Artist Statement
I conceptualize my artwork from the aspect of how the viewer is going to interact with the final execution of the design. Being a viewer-centered artist, It is my goal to have the viewer walk away with a new understanding. This approach allows me to successfully explore new themes and commentaries in my photography work and the delivery devices to communicate those themes.
I believe “craft” is very important in achieving the above statement. The growth of digital design has allowed for “sloppy” creativity. Strong conceptualized ideas need to evolve and be refined through “working it out” and not relying on the “make good photo” button on the keyboard.
I approach both commercial and fine art with the same passion to develop a visual solution to an expressed need, whether from a client or myself. I have been mentored in my early creative education, in the modernist thinking and have embraced the rules of design and Gestalt principles and the elevation of pure form. However, the past years has seen resurgence in those principles in my conceptualization process and to apply those theories in the final imagery.
I currently practice graphic design, photography, digital imaging, motion graphics, video, and animation. All disciplines start at the same place. Conceptualizing an idea, a blank something. The development and final production then channel off into the computer applications and other production techniques to amplify the visual strength of the concept.
The final goal is always the same. Inspire the viewer.
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy has developed out of the time I have spent managing creative and production teams. Students need to be inspired to strive beyond what is expected. This inspiration needs to be timely and consistent with the skills and learning capabilities of each individual. As a person becomes stronger and more confident in what they do, it is necessary to inspire and challenge that newly developed creative strength. This encourages them to strive for the next level of skill sets needed to be successful in commercial and fine art environments.
As a professor of creative and production courses in graphic design, photography and animation, I find the need to inspire students to strive for their best to be an even greater requirement. There is the foundational information and language that all students will need to understand, however, each student, as an individual, will need to be challenged and continually inspired to push their skills and creative thought processes. This helps them be successful with their projects and their career choices.
By developing opportunities in collaborative and interdisciplinary studies with other creative and production disciplines, such as architecture, medical, fashion and manufacturing, this will give students opportunities to refine their creative direction within the greater visual arts.
As a practitioner and educator, I bring into the classroom the expressed need to be open to a diversity of cultures and current social dynamics. With the ever-changing face of the global design and production community, a visual artist needs to embrace various cultures and ethnicities. This provides the student with a greater understanding of how we communicate visually and can foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the diversity that is around them by understanding the visual interpretations of a culture.
My goal is to provide for each student the opportunity to develop his or her own professional, creative and production skills to their fullest extent. This will allow them to acquire a strong sense of self in their college courses and professional careers. The depth of their creativity, quality of production and the strength of presentation will amplify this self-confidence as they move from their college career to their professional career.
Diversity Statement
I take seriously the challenge of teaching to diverse audiences. I have found that my students have an enormous amount to teach me. I strive to learn and adapt to both the style and content of my teaching material to reflect the diversity of my students. This has included simple but important steps, such as learning to lecture more effectively to non-native English speakers, as well as to create syllabi and projects that are more diverse in approach to a creative solution of visual engagement. In organizing classes and lectures, I have found that more diverse programs are able to attract and communicate more effectively to a broader audience. By bringing in a wide variety of perspectives, a more diverse program can also support broader, more widely applicable, memorable learning as students venture from their academic career to their professional career.