Genevieve Davis, M.F.A.

Teaching Philosophy

The Italian Renaissance. I inform and inspire students by bringing the Italian Renaissance Masters (and Mistresses!) into the classroom, teaching the fundamentals of line, form, value, composition, anatomy, chiaroscuro and chromatic harmony, as seen in master drawings and paintings. After discussing technique and media while looking at masterworks, I then guide the students to experiment and explore master techniques in the studio. Whenever possible, I take them to nearby museums or to Italy, for first-hand inspiration.

Health, Safety and the Environment. Following current trends, I show students how to protect their health by establishing safe studio hygiene and habits. Monona Rossol's The Artist's Complete Health and Safety Guide serves as a standard. We discuss what to look for on art labels, how to find and interpret MSDS sheets, how to handle dangerous materials and what materials to avoid completely. I show students how to get beautiful results using non-toxic paints, like water-based oils. We also make tempera paints using egg yolk and pigments, from recipes in Robert Massey's Formulas for Painters.

To replace toxic toluene-based aerosol sprays for fixing drawings, I show students how to make a simple casein fixative for drawings. The formula, which has stood the test of time in Italian Renaissance master drawings, comes from the fourteenth century classic, Cennino Cennini's The Craftsman's Handbook. We also work on establishing green studio practices with environmental impact - recycling paper and plastics, reusing cloth towels, cleaning up with eco-friendly soaps, and shutting faucets off while soaping to conserve water.

The Artist's Life. I direct students to contemplate how they are going to fit in to the business world of art. The Art Biz by Alice Goldfarb Marquis and The Fine Artist's Guide to Marketing and Self-Promotion by Julius Vitali are two great books to prepare students for the world of art commerce. We contemplate and discuss the artist's psychological needs, such as the need to create, and overcoming work block, as outlined in the classic The Artist and Society by Lawrence J. Hatterer.