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This piece is one of many incredible artworks created by Hirihiko Araki, a manga artist and author. The art of the series "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is special to me as it showed me how different colors and dynamic poses and backgrounds can be used so effectively. This piece especially influenced me to strive to make compelling art like this and I hope in becoming an art educator I can inspire students like how Araki inspired me.

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This piece is called Prelude to the Pancake Breakfast. Sadly, I could not locate the artists name but it is one of my favorite newer pieces that I own. It connects with why I am interested in pursuing art education as a career path. Proof of doing things differently. This artist took a classic painting, rendered it into a completely different style, and made it new. Often times, there are things we miss when looking at art due to our lack of knowledge, or general bias. I feel that it is a unique opportunity to teach others how to see art on a level playing ground. We all process works differently, but it is once we realize why we do so, that we begin to have artistic power. I do not believe that being an artist is simply a natural talent, although some are more blessed than others, but more of a choice as to how you'd like to see the world.

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I discovered Mark Tennant, the artist of this piece, when I was a freshman at TCC. As a realism oil painter, I really admire the skill shown in his ability to portray a photo-realistic scene using as least amount of detail as possible. His main component to achieving this is using perfectly matched colors to give the illusion of a flash photo. This component greatly influences my paintings today, as I consistently strive to also utilize color to portray optical illusions and intense emotions in my pieces. This is relative to Art education to me for a number of reasons, one being the motivation sparked from viewing this piece. Though I am intending on pursuing Art Therapy, I still strive to be able to show my patients that even if you lack detailed skills, you can portray your deepest emotions with a few paint strokes with purpose. I also aspire to be a motivating figure in my patients lives by supporting the attempt to try further discover the emotional support art can serve, similar to how Tennant swayed my interest in painting.

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I first saw this piece "Meditations on Death of an Empire" during an FSU Shadow experience with Alexander Zastera and was something that he made to be a functional clock. His background in Studio Art and Art Education, graduating from the same pathway I'm in right now, showed me the endless possibilities you actually have. This piece, along with all of his other works, spreads awareness of our dying reefs and oceans. I am interested in art education because it gives me the opportunity to share with students the endless possibilities art has and the differences you can make in the world with even one piece of art. It also allows me to give them the first step towards becoming an artist by learning the fundamentals necessary to become a great artist.

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John Sabraw has become well-known for colorful, abstract paintings, which he calls toxic art. Sabraw and his team of scientists collected polluted water from Ohio coal mine runoff, neutralized toxicity, extracted iron oxide, and finally combined it with acrylic or oil binder to create paint. His work delves into themes of sustainability, pollution, depletion of natural resources, and eco-activism. I work with environmental themes in my own artwork, and as an educator, I want to teach how art can be used as a form of activism and create open discussions among students. Art is also such an important tool for learning about topics and, vice versa, informing others on critical political issues. As I am currently working on my fine arts degree, I believe I could provide students with an interesting perspective, which is why I want to go through the art education pathway.

-Anna Parsons

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I painted this piece a while back during my first painting lesson, and I had a great time picking up all the different methods and learning how to paint like an experienced artist. This picture has long been one of my favorites to look at and appreciate, and its history is so significant. I had gained a great deal of knowledge about brushwork, color, and technique in re-creating this picture. I want to share with my pupils the delight I felt while producing this piece and help them along their chosen artistic path. I am interested in Art education, because my parents have always told me that I am not able to make a living with art as a career path and I would like to teach students that art is a great pathway and that you should always do what you love.

-Devin Box

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I recently watched the movie "Loving Vincent" and I found it extremely motivating. I found it incredible how it was painted over the span of 6 years, by 125 oil painters, using 1,000 canvases in order to create 65,000 frames. I absolutely love how you can see every stroke by each painter through out the movie, and how the strokes were moved around for each shot. I have always had a deep appreciation for art. However, as a musician, I didn't have the proper supplies in addition to not knowing where to start. I recently started painting, and through this course I am beyond excited to not only learn more about art itself, but to learn more about creating visual art pieces myself.

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Doug Rickard is a contemporary artist who focuses on themes of voyeurism, surveillance, and the everyday American life - particularly of those in socio-economically marginalized communities. He takes to the street view of Google Maps through impoverished neighborhoods, exposing the often ignored aspects of the communities he captures. I am interested in his work in relationship to Art Education because of his ability to flip the existing media we interact with daily in cyber-space and shed light on important issues. His ability to do so shows that you don't have to have traditional skills to be an "artist". I think this is often emphasized that art should look a certain way, when something as seemingly simple as Google Maps can be used as a tool for change, or at the very least, exposure. More generally speaking, I can appreciate his ability to look beyond surface images and believe that the encouragement of critical thinking with art can help foster new ideas to the general public.

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I love seeing things that I would have never thought of doing. I find the thoughts behind art pieces and the story of their creation to be fascinating. I feel that people crossing borders that you would have never crossed yourself is a really great learning experience. Like in the picture of Ronit Baranga's dishware, she plays with the border of life and still life with the hands which are commonly associated with living people and the inanimate ceramic material. I love art and I love seeing everyone's unique thoughts, styles, and outlooks expressed visually. I am interested in art education because I want students to be able to express themselves visually and to be able to communicate what they want to say through art. I also think that in art education you learn just as much from the students as they do from you as a teacher, and I always love a good opportunity to grow.

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This piece is called The Magnolia Nest, created by Florida artist Veronica Steiner. It is 11x14 watercolor on paper, 2024. I love this artist, as well as her work so much because of how personal it is to my own life. I grew up in Florida and have always loved the wildlife, and especially alligators. Seeing other Floridian artists inspires me tremendously, and Steiner is no exception. She is also an environmental activist which gives her art so much more meaning and power to them especially in today's age. I currently work at Wakulla Springs as a park ranger and don't plan on leaving, so incorporating art education into my current career is something I believe I could benefit from. I would like do to something similar to Steiner in my future and incorporate both art and environmental awareness so that I can help my local community and eventually all of Florida.

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I gravitated towards this piece because I liked how each body part was essentially just a shape. As someone with zero art training, I feel like this is an easy sculpture to understand. Paint is complicated; and while Im sure this sculpture was very difficult to make, the process to do so appears clear. I know that for most people art has meaning and purpose and can represent so much; but in order to convey those messages you have to first learn the principles of art.

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After seeing the Last Supper in textbooks for years, I finally decided to take a closer look at each individual person. This Renaissance art piece might be 600 something years old, but its popularity has not declined. I am fascinated by the multiple conversations going on and the personalities captured. I am interested in art education because I love history, and so much of history is captured in art. I believe that understanding how art is created is an important tool when trying to learn about history. With that reasoning in mind, I believe that art education could be an important step to appreciating art as a whole.

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Recently I was in an antique store, and I'm regretting not looking at the tag for the artist's name or the title. I love the bold lines and little detail, although there isn't much literal detail, you still feel like you can step into this scene perfectly. I also found sentimental value in this painting, since I grew up in Panama City, and the shopping plazas look like this there, it made me think of my mom! Growing up in Florida, I fell in love with the distinct decor and aesthetics of beach towns, and this painting encompasses that without slapping you in the face.

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As an (art) educator and educational researcher, my research and teaching focus on how to speak out on social justice issues through teaching arts. Olafur Eliasson says environmental issues under the global and political climates. He brought the melted glaciers outside of the TATE museum in London. The visitors had a very productive and meaningful conversation by touching and hugging them. His glacier project makes us think about environmental issues. I want my students (both K-12 and college students) to think like contemporary artists, like Olafur Eliasson is doing through art-making.