Professors in the College of Fine Arts have discovered an alternative language. Pushing beyond Chinese, English, and French, these right-brain thinkers work with artistic mediums to fashion compelling statements.
Dave Eddy and John Erickson are two such professors. As educators, they stress the concept of the painted, drawn, and sculpted message. Each has a separate style of art. However, when instructing, they both implement the power of the discipline’s communication.
Eddy emphasizes the importance of critical thinking. To him, the true analysis of art occurs when students abandon how they approach the creative outlet.
“If you can change their language, maybe you can change how they approach all those things,” Eddy says.
He also encourages students to take hiatus from the instant gratification of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Instead of using the word “like” (a term familiar to many Facebook users) to describe artwork, Eddy forces students to develop a new vocabulary.
A big part of language is the element of conversation. Eddy believes banter between the creator and the created is vital. He follows this philosophy when he manipulates the material of his three-dimensional sculptures. An important part of this creative process is to converse with the art piece and ask: Where does the inspiration come from? This process of question and answer paves the way to a true critique of art.
“I get students to realize art is not just something to look at — it’s something to think about. It has to have conceptual choices behind it,” Eddy says. “What’s the point? What do you want your audience to get? Where are you drawing your inspiration from?”
Unlike Eddy, Erickson formulates paintings and drawings. He believes art is a needed language — it addresses issues words cannot solve.
“There is madness that occurs, and it can’t be quantified or valued until it enters the world in an unspeakable way,” he says.
Art’s process never ends. Like sounds echoed with the power of language, art resonates on an infinite level. In fact, Erickson thinks making artwork is the artistry — there is never a final product.
“The act of drawing is the subject, the action, and the verb. It’s not so much a noun, like a person, a tree, or a building,” he says.
To imprint creativity’s process in an effective manner, Erickson developed a tactic he shows students. In several of his courses, he uses a metronome. With utensil in hand, the students’ hands follow the count of the instrument.
Like conversation in dreams, the artist is in a different state of consciousness.
“You are in almost a forced state of consciousness — somewhere beyond waking, sleeping, and dreaming. You are in a place of hyper intelligence everyone has. It is beyond talent,” Erickson says.