Art Fundamentals Course Overview and Expectations

Santa Fe College students consistently demonstrate high motivation and dedication to their art-making.

### Welcome to Art Fundamentals: Expectations, Mindset, and Success
* 🎨 Welcome to Art Fundamentals at Santa Fe College, where the focus will be on **hands-on art making** rather than traditional lectures.
* 👩 The instructor has been teaching since 2004 and has experience at various universities, holding a **Master of Fine Arts degree** in ceramics, while currently pursuing a passion for **oil painting**.
* 🖌 Students are expected to work hard and manage their time effectively, as the majority of their grades will come from studio work, with a unique **resubmission policy allowing for improvement on timely submissions**.
* ⏰ However, late submissions will incur penalties and will not be eligible for resubmission, emphasizing the **importance of turning in work on time**, even if incomplete.
* 💭 A positive mindset is crucial, and students should replace negative thoughts with affirmations like "**I can't do this yet**" to foster growth and skill development.
* 🛒 Students are required to purchase a specific kit of supplies from the bookstore, including **two 16x20 inch canvases**, which can be sourced **more affordably online**.
* 📊 Grading will be based on measurable criteria, focusing on **objective aspects of assignments** rather than subjective opinions, with the instructor eager to help students **achieve high grades**.
* 📧 Open communication is encouraged, and students are invited to reach out via email or Zoom for assistance, as the instructor is **dedicated to their success** and eager to see them **create art**.

[Music] Hi class, welcome to Art Fundamentals at Santa Fe College. First, I want to tell you a little bit about myself. I have been teaching at Santa Fe College since 2004. I've also taught at the University of Florida as well as Florida State University, and I have a Master of Fine Arts degree in ceramics from the University of Florida. My current passion is oil painting. So, my son and I, we go golf, we go fishing on the Gulf of Mexico, and I'll oil paint from life. There's a few oil paintings behind me while he is fishing. So, this class, in this class, you will be working hard, and I want you to prepare yourself. This is a studio art class, which means that the majority of your grade is going to be based on hands-on art making. So, it's not a lecture class. I will be giving you instruction, but the instruction is to help you make better art. There is an art interpretation component and a written requirement, and you do need to be able to communicate about your art.

but the goal is to make art. Now I want to tell you something about Santa Fe that you might not know. You know that it's the number one community college in the nation, but something that I notice about Santa Fe college students that I think is so impressive is out of all the places that I've taught. Santa Fe college is the only one where I would walk into a studio where I was teaching, and every single one of my students would be making. They would be on task and ready to go. Other schools that I had taught at, they would wait until I walked in the room, and then they would get out their things and start working. So my expectations of what a Santa Fe college student is and does is high because they consistently show me that they can do the work and they're hardworking. I have high expectations of what you're going to be doing every week. Now that said, you need to stay on top of things and make sure to schedule your time wisely and turn things in on time because I have this great

policy that if you turn something in on time and you don't like your grade and you want a higher grade, you can resubmit it for a higher grade. So, it's a great policy to have because it helps my artist stay on task and always working. Now, what happens though is if you turn in something late, you don't get that grace and you won't be able to resubmit things for a higher grade. And there's also a late penalty, so there's a big reward. Um, and some people will tell me, Wait, it's not done, it's not complete. That's okay, I want you to submit what you have so we can have that conversation and I can help you and give you advice on how to complete it. So, even if it's incomplete, I still want to see it so we can move forward, but make sure it's as complete as it can be. All right, but mastery of your skills is what we're after. Now, I want to say a few words about mindset because it's not helpful when you're

learning to draw in your mind to have a mantra of I can't draw, I can't make art is not helpful at all because if you tell yourself those things, it's true. You have to give yourself that space of allowing yourself to try, and drawing is a skill, and art-making is a skill that can be taught with a system, which I will teach you. So, you need to give yourself that space and that room to make mistakes and to accept yourself and your skills where they are now and just build upon it. Now, so keep that growth mindset, keep positive self-talk. If you feel thoughts creeping up while you're working, things like Oh, I can't do this, this is hard, I want you to squelch it and replace it with a positive opposite. I can't do this yet is a really good thing to say, or This is hard, but I'm going to keep on trying. So, make sure to keep those words in your head as you're working; it's going to better ensure your success. Now, expectations and grades, so

you need to complete all projects to participate, and also, you need to purchase a kit of supplies from the Santa Fe College bookstore. Now, you're required to buy two art canvases as well, but they're really expensive at the bookstore. So, my suggestion would be to buy your art kit from the bookstore and then just order two canvases online from either Michael's, Joann's, or Amazon. You just need two stretch canvases, or Walmart even has them, two stretch canvases that are 16 inches by 20 inches. I think they're 20 that the bookstore is cheaper elsewhere, but the rest of the packet you really need to get from the bookstore because if you don't have the right supplies, what happens is you will struggle. I've seen it happen, and I don't want you to struggle. Assessment. So, one concern students have is they want to get a good grade, and they're afraid that they can't get a good grade in this class. And I will tell you now, I want to give every single one of you an A.

I want to be fired for giving out too many A's. That's how strongly I feel about wanting you to succeed. Now, you have to work for it, though. You have to make sure you're submitting the work. The way I grade is with a criteria system, so I'll make a list of things that I expect. So, if, say, for example, the project is to submit 10 sketches, and the 10 sketches are supposed to be in black marker, and they are supposed to explore the concept of positive and negative space, so I will grade on those three things. Do I see positive and negative space explored? Do I see 10 sketches? Is it done in black marker? Those are the things I will count. I will count on things that I can observe and that are measurable. I won't count on something like if I think your work is good. That's subjective. I only count on things that are objective. Now, I care about your success. I know you can do well. If ever you need to contact me, email me. And if ever you want a Zoom meeting, if

you're confused about something, or if you just want to chat or talk about assignments. I love contact with students, so please contact me. And now it's your job to go make some art. Have a great semester, class.

ART1001C Welcome

Kathryn Rush

Introduction to Art Fundamentals at Santa Fe College

The instructor has been teaching at Santa Fe College since 2004 and has a Master of Fine Arts degree in ceramics.

The class focuses on hands-on art making, with a strong emphasis on oil painting and art interpretation.

The instructor has high expectations for the students, who consistently demonstrate a strong work ethic and dedication to their art.

Grading and Mindset Policy for Art Students

The policy allows students to resubmit work for a higher grade if turned in on time, while late submissions face penalties and no resubmission option.

Incomplete work is still encouraged to be submitted for feedback and guidance.

A growth mindset and positive self-talk are emphasized as essential for developing drawing and art-making skills.

Students must complete all projects and purchase a supply kit from the Santa Fe College bookstore, along with two art canvases.

It's recommended to buy the canvases online for a better deal.

The grading system is based on objective criteria, and the instructor is committed to helping students succeed and offers support through email and Zoom meetings.

The speaker enjoys interacting with students and encourages them to reach out with any questions or for a chat.

They express their love for student contact and offer support.

The speaker ends with a positive note, wishing the class a great semester and encouraging them to create art.