When I taught high school as an art teacher, my colleague, Bud, and I shared a studio-classroom, and we often made our own art in there. As teachers, we used our projects to inspire students to try something new, and maybe learn something. Frequently, as we worked alongside our students, they became curious about what artists make, how artists think, and they wanted to know more about how Bud and I made our own things. Some students took chances they may not have risked before they watched us work. They often asked questions about ideas, and many times, we taught them ‘go for their own idea.’ Making mistakes is actually a good way to grow.
Many students felt comfortable in our open studio, encouraged to think for themselves. As artists, Bud and I follow ‘our muse,’ or some idea bubbling up from inside our imaginations, we turned them into some new piece, using a variety of materials, like paper, canvas, clay or Plaster of Paris. Bud and I each had decades of teaching experience, and taught legions of students about a variety of materials. We wanted them to become inspired art students.