Life's Deal. Pure amazingness.

Life's Deal: An experimental project with found art materials, traditional art materials, randomness and fun. Executed by Mr. Messenger's advanced visual arts class spring of 2009. Hurray for individuality.

 ("Life's Deal" unit concept inspiration from  http://www.uic.edu/classes/ad/ad382/sites/Projects/P006/P006_first.html) 

points of inspiration

Listed below is a collection of quotes that I have gathered over the past two years, while attaining my Masters degree in teaching. I chose these key words and selected quotes because of their influence on the foundations of my educational philosophy.

The first foundational building block is: 

Integrity: 

“Respect and concern for your own integrity and for your participants’ (students) dignity and welfare are the bottom lines of ethical research (effective teaching).” –Geoff Mills, 2007

There is no particular order for the following foundational elements of my teaching philosophy because they are all essential to who I am as an individual and therefore interconnected.

 Play/Fun:

 “Cultivating an attitude of play. Andy Goldsworthy remarked that he was bothered when viewers referred to his work as “Childs play” until he realize how intently and earnestly children play. Play involves experimenting, pretending, and trespassing boundaries, but seems always to be conducted in an atmosphere of great seriousness. By framing artmaking as play, both professional and student artists psychologically remove threat and are thereby better able to tackle difficult projects, break boundaries, take risks, and become more inventive.”-Meaning making in art Sydney walker 2001. P. 137 

Individuality:

“Here’s to the kids who are different, The kids who don’t always get A’s, The kids who have ears twice the size of their peers, And noses that go on for days…Here’s to the kids that are different, The kids they call crazy or dumb, The kids who don’t fit with the guts and the grit, Who dance to a different drum…Here’s to the kids who are DIFFERENT, The kids with a mischievous streak, For when they have grown, as history has shown, it’s their difference that makes them UNIQUE.” Digby Wolfe

The Creative Process:

“Fully engaged minds are not bored, nor are they constrained by educational structures.”-From ordinary to extraordinary by  Ken Vieth. 1999

 

Community/Collaboration:

“Transformative power s an integrative power that brings about personal growth and societal improvement. It involves the participation and honest communication of individuals in a group or community acting to improve a particular situation. Creative thinking is involved in all critical thinking endeavors and both are aspects of transformative power.” – Engaging Visual Culture by, Keifer-Boyd and Maitland-Gholson.

 

Empathy:

 

My core belief is that, as a teacher I will equip youth with tools for developing/achieving their dreams, goals and passions. 

The last piece of information that has been crucial in my development as an individual was presented to me over a decade ago by a man who undoubtably affected my wllingness to succeed, persever and see hope in all situations. Ron Heagy a quadriplegic, mouth painter who lives in Oregon. An example of his artwork is displayed at the top of this blog. 

“The 7 Ingredients to Rise Above Your Challenge”

 

 By Ron Heagy 

~PERSPECTIVE…

How one sees himself or herself, others, and the world around them.

How’s your attitude?  Is it positive or negative?

Do you need an attitude adjustment?

Without a positive attitude or the desire to change it, do not continue!

~PURPOSE…

Discover that inner you, the core: what is your mission in life?

What uniquely identifies you among others?

Hint: It’s not what you do or what you have!

A spiritual connection to the Creator.

~PASSION…

The fuel that drives purpose…. Pure energy, power.

Energized by purpose.

~POTENTIAL…

Purpose + Passion = Potential…. What one is capable of.

No limits to human potential.

Tap into your potential.

~PEOPLE…

Connect with positive people.  Interdependence.

We must not act alone.  Team work makes the dream work!

~PLAN…

Develop a plan of action.

Your own map, how to get from A, the starting point, to B the goal.

~PERSISTANCE…

Whatever it costs, never give up on yourself, others or your dream!

I am sure that as I continue to develop as an individual, artist, mentor, art educator,etc... this list will continue to grow and transform as well.

"Works of the Spirit" Artist statement.

WORKS OF THE SPIRIT

A collection of collaborative works led by pivotal artist Paul Messenger

Artist Statement:

As you meander through this collection of paintings, allow yourself to be removed from constraints of critical, cognitive thought and let your heart, spirit, soul, minds-eye, (or whatever you chose to call it) interact with these images. These paintings have been created in the realm of the Spirit through creativity as individuals collaborated to develop a myriad of expressions in a blend of color and movement through a variety of media.

A burning passion that I have is to see the individuals, especially the youth, in my community equipped with the tools to pursue their callings and build bridges to reach their goals. I enjoy providing new and original ways for people to express their personal creativity and develop as individuals. I believe that art, in this form and through this process, has the potential to be an agent for release: releasing creative problem solving, releasing a connection to the true identity of an individual, a releasing of the passions within that are often blocked by left-brained reasoning, and a releasing of what is inside us that cannot be reduced to words or numbers.

There are many influences for my work: all erupt from life itself; joy, water, community, cosmos, love, animals, dance, clouds, song, flight, rest, growth, strength, color, light, form, peace, family, freedom etc... I rejoice in the ambiguity of the unknown, the mystery of the unexplainable and the glorious unseen. There is a capturing of life that occurs, and that is what I strive to achieve with my work.

 The collaborative process -coming together and letting our personal expressions be intermingled- is in itself sometimes more of the purpose than the final product. Ultimately, it is this connection to each other that releases a transformative power. There is an amazing potential in this power to create a synergy that intertwines the artists and the viewers, creating a web of unity through which we can find that we are indeed connected to something greater than ourselves. And what we can create when we come together are the works of the Spirit.  

Art gallery's are stifling

Anticipation about the upcoming show builds in my heart. If you dont know what I'm talking about, well....

On Friday March 6th from 5:30-7:00pm at the Bloomsbury (Books) Coffee House [290 E main st. Ashland OR.] a recent collection of collaborative works will be on display!!!!

The images above are a sneak preview of some of the works that I am considering let me know if you found a favorite.