Engaging students in the study of the visual arts is of vital importance to their understanding of the humanities and as a base for increasing visual and aesthetic literacy in our communities.
Awakening the inner self and the world of ideas has been a particular goal of mine since I first studied art. For more than a decade I have been practicing the active thinking part of this exploration by teaching, including most recently art appreciation. One new idea can create a profound change in the active, ongoing process that we call our understanding. Keeping that curiosity active as we cobble together our understanding is the challenge.
One of my great strengths is teaching drawing: I have old-school empirical drawing skills, as well as an understanding of contemporary art and its practices. I teach traditional techniques and materials as starting points for later expansions and explorations of original potential. I understand the ideas and techniques of the great masters as well as expanded explorations of the last century.
- Since 1980, I have taught drawing, intaglio and other printmaking, art history, and art appreciation at various institutions, including:
- Alamance Community College
- Duke University Continuing Education Program
- Richmond Printmaking Workshop
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Virginia Commowealth University
- Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Statewide Artists Residency Program