EVERY STUDENT IS AN ARTIST AND EVERY ARTIST IS STILL A STUDENT
My Master's Degree in GRAPHIC DESIGN and a teaching degree from the Academy of Art in Bucharest (Romania) give me the technical base for a good teacher, but only my 14 years (the last 10 years in USA) of experience and direct contact with the students give me the confidence that I can take the challenges of any class.
Teaching old Eastern European traditional painting techniques has been granted for 1997 by the Oregon Historical Society and supported me to teach this traditional art to 5 students.
My art teaching philosophy is to start in a classical way with basic knowledge on composition, proportions, values, color harmony and then move to a more personal development of the way of expression.
I consider very important from the beginning to study the techniques, materials diversity and the possibilities offered by the way children play. Only after they arrive to a personal conclusion I complete with my knowledge their personal way. Therefore, I can keep the diversity in the class and the students are not imposed with the teacher's style. At the same time, this approach offers me the opportunity to learn from students new way of expression.
As an artist I still practice studio work every day. The main fields in the studio are printing (etching, engraving, relief printing) and painting in the old medieval techniques (egg tempera on wood and glass and fresco). At the same time as a professional practicing artist I can better understand the techniques challenges in the creation process and therefore I can direct the students to achieve the maximum artistic potential.
My diverse teaching experience covers a broad range of ages; from 4rt grade students through middle school and high school students to undergraduate level. I have also experience with graphic design software, particularly with Adobe Photoshop (see resume). Computer graphic illustrations has become very popular in illustration and advertising in the last years.
I have also taught since 1997 in the Oregon State University summer program "Adventures in Learning" classes on the following subjects: painting, printing, illustration, linoleum, collage and pastel.
I am currently offering private advanced classes on icon painting and advanced classes on printmaking in my studio. I have taught art classes for Linn-Benton Community College since 1993 in printmaking, old techniques painting, drawing, artistic anatomy, paste and advanced painting.
In all the classes that I offer I work individually with each student, considering them potential artists, understanding their individual needs and helping their own way of expression.
In an effort to be more involved in the artistic education in community I had opened for a year an art gallery in Corvallis, OR (former Pisces Gallery) as an experiment to get in touch more with the public and learn more about the cultural needs of the community.