Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
-Pablo Picasso
Artist Statement
The rural and poor are often forgotten, shamed and misunderstood. We are often considered a dark splotch on society, a problem our legislature tries to solve; ignorance and filth. I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to hide my trailer park childhood. Teaching art at a rural public elementary school has challenged my personal shame and reminded me of how crucial art was in my life. In Title 1 schools such as mine we are sustained by federal money due to the overwhelming percentage of poor families serviced by the school system.
I was fortunate to have access to basic art materials as a child. In contrast, paper, pencils and crayons are a precious commodity to children living in cars, dumped in foster care, dealing with substance abuse, hunger and mental health issues at home. Every class I teach contains students living in those circumstances. Once supplies are passed out my students intensely mark their paper, strangling the stylus as they happily create art. Students find release in their spirited scribbling. There’s a common level ground found in the art room where every child is a proud artist. My own work focuses on this innocent play compounded with the heartbreaking injustices we see daily in title one schools.
I’ve found sketching my students while they work and using these images as a basis for a finished piece captures both the joy in our relationship as well as some of the tougher times. Printmaking has challenged my thought process firming my commitment to each image and message it portrays. Once gestural sketches capturing spontaneous compositions are now being replaced by plan of actions before the blade ever touches the linoleum. In print my ideas are made manifest, telling the story of poverty in the rural south. Each image is weighed and considered regarding its relationship to the ever developing story.
The rural and poor are often forgotten, shamed and misunderstood. We are often considered a dark splotch on society, a problem our legislature tries to solve; ignorance and filth. I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to hide my trailer park childhood. Teaching art at a rural public elementary school has challenged my personal shame and reminded me of how crucial art was in my life. In Title 1 schools such as mine we are sustained by federal money due to the overwhelming percentage of poor families serviced by the school system.
I was fortunate to have access to basic art materials as a child. In contrast, paper, pencils and crayons are a precious commodity to children living in cars, dumped in foster care, dealing with substance abuse, hunger and mental health issues at home. Every class I teach contains students living in those circumstances. Once supplies are passed out my students intensely mark their paper, strangling the stylus as they happily create art. Students find release in their spirited scribbling. There’s a common level ground found in the art room where every child is a proud artist. My own work focuses on this innocent play compounded with the heartbreaking injustices we see daily in title one schools.
I’ve found sketching my students while they work and using these images as a basis for a finished piece captures both the joy in our relationship as well as some of the tougher times. Printmaking has challenged my thought process firming my commitment to each image and message it portrays. Once gestural sketches capturing spontaneous compositions are now being replaced by plan of actions before the blade ever touches the linoleum. In print my ideas are made manifest, telling the story of poverty in the rural south. Each image is weighed and considered regarding its relationship to the ever developing story.