Tribute to my favorite teacher

It was such a downer for me to remember that awful professor (well, non-professor) I had at the Art Institute of Boston, that I’ve decided to write now about one of the best art teachers I ever had.

I took 2 drawing courses at the Art Institute with Judith Brassard Brown, and it was she who really taught me to draw. Actually, what she taught me was that drawing means LOOKING.

She taught me to use the drawing tool to explore every inch of the entire form. Under her tutelage, I came to understand and develop a dynamic connection between observing with my eye, translating with my brain, and connecting to my hand.

It was that style of moving the drawing tool around the form that inspired the curving lines I use in my paintings today. I don’t consider them to be just a bunch of flippy marks, but rather lines that move through space in a sensory way. I am able to translate this sensation so naturally because of my training with Judy.

Judy brought warmth and fun to her classroom. I always felt like she was glad to have her students there and excited about sharing her knowledge with us. The experience of studying with her was a combination of joy and dedication, something I strive to convey in my own classroom today.

She currently teaches at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts. I hope her current students know how lucky they are to have her, and that they avail themselves of all she has to teach them, both technically and spiritually. The learning experience doesn’t get any better than this!