Inspirational Teachers

     I don't remember all the teachers I had but I do remember the art teachers. In grammar school my art teacher was Mr Mauer. I distinctly remember the smell of tempera paints and the large metal sink splattered with color where we used to clean our brushes. In high school my art teacher was Mr Travis. He was a tall handsome man with a graying beard. We had an experimental program at the school the 3 years I was there that was ultimately a failure but was great for me. In this program we had quite a bit of free time that we were supposed to use wisely and persu our interests. Many teenagers were of course up to no good. But some of us "hung out" in the art room. The hours I spent drawing during these years and experimenting with different mediums I am sure helped me tremendously. One distinct memory I have of Mr Travis was of him telling me not to "noodle " so much. He was referring to the minute detail that I would put into drawings. As I am sure you see I did not listen!  He also told us once never to give a painting away. He said he had made that mistake and gave a painting to a relative for a gift and they did not hang it up. This was very hurtful and he felt that only if someone was willing to purchase art would they appreciate it.  As I remember his classroom was kind of an open studio most of the day so that you could be there and work when ever you wanted and friends that were not into art could stop in too. We experimented with sculpture, plaster castings, scratchboard, charcoal, pastels, paints, really anything you could imagine. It was here that I learned silverpoint and how to make it tarnish and tried odd combinations like silverpoint with acrylic glazes. Travis was an easy going and encouraging guy and nothing was off limits. We still have fond memories of him. 

     Another interesting and notorious art teacher I had was Bob Munford at Southampton College. I went to Southampton for a couple of years before Visual Arts because I really was not a city person and could not see myself going to school there for four years. Bob Munford was a large boisterous man with thick gray hair and beard. I think "Munford" as we called him was loud because he was hard of hearing. Everything about him was big. His voice, his sweeping gestures with his arms. I remember taking an oil painting class with him and found that I could not handle the smell of the solvents. I also took his life drawing class. He would have a nude model and preferred them stout. In his loud voice with flailing arms he would energetically walk around saying "look at those wonderful voluminous rolls of skin! Marvelous!". He was right of course. Easier to show volume with a model that has a lot of it! He made quite an impression on us.

     At the School of Visual Arts I had Marvin Mattelson for my portfolio teacher. Marvin helped me tremendously both in school and later when I worked freelance and his wife Judy represented me. So much of how I approach a painting was influenced by him. When I had a job that was not so easy to find reference for Marvin always had an inventive solution. Replicating whatever I was to paint as closely as possible then carefully lighting and photographing for the most realistic result. Everything was well thought out and meticulous. With accurate reference even the imagined could look real. Back then Mavin was doing some beautiful surrealist work as well as portraits. You may remember the gregorian Chant image with the monks floating in a blue sky with clouds. That was his painting.  Today Marvin paints portraits, teaches at Visual Arts and does workshops.