Entry #3/4 Opinionated Chameleon

While in high school I felt pretty controlled by my father, by the school rules, and by my friends expectations. It is interesting how much things changed the summer after graduation. I left school and gave up on art, all my friends and on my family to a large extent. It was a longtime before I picked up a pencil to draw anything. Eventually I got back to drawing and school but I had a new perspective. I was there because I wanted to be there. I did things not because it was expected but because it was my choice. I have worked hard in college and am a much better student now then I ever was in high school. I think my artwork has improved as well. Primarily because I pursued what I was interested in. I think it is important to remember that things can change a lot from high school to college so don't "write-off" any students. They all may come around sooner or later.

I feel guilty when I spend time on things that I enjoy that don't include my family. I like to win but success is not something to tie self-worth to because you will not always succeed. If you let success in your aspirations anchor themselves to your self-worth then you run the risk of losing yourself whenever you fail. So rebounding from a failure is probably what makes me feel the most worthy. I love when things go unexpectedly. When a movie can surprise me I usually consider it a good movie. I like to be prepared which sounds contrary to liking things to go unexpectedly but if I am not prepared when I know what is coming that both embarasses and infuriates me.

I think I am an adrenaline addict. I love mountain biking down and diving off cliffs. I love rollercoasters and high places. I find comfort every night in knowing that my family is safe and I can look forward to the next day. The thought of my kids growing up and moving away is probably my most depressing thought.

Assertive, idealistic, opinionated, ethical, and confident are words that I think are good descriptors for who I see myself as. I am a husband and father. I give priority to these roles. I like work and college but being a provider is the primary goal of these activities. In my freetime I like to play with my kids and build. I know shopping is not a traditional past-time for guys but I don't mind walking around the mall/store holding my wife's hand and looking at stuff. I consider myself a conservative. I believe that the government is there to keep peace and freedom and outside of that they should be in the background. I think men and women are different. I think they have equal value and status but they are complementary in their design and nature. Where one is lacking the other has strength. I like blue jeans and t-shirts, any music without vulgarities and art that is thought-provoking without being distasteful. I think too many artists substitute shock value for ability. No skill - just being disgusting with no substance or purpose and calling it art does not make it art. Sounds pretty opinionated now that I read it but I started this entry by telling you that.

Entry #2 - The Cult of Curriculum

Curriculum needs to be challenging without being intimidating, fun without being frivolous, and teach technical skills without being monotonous. Other things to consider are do I teach about that old master whose abilities have stood the test of time or about that edgy contemporary artist I read about in Cool New Artist Weekly whose style has revamped the old master’s style in an exciting way. Do we go with what we know works by re-running that old lesson or do we do a re-model and rip it apart with a new project and direction. Stop - you’re both right. I think great curriculum needs to excite us as well as the students so if the lesson seems dry and we aren’t looking forward to it - change it up. I also think that teaching about older artists is equally important.
Bottomline: Nothing can be sacred in our curriculum. We need to question what we teach, how we teach and why we teach it. Clearly, balance is key to developing a great curriculum.

Thomas Kinkade reminds me a lot of how Norman Rockwell must have been treated during his time. I find Rockwell's work to be inspiring in the fact that he could capture moments that are universally understood. Much like Kinkade can capture moments that are universally peaceful. Both Kinkade and Rockwell do not seem to receive the recognition that they deserve because they are not offending or mocking. Classified as "low-brow" artwork solely because it is widely accepted. If you like something - like because you like it or dislike it because you dislike it. I find it ironic when I hear people say that they liked a certain band or book or movie until it became popular. Taking the opposite position does not make you an individual anymore then following the crowd does... Everything provides an opportunity to learn.

Michal Rovner is a contemporary filmographer. Her films deal with flocks of birds in flight. The changing directions and blurry changes in focus are reminiscent of cubist work in that they show dramatic changes in direction but the subject changes and not the position of the viewer as in a typical cubist painting. She mixes both still and motion images as well as intermingling painted images to elicit more of the view that this is not a nature film but a metaphor. Rovner is not intent with studying birds in flight but drawing parallels with how birds change directions abruptly just as stages of life can change abruptly.

Art teaching and art making go hand in hand. I think that we need to make art to stay in connection with why we should make art. Art is an outlet but it is also an inspiration to observe and study things around us. We look for patterns naturally but we need to record them as well. Drawing connections to otherwise unrelated subjects just as Rovner does is the source of inspiration for many new discoveries. That ability to observe, refine, analyze and draw conclusions is a major reason for having art in school.

Demonstrating our own proficiency in the classroom will add credibility to our lessons and also allow us to remember the more challenging aspects of lessons. I think that remembering where you came from in this sense will help you to anticipate problems.

Entry # 1 High School

This is a piece of my artwork. It was an early attempt at oil painting. I chose a pretty common theme, a lighthouse scene, but I am pretty satisfied with the composition and execution. While not a cutting edge art piece it was fun and allowed me to experiment with a monochromatic color scheme in a foreign medium. I think trying to work in new mediums and new techniques is important to keep your students' experience in perspective.

I was not very interested in high school as a student. I am sure I was not alone in that mindset. Art was always a fun class for me but I don't think I was as dedicated to it as I should have been. As an art teacher, it will be up to me to make the class interesting enough to overcome that kind of attitude. While I find the challenge pretty exciting, being that I was interested in art and felt that way makes it a bit daunting to think about keeping the attention and interest of teens that don't care about art.