Below is a quick synopsis of the huge variety of art classes I teach every day and examples of student work. Presently I am teaching 6 classes that range from hand building with clay, then wash up for graphic design with Adobe apps, then clear the computers for sculpting with plaster, and then clear the tables once again for live figure drawing with Studio 1 class!
I started the ceramics program at GHS in September 2023, after studying in the evenings with Newburgh Pottery studio and wanting to share this artistic practice with students. Presently we have 4 ceramics classes, a total of over 60 pottery students a year - that’s a TON of ceramic vessels and kiln firings! I teach the 3 basic foundational methods of hand building with clay, pinch pots, coiling and building with slab. We learn about surface pattern, texture and design along with color theory in glazing. Student demand was so great to create more ceramic classes, I began teaching a level two class this year as well. This advanced class includes combining methods to create more complex vessels, learning to build and design from historical and contemporary artist inspiration along with experimenting with advanced glazing techniques.
Studio Art is a year long course that explores many mediums of art making. I created, customize and tweak this curriculum each year by implementing projects that are inspired by historical and contemporary artists and teach techniques and skills for each type of art medium. Some of the art forms we explore are figure drawing with charcoal, painting still lives and landscapes, collaging illustration from found materials, oil pastel and watercolor self portraits, contour drawing with ink, zine making for self expression, sewing, sculpting and countless others. I teach this curriculum for the sole purpose of giving the students the chance to explore and find the artistic mediums they personally click with, so they can follow their passions in higher level electives.
Digital Art & Media along with Graphic Design students are award winners in many competitions every year! They work on a variety of projects– everything from hand drawn illustrations, Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator layouts, photo editing, complex typography, logos, brand identity, design contests and more.
Students in my sculpture classes experiment with wood whittling, plaster modeling, low fire clay, kinetic movement, up-cycling assemblage and more.
