TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Russell Marcontell
My belief is that essentially anyone can draw. Some people
are just more practiced at it than others. When we are
children, art is such a large and important part of our
lives. We paint and draw with complete freedom and a total
lack of self-consciousness. As we get older, we struggle
to create more realistic images and it’s at this
point where some of us give up and go on to other things.
If we are lucky enough to have parents who encourage our
creativity, our artistic skills will grow with us as we
grow into adults. One of my favorite quotes about art is
from the book Art and Fear. The quote is from a little
girl in the first grade. She asked her Father what he does
for a living. He answered, “I teach at the college
and I teach people to draw and paint.” The little
girl responded, “You mean they forget?”
When I work with students, whether in painting or drawing,
I encourage the same lack of self-consciousness we possess
as children. I start with the concept of “there are
no mistakes”. Through basic drawing techniques such
as blind contour, gesture and continuous line, students
relax and recognize that there are many ways to draw. They
begin to understand the process of drawing through these
exercises. To develop creative awareness, I encourage exploration
of their own thoughts, feelings, emotions and views of
the world. These techniques also help the students familiarize
themselves with various drawing media. Once there is a
familiarity with the way the different mediums work and
the initial shyness of drawing is overcome, I begin teaching
more concrete concepts such as form, shape, light and line
quality.
I display student work in the classroom so that students
can see how their classmates solved visual problems differently.
I believe this fosters openness and discussion along with
the exchange of ideas, not only
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between the students and teacher,
but also between students. Regardless of how long a person
has been drawing, there is always something to learn from
the work of others.
Reading how other artists have thought about, approached
and eventually solved their own artistic challenges has helped
me in my work. Books and other reference materials are fantastic
tools to encourage further artistic exploration and understanding
of art history. In addition, they spark creativity as well
as discussion among students. I like to observe and discuss
with each student their interests and help them explore their
interests further through the use of classroom and community
resources. For instance, I often notice a student has a particular
drawing or painting style that is similar to another artist.
I refer the student to books, magazines, and websites that
discuss the specific artist or style. These resources have
been invaluable in increasing student’s art history
awareness and curiosity.
I strive to strengthen the idea that drawing is the key to every other form of
art. Being able to draw something, whether in a photo realistic manner or child
like expressionist manner, means the person has a basic understanding of the
subject. With this understanding, the subject can be explored through all kinds
of mediums, such as sculpture, painting, printmaking and ceramics. Understanding
something by drawing leads to other creative understanding.
Contact Information:
Office:979.209.7294
E-mail: Russell.Marcontell@blinn.edu
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