“Every child is an artist, the problem is how to
remain an artist as he grows up.”
-Pablo
Picasso
Each student must find a space
where they are free of inhibitions and the fear of failure in order to be truly
creative. Through open-ended exercises students are helped to experience
creative play and brainstorming. I
teach students that much like electricity, the elements and principles of art
were not invented, they were discovered and have continuously evolved in usage,
from ancient ceramics to contemporary product design. No matter their preferred field of study, the elements and
principles are the foundation of all visual art and design. One common downfall
in the design industry today is that many art school graduates do not possess
the technical drawing skills to render original ideas from sketch to
finish. Serious students must be
willing to exert strenuous effort to the exploration of methods and development
of technical skills. I use project criteria that reinforces the design process,
the use of principles of art, compositional strategies, advertising techniques
and color palettes to help students make more informed and sophisticated
decisions in their designs.
I find it important that
students interact with art history through recreating master pieces and viewing
historical and contemporary works in person. Students are taught to analyze form, content and context and
to imitate effective techniques of visual literacy in their own work. For me, there was nothing more
inspiring than seeing Sargent’s brush strokes from a touchable distance. I
encourage students to see, read and listen to everything they possibly can
about the field they want to go into, and beyond. Students must become zeitgeist,
keenly aware of social, political and cultural issues of our era in order to
make work that is intellectually stimulating.
