Claremore HS , Claremore OK
Participate in a two-week portrait painting workshop with world-class artists in Rome to develop skills, historical context, and contemporary approaches to painting and maximize opportunities for students through a recently-funded oil painting unit.
At the Louvre Musuem Entrance! We saw SO much incredible art!
Crossed the Seine river in Paris multiple times on our daily adventures!
This is one of the most famous figure sculptures in history- the Venus de Milo!
The iconic Eifel tower in Paris, France!
Here we are standing with our incredible instructor Sean Cheetham and one of his demonstrations for our class!
Watching instructor demonstrations in class during 'The Rome Workshops'!
One of the most impactful experiences from our fellowship was drawing and painting under the instruction of Sean Cheetham. Under his guidance we were challenged to work from life, painting and drawing models completely in as little as one to several hours. This process challenged us to see the value and shadows versus the small details, thus creating more proportionally accurate works. The feedback and comradery gained from working with other artists also greatly shaped our experience.
I learned that I can trust my eye more and my skill. I reinforced in myself the belief that mistakes are not something to be ashamed of, but something to learn from. Professionally, I learned how to see shadow shapes and planes first, and create a strong portrait starting there. I learned not to overpaint details, that shadows should not be complicated, and that there is hierarchy of light within the portrait. I have also been forever impacted by the wealth of art history that surrounded me.
An unexpected experience that surprised me in it's impact was visiting the Capuchin Crypts in Rome. The crypts are filled with hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of bones. You couldn't help but be completely overwhelmed by the beauty, vulnerability, and profound meaning of life and death. The crypts were intricately decorated to mimic the style of a gothic cathedral- all decorations made from human bones. It was a sacred place that will forever leave an imprint on my psyche.
We have multiple lessons planned that are inspired by the painting and drawing techniques we learned from Sean Cheetham. We are going to challenge our students to do quick head studies, talk about the qualities of color and medium options, painting on canvas vs. panels, how to choose the right brushes for your surface, the origins of certain pigments, how to look for your painting goals in examples from art history, and how to approach a portrait using techniques from Sean Cheetham.
One of the exercises we are excited to bring back to our students is the 2, 5, 10, and 20 minute head study challenge! Students will be challenged to draw 20 heads with only 2 minutes per drawing, 10 heads with 5 minutes per drawing, 2 heads with 10 minutes per drawing, and one 20 minutes head drawing. This forces students to ignore details and focus on bigger, more important aspects in their drawings, like shadow shapes and mass drawing.
My fellowship will extend beyond my classroom into my own art. I cant wait to use techniques like mass drawing, hierarchy of light, simple shadows, and life drawing techniques to improve my artworks and bring them to the next level. These artworks will be used in exhibits and competitions that I regularly enter. I plan to offer to lead a workshop about 'Fund for Teachers, my team's experience, and give tips to other teachers who want to submit the grant!