Scroll down to see examples of student work in a variety of media.
2011-Present: Thomas University
I am currently Assistant Professor of Art in the Humanities Division at Thomas University. The school is a small, private university with a large population of non-traditional students. My goal is to raise the profile of studio-based visual arts at Thomas University and in the community. I have partnered with many organizations in the community, and I am constantly looking for new avenues for collaboration and partnership. The following is a sample of some of my efforts to introduce studio-based art techniques to the students at Thomas University. I primarily teach Studio (Drawing, Painting and Ceramics), Humanities Survey, Art Appreciation and Art History.
The following are examples of the variety of media I have taught at Thomas University. My students are not art majors.
The following are examples of the variety of media I have taught at Thomas University. My students are not art majors.
Figure Study
This was a more advanced course than the introductory studio courses. In an effort to foster community outreach, I allowed a few people from outside the university to sit in on the class. Everyone seemed to enjoy the interaction and exchange of ideas.
The images below are from an exercise in which the model posed as a figure from a famous painting. I gave a short art historical lecture to introduce each image and asked the students to attempt to emulate the style of the painting depicted.
The images below are from an exercise in which the model posed as a figure from a famous painting. I gave a short art historical lecture to introduce each image and asked the students to attempt to emulate the style of the painting depicted.
GPS Drawing Activity
I collaborated with a professor from the GIS Lab to use GPS devices with my students. My students learned how the devices worked, then used them to plot simple line drawings on a large scale. The lines and patterns were inspired by some preliminary sketches.
Introduction to Drawing
These are drawings by students at various skill levels. They are not art majors!
Introduction to Painting
These are pieces by first-time painters. I encouraged them to bring in source materials such as photos and sketches to work from. They chose the color palette and style within which they wanted to work.
Introduction to Ceramics
These are a few examples of first-time ceramics students.
Introduction to Printmaking
In my introductory studio class I took an interdisciplinary approach, exposing students to a wide range of media. One of the most successful sessions was printmaking. I gave each student a 2"x3" linoleum block and carving tools. They drew out and cut the images. I, then, showed them how to print using a burnishing tool.
2008-2010: University of North Alabama, Drawing Class
As an adjunct I taught Drawing I to beginning art majors at University of North Alabama. These are examples of the projects for this class. Primarily this class focuses on representational drawing from life, including still life, architectural perspective and landscape drawing. Basic compositional and rendering skills are introduced including shading, linear perspective and some basic 2D design principles.
Eraser Drawing
Coat the compositional space with a layer of charcoal. Use an eraser to "reverse out", or lift away the charcoal to reveal the image.
Evidence of Human Presence
This exercise is a multi-panel drawing of a still life. The still life should depict a setting in which there is evidence of human activity.
Collaborative Drawing
This exercise involved small groups of students interpreting a poem into a visual representational drawing. The group worked together to create the overall composition. Then, the composition was split so that each student in the group was responsible for one panel.