I am a wife, mother, artist, teacher, and day dreamer. I have worked with children and teens for over 20 years, first as a Youth Minister and later as a High School Art Teacher. I have been painting since I was in elementary school and taking photographs since I was 12. I love to drive without a destination just to see what is out there. When I go on vacation, I look for interesting places, people and events to photograph. I am passionate about photography. When I am on a photo shoot, I am a happy girl.
I have 7 years of experience teaching IB Visual Art and 3 years of experience teaching AP Visual Art. As an art teacher, I want to help my students find their creative side. I am not a “paint in the lines” kind of girl. I believe the “creative process” is equal to if not more important than the final artwork. When we experiment with different ideas and media, personal fulfillment and growth occur. Of course, I love to see the beautiful artwork created by my students, but it is the “Aha!” moment that makes me happy.
Philosophy about Teaching:
There are so many times I remember when creating art was stressful because I was only interested in the end product and did not understand that the process is so much more important than just the final piece. There is a quote by Mark Twain that I love…”You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” I believe that the process of creating opens the imagination. As children, we learn cause and effect. We understand that if we step into that puddle of mud, that we will create muddy footsteps. But we also learn that we have just painted the sidewalk, kitchen floor or the den carpet, with our footprints. How cool is it when a child learns that mud can be used as paint?