Post by: Anthony Latess (Instructor, Professional Institute for Educators)

Art to me is storytelling. I feel that every work of art tells a story, whether it be a hand-blown glass sculpture, landscape or portrait painted in oil, or abstract photograph of a barely recognizable subject. The glass sculpture tells a short story which may be concise and dramatic, the landscape or portrait is like a novel with details and characters to learn more about each time it is viewed and the abstract photograph may read like a free-form poem, conceptual and satisfying.

Post By: AnneMarie Robinson (Instructor, Pre-College Programs)

Work by Greg Pizzoli is currently on view in the Continuing Studies exhibition space on the 9th floor of Terra Hall (211 South Broad Street).

Read about his experience last summer below and stop by our offices this month to take a look at his screen prints!

Post by: Greg Pizzoli

Piece done prior to convention. “Jamie” was digitally painted for a client and then printed, mounted and overpainted in oils then varnished.

By: Christina Hess

As an artist I am constantly learning.  Part of the learning curve for any student is the evolution that comes from education.  I originally began working in oil paint and collage; I enjoyed working in natural papers, fabrics and random objects to create additional texture and depth in my illustrations.  Then, I moved to the digital realm.  I found the digital medium more forgiving, and it allowed me to experiment and try things that I would be hesitant to do in oils.  Now I find myself craving a return to my roots and hope to examine the combination of mediums once again.

By: Alexis Granwell (Instructor, CE + Pre-College)

This past year, I was awarded a two-person show at Lawndale Art Center in Houston, Texas, as well as a Continuing Studies Faculty Enrichment Grant. With the grant support I received, I was able to attend two artist residencies in preparation for the show at Lawndale.  The first was Ragdale Artist Residency in Lake Forest, Ill., where I experimented with constructions for my new sculptures.  The final pieces are primarily made out of Abaca, wire and wood. Following this trip, I spent the rest of the summer creating oversized etching plates that ranged in size from five to six feet.  I also spent the summer making sheets of large handmade paper.   The texture of the paper became an integral part of my printing process for this series.

By: Colleen Hammond (Instructor, Pre-College)

In March of 2011 I received a Continuing Studies Faculty Enrichment Grant. With the support of this grant, I was able to attend a weeklong workshop at Snow Farm in Williamsburg, Mass., this past summer.  The class I took was entitled Collage: the Imaginative Use of Materials taught by Alexandra Sheldon.  Through guided experimentation, my experience with collage opened up a world without boundaries and enabled me to explore a new level of imagination I have not been able to find through my oil painting. My hope is to somehow apply and bring out this newly found fun and whimsical approach to creativity in my total oeuvre.

By: Christina P. Day (Instructor, CE + Pre-College)

This past June, I was awarded a month-long full fellowship from the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont, an internationally recognized art residency that offers writers, painters and sculptors four to eight week stays.  During the residency, I planned to complete a double “twin” window frame wall-hung sculpture, a piece that I started while on residency at Sculpture Space in Utica, NY in 2008.  I received a Continuing Studies Faculty Enrichment Grant this year to help with the financial costs of materials and tools needed to create the piece.  With this grant I was able to purchase lumber and materials as well as a Dewalt router and router table necessary to complete the construction of the piece.  The VSC full fellowship and supplemental grant from Continuing Studies at UArts allowed me to focus on articulating this piece to its best effect during my stay at VSC.

By: Laura Deutch (Instructor, CE)

From June 4 – 11, 20 national and international participants ranging from frustrated commercial designers and bankers looking to fulfill late life dreams, to me, an MFA graduate looking to hone my teaching skills, gathered on the Duke University campus in Durham, NC for an eight-day, intensive documentary workshop. Hosted by the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) at Duke, this Documentary Video Institute very skillfully walked participants through the foundational steps of documentary production: story development, interviewing, camera, light, sound and editing techniques.

Christopher Wool, Studio, New York, 1993, via http://www.wool735.com

I have been looking at the work of American painter Christopher Wool a lot lately.  Wool’s work references process, abstraction, advertising, contemporary culture and reproduction.  He uses a range of media, incorporating photography, screen printing, stencils, spray paint, hand painting, text, and other industrial processes and materials to make his work.  Wool has also designed skate decks for Supreme and collaborated on various projects and publications with  other artists, including painter Josh Smith and poet/musician Richard Hell.

Check out these links to read and see more:

Christopher Wool at Gagosian

Christopher Wool at Luhring Augustine

CE + Pre-College drawing and painting instructor Alexis Granwell received a 2011 CS Faculty Enrichment Grant in support of a collaborative project that will be installed at Lawndale Art Center in Houston, TX this fall.

The Division of Continuing Studies is proud to announce the 2011 CS Faculty Enrichment Grant recipients!  This year, UArts and CS will provide financial support for eight instructors to participate in classes, workshops, residencies and conferences.

Pre-College instructor Mary Pat Coyle will be taking a UArts Continuing Education Course: Cyanotype + Bichromate for Printing with Film + Digital Images this summer with instructor Sandra Davis.