Peter Wise - Artist Statement
When I am asked what kind of art I create or what kind of artist I am, I reply with, “I’m an Illustrator, what do you want me to draw?" The mediums I use to put my ideas into practice are a pencil and paper, acrylic paint and canvas, and a computer. Although I am not shy to any medium. Most of my art starts out with small basic quick sketch ideas. Sketches start with paper and pencil, and no idea gets passed up. The more the better. Most of the time my first sketch is the best and the one I take into the final art piece. After I choose the ideal sketch, I refine the drawing and spend much more time on details. From this point I either create a painting or use my drawing to design a project on the computer. The past few years I have been painting acrylic on canvas.
The personal paintings I create are in a new genre called card art. Sports have been a large part of my life, past and present. Recently, I have been incorporating sports stars that have influenced my life in some positive way into paintings. These people I paint have qualities that I want to share with the world.
Besides making paintings of what interests me, I have also been creating artwork for clients who need logo design, murals, large or small format printing and t-shirt graphic design. I really cannot turn down any creative opportunities.
Much of my life has also been involved in the arts and arts education. Starting in High School I taught my first art class to 3rd grade students. At 17 years old is when I had my first moment where I experienced my love to spread my art and knowledge. I saw the twinkle in the students' eyes, and they saw the twinkle in mine. This led me to where I am today. Teaching art, creating art, and spreading knowledge to excite other people the way that art excites me.
Peter Wise - Teaching Philosophy
The philosophy I will create in my classroom is an environment where teaching art can be student centered. The environment will include exposure to the current art career world while keeping the art teaching standards. Regardless of what background, history or obstacles a student may have, the environment will be open for exploration. Art has various aspects of beauty that I can expose the students to including different genres, mediums and experiences, old and new. I want to promote and expand the student’s art language and exploration of ideas by opening their eyes to the wonders of the art world.
Many students want to express their individuality. The classroom culture or fraternity will help ease student interest through research and personal experience. Projects can incorporate the students' unique background or ideas. This can be backed up by the progressivism principles made popular by John Dewy. These principles can be upheld in my classroom by having the students “learn by doing.” Students will not just learn through a lecture or reading, but by actually doing an art project. The student will then take notes on what they are doing and discuss these notes later within a group setting. This helps students question and debate each other, formulate innovative ideas, and see the world from a different point of view. As Dewy said, “Education is an experience subject to constant change.”
Having experience within the classroom and in the professional art world has allowed me to share my experience in the art field with my students. One lesson I created that incorporated different qualities of art to students through a GATE program was a mural project. The program exposed students to a current professional artist with disabilities. The lesson also incorporated a field trip to public art that they drive or walk by every day. Students start to realize the significance in their own community through public art. We then brainstormed together and wrote down our public art ideas. This brainstorm led to a school mural project. The mural project not only included art but math. The students had to measure the space we were painting and calculate the amount of paint we needed to buy. The steps and research the students were able to experience are expanding their art language and progressing to a well-rounded art education and allowing students to build on what they already know. The lesson reinforces the progressive principles that students learn in community, through interaction and collaboration. This interdisciplinary style of teaching helps students in all aspects of their education.
INFLUENCES BELOW