I honestly love the fact that my office in the Art Department at the University of Missouri doubles as a prop room…
Click to boost
“Chaos, for me, breeds images…” – Francis Bacon.
PS – this is my 300th post here… my first post was on today’s date 3 years ago. There’s been some good stuff over the years. I’m glad to have kept a record this way…
Jacob Johnson, Jackie Lin, and David Spear all graduated from the University of Missouri Art Department this semester. I was on each of their graduate committees and was with them from the first days of their graduate experience. I could write a lot about their work, their thesis writing, and the things they’ve been trying to do. Instead I want to share just one piece of work (or so) from each of them.
Above: Jacob Johnson, Untitled (Neil’s Back, Green), Oil on Canvas mounted on Panel, 72 by 48 inches, 2009.
Below: Jacob Johnson, The Professor (Portrait of Matt Ballou), Oil on Panel, 8 by 6 inches, 2012. This was a tribute piece Jake made for me…
Above: Jackie Lin, Stir Fry, Oil on Canvas, 66 by 52.5 inches, 2010.
Below: Jackie took my family out for Peking Duck at House of Chow here in Columbia, MO as a gift to me… it was amazing!
Above: Harrison Bergeron (managed, directed and produced by David Spear), Who Are We, Where Do We Come From, Where Are We Going?, Oil on three Panels, 114 by 31.5 inches, 2012.
Below: Me and Harrison hamming it up at the Multimedia Extravaganza that was the thesis show…
The paintings above are three of my favorites from the production of these artists. I’m proud to have seen them develop and strive and fail and scream and leap for joy over these years. Here’s to many more years of learning to fail well.
I got a surprise text from my wife last night – she’d received a call from my high school art teacher, Mrs Dudley, to let us know that she and her husband were in town and wanted to see us before they continued on down I-70 eastward. I’ve carried on old-school letter writing with Mrs Dudley ever since high school. She was the first outside encourager of my work. She got me into my first shows, taught me about framing and matting, and was the first to purchase my more developed work once I was a few years into undergraduate school.
Mrs Dudley and me.
Hanging out with Alison and Miranda
Chasing little Miranda Grace in the hotel lobby
The Dudleys getting ready to head back out on the road – set to visit the Arch today
Keep in contact with the people who helped you get started on whatever road you’re on. One of the best things I ever did was to never forget about Mrs Dudley, to keep her informed, and to respect the artful way in which she’s continued to live her life. If a teacher ever made a big difference to you, write to them now. It’ll make a huge impact.
Every semester I have to make more posts about how awesome my Color Drawing classes are.
Above: Marissa Valentino’s amazing Colored Pencil drawing of a head from our group project.
Students assembling one of our large group drawings.
Hannah and Vincent hard at work on a final figure work for the course.
Emily Armstrong’s 44 by 30 inch figure drawing in progress on the easel. You can see our parachute stage setup there behind. We love that parachute!
Above and below: A selection of drawings from the second half of the semester we pulled out for a group crit – some in progress, others complete. Overall a great effort by my students this year!
India Watts working on her Matisse master study.
The final group project installed in one of the stairwells at the University of Missouri.
I’ve got another amazing group of Color Drawing 1 students this semester. Below I’ll highlight just a few of the many who’ve distinguished themselves this year. Please click on each to see them up close.
A work in colored pencil by Marissa Valentino. About 18 by 18 inches.
A drawing by Lirong Gong. Chalk pastel, 24 by 18 inches.
Megan Schaffer has an amazing sense of material handling. Her oil pastel work here is 30 inches by 22 inches – it’s just one of 4 or 5 that are really stellar.
Carly Kurka working the chromatic shadows, 18 by 24 inches, oil pastel.
. 
Becca Wholey’s grid work fulfilled the project parameters expertly – 16 by 16 inches, colored pencil.
It’s been a privilege to work with these students – here’s hoping they continue on with me in Color Drawing 2!
I was recently invited to present an essay of reflections on teaching and faith by the Institute for Theology, Imagination, and the Arts at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland. The piece has been made available online, so check it out:
Generosity of Spirit: A Perspective on Faith, Art, and Teaching
And here are a couple shots by Columbia Missourian photographer Michelle Kannan, taken during my Summer Session class this past July. I’ve never had any documentation of myself teaching before (other than audio), so the images that Michelle took are nice for me. I think they capture some of the excitement and passion I try to bring to the classroom.
The first class I was a part of teaching at the University of Missouri included three grads – Nancy Brown, Ian Shelly, and Sloane Snure Paullus. These three – and a few others, like Catherine Armbrust, Eric Sweet, and Natalie Hellmann (among others) – have defined my experience as a teacher at MU.
Above: Sloane beading back in 2007.
Over the last year or so I’ve seen each of those first three grads finalize a body of work, refine and defend their thesis writing, organize their thesis exhibition, and move on to new things. This week saw Sloane and her husband move away from Columbia and into a new phase of their lives.
Above: Sloane and her peephole boxes, 2008.
For so long Sloane has been a cornerstone of the Art Department, bringing both intellectual excellence and paroxysms of mirth to each of us. She transformed the culture of the department, raising the bar and shaking things up. There’s really no one like her.
Above: Sloane hanging out with Ian at the Annual “Kinkade Christmas Cottage” viewing, 2009.
She was the perfect grad student; engaging as an artist, thoughtful as a friend, cosmopolitan in her views, expansive in her mentality, and distinctively creative in her sense of humor. I am thankful to have known her.
Above: Sloane Loves Britney! Halloween 2009.
Keep us all updated, Sloane! We love you!
Note: No lens flares were harmed in the making of this blog post.
Once again, my Beginning Color Drawing class at the University of Missouri has created a large work together as a capstone to the semester. Seeing these big drawings happen has been a very rewarding aspect of my teaching.
This one is obviously a copy of one of Chuck Close‘s self portraits. And below is how it looks from the hallway. Click on the images to see them in larger glory!
These are mostly fun, low-pressure way to create something unifying after spending the whole semester developing and practicing skills. I love this project. Click here and here to see some past efforts!
…you’ll end up having to draw something like this. Just saying…
eikonktizo 