Ms. Porter…I mean, Mrs. Brown
I am always asked "When did you start doing art?" The answer is easy--always.
I grew up in a family that was heavily centered on the Arts. I didn't realize until I was much older that most children are not always surrounded with paint, paper and crayons. Most children are not encouraged to draw in their free time (or ALL the time!), but I was. My father worked in a paper mill and so we would have stacks and stacks of cardboard to make anything our hearts desired. My great-grandmother was a painter, and she was always working on a new oil painting on her easel. My mother was a crafter, making and painting in her free time. My older brother was always drawing, painting, or throwing on the wheel, and he is now a graphic designer. Art has always been in my life. I feel incredibly blessed to have been brought up in an environment that allowed me to express myself however I wanted.
Even though my high school had a great art program, I only took a few classes while I was there. I didn't decide to go into art as a profession until after a few semesters at the University of Georgia. After being accepted into the Lamar Dodd School of Art, I graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Art Education and a focus in painting. Looking back, I laugh thinking I even thought about a different career! Shortly after graduation, I was hired in a small town not too far from Athens. Even though I didn't know a soul, I was so excited to teach I didn't care!
Fast Forward six years and here we are! I absolutely LOVED teaching at the Elementary level. While exploring the elementary concepts of shapes, lines and colors, I was teaching children how to SEE. I believe to be a great artist, you must first learn how to see. The medium (paint, clay, etc.) is then executed in different ways. Drawing on the works of famous artists and the environment around us, we learned how to draw, how to analyze, how to break things down, and how to eventually create a beautiful work of art. We also learned how to talk about art, how to look at art, and how to write about art, and how to be respectful of other people's artwork. But this was JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE!
I am beyond excited to now, in my seventh year of teaching, to be at the middle and high school level. Not only have I had most of the students already, but for years to come I will have previously taught them at LCES. I love that I get to continue that relationship and to grow with these students. I love that I get to see more of their personalities come out, and to see them truly transform into the brilliant young adults that they will become.
Middle school and high school art will take what they have learned in previous years and push it further. We will explore more mediums in art, will learn new skills, as well as perfect old ones. We will draw from our own personal experiences to create meaningful and impactful art. We will also learn about different careers that are available for artists and the paths to take to get there.
A little more about me and my art..
Although painting was my focus in school, I love ceramics, bookmaking, and printmaking as well. I am always creating outside of school, whether it is a fun project at my house, or a mural on the side of a building. However, when I am not teaching or making art.. you can probably find me on my front porch sipping on a cup of coffee. I also enjoy working on my "fixer-upper" of a house with my husband, playing with my two pups, or reading a good book. I love to travel, and have a soft spot in my heart for the beautiful ground of Kenya. Oh, and I LOVE to cook!
I am so stinkin' THRILLED for this new school year! Its going to ROCK!
I grew up in a family that was heavily centered on the Arts. I didn't realize until I was much older that most children are not always surrounded with paint, paper and crayons. Most children are not encouraged to draw in their free time (or ALL the time!), but I was. My father worked in a paper mill and so we would have stacks and stacks of cardboard to make anything our hearts desired. My great-grandmother was a painter, and she was always working on a new oil painting on her easel. My mother was a crafter, making and painting in her free time. My older brother was always drawing, painting, or throwing on the wheel, and he is now a graphic designer. Art has always been in my life. I feel incredibly blessed to have been brought up in an environment that allowed me to express myself however I wanted.
Even though my high school had a great art program, I only took a few classes while I was there. I didn't decide to go into art as a profession until after a few semesters at the University of Georgia. After being accepted into the Lamar Dodd School of Art, I graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Art Education and a focus in painting. Looking back, I laugh thinking I even thought about a different career! Shortly after graduation, I was hired in a small town not too far from Athens. Even though I didn't know a soul, I was so excited to teach I didn't care!
Fast Forward six years and here we are! I absolutely LOVED teaching at the Elementary level. While exploring the elementary concepts of shapes, lines and colors, I was teaching children how to SEE. I believe to be a great artist, you must first learn how to see. The medium (paint, clay, etc.) is then executed in different ways. Drawing on the works of famous artists and the environment around us, we learned how to draw, how to analyze, how to break things down, and how to eventually create a beautiful work of art. We also learned how to talk about art, how to look at art, and how to write about art, and how to be respectful of other people's artwork. But this was JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE!
I am beyond excited to now, in my seventh year of teaching, to be at the middle and high school level. Not only have I had most of the students already, but for years to come I will have previously taught them at LCES. I love that I get to continue that relationship and to grow with these students. I love that I get to see more of their personalities come out, and to see them truly transform into the brilliant young adults that they will become.
Middle school and high school art will take what they have learned in previous years and push it further. We will explore more mediums in art, will learn new skills, as well as perfect old ones. We will draw from our own personal experiences to create meaningful and impactful art. We will also learn about different careers that are available for artists and the paths to take to get there.
A little more about me and my art..
Although painting was my focus in school, I love ceramics, bookmaking, and printmaking as well. I am always creating outside of school, whether it is a fun project at my house, or a mural on the side of a building. However, when I am not teaching or making art.. you can probably find me on my front porch sipping on a cup of coffee. I also enjoy working on my "fixer-upper" of a house with my husband, playing with my two pups, or reading a good book. I love to travel, and have a soft spot in my heart for the beautiful ground of Kenya. Oh, and I LOVE to cook!
I am so stinkin' THRILLED for this new school year! Its going to ROCK!