I’ve shot photos of all my students work or even my own art pieces. I’m not a photographer by trade, but I’ve had to teach the topic. Finding good video tutorials are really helpful. I recently invested in a DSLR camera for shooting images of my work. I’m posting this video tutorial that I found to be really helpful for tips for shooting the work. THIS IS NOT SPECIFIC TO A CAMERA BRAND. To learn how to use the specific Canon or Nikon etc you can find video tutorials separately from that. I used presets on my Nikon to try different White Balance settings. This video is pretty through and they have the challenge of shooting resin art pieces, so lots of glare. I think this tutorial gives you some wonderful tips for how to avoid glare. I was getting glare on some of the acrylic based pieces I was shooting. Happy photographing!
Chicago Style Formating
If you have ever taken an art history course or taught one then you should be aware of Chicago Style formatting. I have not taught or taken an AP art history course, but I gather that students would need to be introduced to this formatting. I only was introduced to this style when I started art school. When pursuing an MFA in art this comes up a lot. This video was super helpful from the beginning to end of how to format your paper in Word. I’m posting this so I can go back and remember if I need it again. This is also probably good for anyone that needs to writer history papers in general they use the same style.
4.11 and 4.12 John and Linda Jensen, Artists and Educators
John Jensen in his studio working on a piece inspired by Japanese mythology.
I had the opportunity to visit the studio of John and Linda Jensen. They are two generous art professors and fine artists. I have to say the put the “FINE” in fine arts. Truly fine people. Both are highly prolific creators in their own discipline. John Jensen is a ceramic artist. During my art education classes at Armstrong Atlantic State University I was required to take ceramics. Armstrong is now know as Georgia Southern University (GSU). I am so glad I did. He not only taught me a great deal about ceramics, but as teacher creating a great classroom culture. When you walk into his class you see a diversity in the age and abilities of the students and he encourage and teaches in a way that connects with each person. That’s really hard to do as a teacher. His classroom had a zen like quality to it, and it made you want to spend as much time as possible in the studio learning. Mr. Jensen ceramic pieces vary from thrown pieces that are delicately carved to full-size sculptures memorializing his friends and family members. He is constantly experimenting and even motorizing movement in some of his pieces.
Ceramic pieces by John Jensen.
Linda Jensen in her studio and one of her pieces in progress.
Mrs. Linda Jensen is a photographer and retired art professor. She has taught art education and photography classes at GSU. I can only describe her work as beautiful ethereal photographic mixed media pieces. She has a collection of beads in every imaginable color. She has carefully experimented and perfected her materials and techniques to create these icons of her former students, family, and friends. My photographs do not do justice to the colors in the original pieces.
Mrs. Jensen’s piece Theone Karatassos a portrait of a student,
and photos of inside her studio space.
I decided to release both their interviews, because I couldn’t decide who to go with first. They are both such facinating artists in their own right. Their journey to becoming artists and teachers was amazing to listen to. Looking at their work gives the viewer a glimpse into their minds and hearts, and this is something I feel like I would want to explore more in my own work.
Here is his webpage on the Savannah Clay Community to see more of his art.
Savannah Clay Community John Jensen
New Georgia Encyclopedia
To see more of Linda Jensen’s work visit
Lens Culture
Article about both their work.
Inkwell
Listen to their inteviews on My Creative Life.
Thanks you for listening!
4.10 Bunyan Morris, Artist
I decided I need to speak with the art teacher that inspired two of my previous guests to pursue the arts for a career. I interviewed Bunyan Morris retired art teacher and artist based out of Statesboro. Here is a bit about Bunyan.
Bunyan Morris has over thirty years of experience as a visual artist and public school art educator. The majority of his teaching career was spent as a high school visual art teacher. In this position, he taught studio classes in painting, drawing, multi-media, ceramics, and Advanced Placement studio art. Throughout his career, he has created and studied art. “Recently, I have been experimenting with color to create nature-inspired non-objective paintings and wearable art. The images are automatic and come from my psyche. I work with the compositions so that the paintings can be viewed equally from all four directions. The wearable art objects evolved from the paintings.”
