Design I (2D Design)
Drawing 1
Teaching Philosophy
The most inspiring art educators with whom I have had the good fortune of learning from have challenged me to acknowledge, confront, and move outside of my comfort zones. I am committed to sharing that same level of honesty and genuine concern with my students for the sake of helping them take risks to achieve newfound understandings of their creative potential. To achieve this objective, I present students with projects designed to help them develop their technical proficiency with a variety of media and the communication skills that will enhance their ability to critique their own work and that of others. The experience of making art is presented as a process of continual growth, inquiry, and self-discovery.
Among the skills that students will gain from taking my classes are: a deeper appreciation for art as a vital form of communication, familiarity with fundamental drawing and painting techniques, exposure to artworks and concepts that underlying major movements in historical and contemporary studio art practices. Students are challenged to think about what they want to communicate about their subject, how to best communicate that idea with specific media, and to explain their intent with each work in consideration of what is visible to a viewer.
My teaching methods are rooted in my commitment to engaging students in conversation about their interests and sources of inspiration that can serve as the impetus for the creation of meaningful artworks. Weekly studio projects, group critiques, regular sketchbook journal entries, written assignments about artwork in local and online exhibitions, and topical lectures supplemented with slides of artwork relevant to the topic under discussion make up a significant portion of allotted time in class.
Students’ success in each course is measured according to a specific set of rubrics in addition to evidence of their work ethic, technical growth, and ability to discuss their work and its underlying premises. My rubrics for each project take into account the following criteria: creativity, craftsmanship, effort, technique, attendance, and the extent to which the work fulfills primary expectations.
I believe that it is my duty to gauge each student’s level of ability early in the semester and challenge him or her to exceed his or her expectations of his or her abilities with each project. At the conclusion of each course term, students can expect to have gained an enhanced understanding of the challenges and joys that come with a deep engagement with the process and theories related to design, drawing, and painting.