| Through art we can talk about any subject, no matter how great or small, personal or universal. What makes it successful or worthwhile is not “what,” but “how.” The most valuable lesson I have learned from international study opportunities as a student, instructor, and artist, is to approach all learning and teaching experiences as multi-sensory adventures. All subjects, no matter how familiar or foreign, become more accessible and memorable through an “experiential learning” approach. We don’t know how to paint architecture until we stand before a bell tower and mix colors at dusk, hear her bells ring, and touch the cool stone. Experiences give us specifics and help us develop a point of view—a vision. The more facets of a subject we encounter first hand, the more memorable and ingrained that subject becomes. After that, we are not just painting what we see or dream about, we are combining what we see, feel, think and dream about with experience and rich memory. My love affair with plein air painting grew out of this on-site, tactile teaching and learning model. We must be lifelong students of nature and of the great minds, hands and eyes that have preceded us. Each day is an opportunity to apply the multifaceted Renaissance learning approach to our art. How else will we create the intangible in art: an emotion, a sound, a scent, or a breeze? |
| SUSAN COTTLE Statement |
