Art

Course Overview

I will be teaching 7th and 8th grade art and 6th grade art at West Ridge middle school.

Students will experience ceramics , drawing , painting , scratchboard , printmaking , and an art history component. I am at West Ridge again fulltime but my fruitful collaborations with Ms. Carter ,over at Hill Country Middle School will continue when we meet during inservice. I had a successful solo show at a gallery in Houston that opened May 4th 2019.

I have been teaching art in the Eanes school district since 1985 . I am married and have 4 children all of whom have either graduated from or are currently enrolled in Eanes schools. I have an MFA in painting from the University of Texas and a 30 year exhibition career in the visual arts .I delivered the Paul Hanna Lecture at the Amon Carter Museum in Ft. Worth in 2002 and was a Hunting Art Prize finalist in 2009, to name just two of many exhibitions I have been a part of.. I am also a published poet having poems in the 2009 edition of the "White Pelican Review" and the 2006 spring edition of "Pinyon". I drew the Illustrations for a children's book called "Oh to Glow" in 1991 . So, I have a wide variety of experience in making art to call upon. Ms. Carter and I had many medal and ribbon winners in the district UIL competition last year.

My art History slide shows will have more interesting details than ever. I also completed a particularly satisfying commission for a collector in Florida. I pushed hard exploring several innovative painting techniques several of which I hope to use with my students.Museum trips to the Blanton and the Houston Museum of Fine arts also added to my energy level this year.

I spent the year of 2016 -2019 painting a series of (modern looking ) Great plains animals . I am teaching a basic Graphic design course at ACC , South Austin Campus.

Sincerely,

Joshua Kight


Syllabus

Art 6 , and Art I and II

Instructor: Joshua Kight contact :jkight@eanesisd.net

Art Students at West Ridge middle school , whether they are 6th , 7th or 8th graders will need 3 things to start .

1. A Sketchbook( we use these to practice skills and prepare/brainstorm for projects . ) Students receive a sketchbook grade every 9 weeks.7/8th grade will be expected to have 16 sketches , 5 of those detailed . 6th graders will be expected to have 10 sketches , two of those detailed. A detailed sketch is a 'finished' drawing. There will also be daily assignments .You can buy a sketchbook in the school store or at any art supply store (Michael's , Hobby Lobby ) also Barnes &Noble or even HEB. The sketchbook should be at least 8 1/2"x11" , It should contain drawing paper suitable for pencil and charcoal ( not newsprint or tracing paper)with no lines on the paper. These can also be gotten through the school.

2. Two regular #2 pencils wooden with erasers not mechanical , which will be contributed to a pencil fund that everyone may use.

3. A Ten Dollar art fee paid through the school .

Grading :

each project will be graded 35% understanding the concept,35% Effort & craftsmanship and 20% creativity, 10% class participation

for the 9 weeks :

50% of the grade is for Project Grades

50% is for daily grades

Late Work:

Students will be given a day for each day missed to make up late work.

We will work with as many of the following mediums as We can...

  • tempera paint

  • Acrylic paint

  • Ink

  • Clay

  • pencil

  • pen and ink

  • scratchboard

  • Linoleum block printing

  • watercolor

  • mixed media

  • paper Mache.

  • cardboard

and anything else that strikes our fancy ...

Art History will be a discussion grade. We will watch slide shows that are relevant to the units we are working on and the students will develop their sense of taste by questioning . I minored in art history in graduate school and depend on extensive reading and research to give answers that will hopefully stimulate a lifelong desire to go to art museums and experience the rich culture of visual art that has developed over the centuries.

Classroom management:

1. Raise your hand to contribute during the lecture part of the course

2.Don't horseplay

3. Be respectful of the other students and the building.

1st offense : discussion with the teacher in the hall.offense documented

2nd offense : discussion with teacher , parents notified , offense is documented

3rd offense : student is sent to the assistant principal.

I am off 7th period during the day for any parents that would like to meet with me.

In November we will be working in clay( the wheel ) in 7th and 8th grade. 6th graders will be finishing up and transitioning to their next part of the rotation which will be keyboarding from art.

Class Calendar