I am a 2011 masters graduate, I have fervor for what contemporary painting and education can be and my abilities in art making and pedagogy reflect this. For the last 12 years, I have been teaching painting, drawing, and foundations courses at South Dakota State University while pursuing creative and scholarly endeavors.

Eight years ago when SDSU began the School of Design, which encapsulates architecture, graphic design, interior design, landscape design and studio art. I was tasked with the freshman classroom coordinator position. In this time, I’ve developed and curated curriculum for three different freshman core courses. Within studio art, I have taught all levels of drawing and painting, color theory, 3d design, as well as Art Appreciation.

In studio art teaching, I teach traditional methodologies of drawing and painting, and I keep my students intrigued by discussing and assigning contemporary approaches to drawing and painting throughout the semester. I do this by incorporating assignments based off contemporary art history as well as the inclusion of numerous presentations. 

Over the last 12 years, I have remained continuously open to the constructive criticisms of my students and I strive to adapt my projects each semester so they are easily understood, yet highly challenging technically and/or conceptually. This has been important as the typical student has evolved and changed over the last 12 years.