists."

    Erin Hurley - Multimedia Artist, Illustrator, Alumna

Stanley Rayfield, Alumnus

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Stanley Rayfield graduated from the Department of Communication Arts in Spring 2009. He has specialized in portraiture for over a decade.

Stanley has received various scholarships and fellowships including the Mallory Callan Memorial Scholarship, the National Society of Arts and Letters, Shirley Winston Scholarship, The Society of Illustrators George Wilson scholarship, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Undergraduate Fellowship.

Stanley Rayfield won 2nd place and received an award of $7,500 in The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, 2009 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition for his painting entitled Dad. The Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition is held every three years and includes the work of the best portrait artists from across the nation. The competition drew over 3,300 entries. A prestigious panel of jurors that included internationally recognized curators, critics, artists and art historians, selected Mr. Rayfield's portrait to be among the 49 finalists exhibited at The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C..

Mr. Rayfield has been written about and interviewed by numerous national, regional and local publications and broadcasts including The Washington Post, The Online NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Virginia Morning, Richmond.com and Richmond Times Dispatch. The portrait was featured in the April issue of The Artist Magazine.

Stanley’s new work is featured in an exhibition entitled The Girls Next Door at The Glave Kocen Gallery in Richmond, Virginia.

He says of his new work,

I wanted to challenge myself to draw and paint more women, however I did not want to capture just another pretty face. So I carefully chose models that provoke feelings of nostalgia and are reminiscent of girls I used to know. I want viewers to explore these pieces and uncover their own memories of nostalgia. This work is exploring what is felt when admiring an attractive familiar face. I feel that my age is a factor that informs this series. I am a young man in my mid- twenties making drawings and paintings related to the opposite sex. I’m confident that in twenty years my work will explore different challenges.

Visit his website at www.stanleyrayfield.com.