Response to Book: Which artist(s) do I relate to? My story

After reading about other artists' stories, I could relate myself to two, Reverend Howard Finster and the Guerrilla Girls.  I relate to Finster because not of my art, but that I share the same passion he does about the Word.  I relate with Guerrilla Girls because I have a love and passion now for public art.

My Story:

As long as I can remember, I have had a passion and love for art.  I was first introduced to art by my grandmother.  She has a wonderful gift of artistic ability that she desired to share with me every time I would visit.  I can still remember the aromas that would consume my senses when I would enter her house as a child.  The smell of oil paints and the potent sting of the mineral spirits are two very distinctive smells that would give me a feeling of happiness and comfort.  My grandmother was always encouraging me to use my gift that I was blessed with.  Appropriate for the age I was, my grandmother would allow me to paint only with watercolors.  She would sit with me at her kitchen table and teach me different skills of painting.  She would instruct me as I would paint, patiently and generously explaining to me how to improve my drawing and painting techniques.  Because of how my grandmother would take the time to teach me, I naturally take it upon myself to help fellow classmates in my art classes during my younger years.  I always received so much joy out of seeing someone light up when he or she understood whatever struggle it was, whether it would be helping with drawing a Santa Claus character on a plate in the elementary level to critiquing fellow classmates’ individual final projects in the junior high level.   All my younger academic years, I fortunately have been blessed with amazing art teachers, but it was my art teacher from my junior and senior year of high school that really furthered my passion for helping others with art knowledge.  My junior and senior year high school art teacher was a delight to be around.  She was also such an inspiration to all her students.  Every day I witnessed how she truly cared about her students’ success in class.  She was always offering encouragement, helpful criticism and suggestions to individual art works, and providing her students with knowledge beyond textbook. 

Unfortunately I did not recognize that I wanted to be an art educator when declaring a major at the first college I attended.  During my time at Texas Tech University, I felt a kind of emptiness being in a non-art major.  I continued to be helpful towards fellow classmates, but I did not receive the same level joy as I did when it involved art.

I have three main reasons for pursuing a master degree in Art Education school focus at your university.  These goals include career advancement, improvement on teaching strategies and attitude, and contribution to the teaching community.  My ultimate goal is to be a college professor of art education.  I want to expand my options on where to teach.  I want to expand my knowledge beyond what Saint Edward’s University can offer me so that I can incorporate what I learn through you university into my future classrooms.