To see more of his work visit:
Listen to the podcast interview My Creative Life.
Thanks for listening and please like and subscribe!
Experimenting with Winsor and Newton Watercolor Granulation Medium
I decided to try some Winsor and Newton Watercolor Granulation Medium so I could learn how to make some amazing textures. I saw the work of Naomi Tideman I wanted to learn how she created her amazing textures in her watercolors. Did some research and I found this video.
Then I made my own video showing what I tried.
I bought some other mediums and I hope to get some time to try some more things with them as well.
4.09 Deena Scarborough, Art Teacher
In this episode of My Creative Life, I had the opportunity to speak with Deena Scarborough a long time art teacher friend from Bulloch Co. Deena has taught every grade level under the sun and she does it with a positive disposition. Please enjoy this episode!
Here is a link about the mural that she and her students are working on for their community.
Listen to the interview at My Creative Life.
Experimenting with Media and Techniques
I took some time to work with some different media and techniques and I’m posting the results on Youtube. I find it is hard to know how certain types of art supplies will work and what are the differences.
I compared acrlyic gouache and regular gouache from Holbein.
Then I used the acrylic gouache to do some collage in the style of Eza Jack Keats. Love his work! My students always loved making painted papers and using them in collage.
4.07 Kristen Baird, Jewelry Designer
In this episode of My Creative Life, I spoke with Kristen Baird, jewelry designer, in Savannah, GA about her art journey and creation of her business. Here is more about Kristen. About Kristen: Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Kristen decided to plant her roots in Savannah, Georgia after graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) with a bachelor’s degree in Jewelry Design. While going to SCAD, she was honored as a Valedictorian nominee, a Presidential Scholarship Recipient, and received the Outstanding Achievement Award in Jewelry Design.
With a desire to continue learning and wanting to hone in on her craft, Kristen received her Rhino CAD Certificate and attended the renowned New Approach School for Jewelers, completing the Graduate Bench Jeweler program under the direction of world-class instructor, Blaine Lewis. In 2015, she decided to start her own business, Kristen Baird® Jewelry. Celebrating several notable honors and awards, Kristen and her brand have been on the rise in both the local business scene as well as the national jewelry scene.
To see her work visit: https://www.kristenbaird.com/
Listen to the interview at My Creative Life.
Speed Drawing Caricature
I’ve been behind posting that I’ve added a new video. During this time I’ve made the effort to try my best to improve my drawing skills. I’ve been taking some online courses from SVS Learn and Schoolism. I highly recommend them if you are interested in illustration. I noticed there are high school students taking these courses. I wished they had this when I was in high school.
4.06 Rita Tu, Illustrator
Rita Tu is a freelance illustrator based out of NJ, and an MFA Illustration grad from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She has won numerous awards in the field of illustration. We talked on this episode of My Creative Life about her career.
To see more of Rita’s work
Visit RitaTu.com or IG @RitaTu
Listen to the interview at My Creative Life.
4.05 Lindsey Gerow, Artist and Art Teacher
Hi everyone had so much fun talking with Lindsey Gerow, an artist and art teacher. She is a mom and artist! She has traveled throughout Georgia teaching art. She studied at Georgia Southern University.
To view Lindsey’s work visit
Listen to the interview on My Creative Life.
4.04 Michael Mammay, Author
I talked with author Michael Mammay on this episode of My Creative Life. About Michael.
Michael Mammay is a science fiction writer. He is a retired army officer and a graduate of the United States Military Academy. He has a master’s degree in military history, and he currently teaches American literature. He is a veteran of Desert Storm, Somalia, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. His debut novel, Planetside came out in July, 2018, and was selected as a Library Journal best book of 2018. The audio book, narrated by RC Bray, was nominated for an Audie award. The sequel, Spaceside, hit the shelves on August 27th, 2019. Michael lives with his wife in Georgia.
To read more about Michael Mammay and his books visit:
To listen to the interview visit My Creative Life.
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