Welcome to Art Appreciation, where we will view and explore and educate ourselves about art from all ages and all cultures. Please comment here. See you in class.
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Welcome to the Spring Semester of Art Appreciation in 2016. We are glad you have chosen to learn about the visual arts. Beauty and emotion are all around us, and artists are sharing their experiences with us. We are going to learn how to understand what the artist is saying to us through their art.

Welcome to Art Appreciation...I hope you come expecting to see a lot of art work, because that is exactly what I have in store for you. Remember to keep good notes in class. To study for the tests; read your textbook, keep and review your notes in class, go to the images and memorize them and do the reviews by either allowing them to remind you of what we studied in class or by answering the questions to review the material. I am sure you will all do very well. Just keep an open mind of what you believe is art and allow for growth in your knowledge. I am looking forward to this semester.

Welcome to Art Appreciation. What a great summer. We are going to spend it learning more about art.

This is from a page in my sketch book back in the summer of 2005 when I took a study/class trip to Italy. It was an amazing summer. Pizza in Pompeii with Basil.
Hope you will enjoy this class just as much.

Each student will need the text book, Understanding Art 10th ed. and the art supply bag sold at the book store. See you in class, on Tuesday, August 26th. Bring your book and art supply bag with you.

I am looking forward to a wonderful Fall Semester.

I was dragging my feet a bit about getting this post created for my new students. I foresee a wonderful semester full of art. Let's get started. Just comment here so I will know who has been to this website and that you do have access.  I am so excited that you are in my class...and working your way towards learning about art.

This is a quick sketch of the Santa Maria della Grazie where the "Last Supper", by da Vinci is located in Milan, Italy, 2007.

The above 3-D work of art was done recently by Abhi Ghuge and is made of painted paper plates.

At the left is the bottom portion of The Holly Trinity, by Masaccio, 1428, a two dimensional work of art. 
Just above the skeleton it reads "IO FU[I] G[I]A QUEL CHE VOI S[I]ETE E QUEL CH['] I[O] SONO VO[I] A[N]C[OR] SARETE" (I once was what you are and what I am you also will be). This memento mori underlines that the painting was intended to serve as a lesson to the viewers.

In this 2013 Fall Semester we will be looking at and critiquing many 2-D and 3-D art works.  It is the mission of Art Appreciation that you will see many different types of art, you will learn what art is made of and why, you will participate in creating art projects, and you will be able to write about art work as well. Welcome to Art Appreciation Class.
Sue Duran

Sometimes “living” just takes up a lot of time. My last class was May 8th and I
spent some time working around the house and shop. Planting a garden, moving
cattle and trying to keep up with them, and caring for our horses have taken a
toll on my days. I spent some time with each of my daughters and their families,
and now I am preparing to start class again.
So often I like to pose a question. This time I would like to consider if an
artwork could actually be someone’s life. When you consider what goes into
an artwork, it does make sense that parts of our lives could double for those
parts. For instance, when I think about the “lines” or the bones of my life, I
think about my family. These are the building blocks that anchor everything.
When I look at the “shape” of my life,  I see what goes on while I am
working, the boundaries of excitement, and the intersections where parts of my
life cross. Sometimes the focus is on “bright colors,” or moments in time when
the unusual or the unexpected happens. Beautiful times of love and laughter
exhibit themselves as brilliance of color. Special moments, in quietness
listening for the voice of God. God is my subject, everything else borrows from
the subject to respond. The line, the shape, the color, texture, etc. all rely
on the subject matter.


Yes, one’s life is a work of art. How wonderful.