Hello!
What do you want to create?
​My art room is an exciting and active learning lab where curiosity, creative thinking, problem-solving, practice and production, collaboration, assessment of experience, and real-world applications are key components for student success.
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My Art Teaching Pedagogy (Philosophy and Methodology) incorporates these
Art Education Methods:​
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Teaching for Artistic Behavior: students who are inspired by their own ideas and choices and create with my support.
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Studio Habits of Mind: 1) development of skill in use of media, tools, and techniques, 2) immersion within a project and the perseverance to solve problems and stay focused, 3) use of imagination to explore new possibilities and ideas prior to and during art production, 4) expression of concepts, feelings, or environments, 5) employ keen observation, 6) take risks to explore new ideas and techniques and embrace mistakes as part of the learning process, 7) expand knowledge and understanding of artworks and artists throughout history and within our contemporary world, and 8) honest self-reflection of process and product.
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Discipline Based Art Education: 1) art production; 2) art history; 3) art criticism: describe, analyze, interpret, and evaluate; and 4) aesthetics: how does it make you feel and how does it relate to the human condition: emotions, cultures, economics, history, religions.
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Design Thinking: human-centered collaboration to solve a problem through ideas, prototypes, and tests to see if the solution works.
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Hare, T. (2016, January 15). Use the studio habits as a guide for reflective self-assessment. The Art of Education University. https://theartofeducation.edu/2016/01/using-the-studio-habits-as-a-guide-for-reflective-self-assessment/
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VanDerMolen, M. (2023, September 25). Determine the teaching approach mix that fits your art room best. The Art of Education University. https://theartofeducation.edu/2023/09/determine-the-teaching-approach-mix-that-fits-your-art-room-best/
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I want to help you establish your artistic foundation and then achieve your artistic goals!
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I work with students on the Global Skills of Drawing, the Art Elements, and the Principles of Design along with their creative interests and pursuits. My goal is to ignite a love of learning and creative expression which leads to portfolio development, art school acceptance, and career pathways.
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The Global Skills of Drawing are as follows: 1) Edges: the outside line or contour line of an object; 2) Spaces: the leftover area (negative space) between objects (positive space) (think donut and donut hole); 3) Relationships: proportion: the relationship of the parts to its whole: head to the body or the handle to the mug and perspective: how an object or objects recedes in space; 4) Lights and Shadows: how values—lights and darks vary and can add volume and dimension; and 5) The Gesalt: the whole of the drawing united with its parts. (Edwards, 2012).
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The Whole and its Parts should reflect a good knowledge and application of the Art Elements and the Principles of Design. The Art Elements are as follows: 1) Line: describes a shape; 2) Shape: created when a line surrounds it—example: a circle; 3) Lights and Darks: when you add shading (darks) and highlight (lights) to a shape like a circle, it becomes a ball or a three-dimensional form; 4) Volume/Mass: when a shape like a dog has three-dimensionality and a solidness to it, it has mass and volume; 5) Texture: the surface quality of a form—the dog is furry; 6) Positive and Negative Space: when a dog sits on the floor, the dog is the positive space and the ground upon which it sits is the negative space; 7) Depth: when an object in space recedes, it has depth; 8) Perspective: linear: when objects like buildings recede in space or atmospheric: in nature, things farther away are smaller in size, duller in color, and fuzzier in detail; 9) Time and Motion: the illusion of time passing and/or objects moving; and 10) Color: a hue like red or blue (Preble, Preble, and Frank, 2002).
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The Principles of Design are as follows: 1) Unity and Variety: the parts of the whole work together to create an agreeable whole, and at the same time, the parts of the whole offer some interesting differences; 2) Balance: the composition feel equally weighted on each side; 3) Focal Point and Subordination: what area does the eye go to: who is the star and who is the supporting cast;
4) Directional Forces: where the eyes are lead (good directional forces move the eyes around the whole); 5) Contrast: the combination of different things that work well together; 6) Repetition and Rhythm: repetition: when colors, shapes, and lines are repeated to create unity and rhythm: a sense of movement based on repetition that creates a beat or tempo; and 7) Scale and Proportion: scale: the size of one form in relation to another—a grape to an apple and proportion: the size of the parts to the whole—the head in relationship to its body (Preble, Preble, and Frank, 2002).
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With this foundation, you can create what is in your heart and mind. Each lesson is a combination of skill practice and creative expression.
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Edwards, B. (2012). Drawing on the right side of the brain. TarcherPerigee.
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Preble, D., Preble, S., & Frank, P. (2002). Artforms. Prentice Hall.
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