Santa Rosa Junior College

Sylvia Seventy, Vessel: Two Grey Winds
handmade paper and mixed media, 3" x 12" x 12" 2004

Artist Statement

The vessels I create are a search for a personal spiritual connection to my daily life. The paper is fibrous and fragile, yet on first inspection, the forms appear made of clay. I incorporate bits of paper and found objects gathered from my cultural surroundings. I transform these ordinary materials into extraordinarily mysterious allusions of antiquity. The resemblance to ancient basketry and pottery forms expresses my appreciation for these humble utilitarian objects. My pieces honor childhood memories of learning to sew and assemble bits of fabric. The walls of my vessels contain a record of process, the marks of change, the tracings of time- my personal cultural illusion.

The story within each vessel documents a fragment or layer of my life. As a continuous series, my works create meaning in relationship, like a patch in a quilt, a photograph in an album, an object in a box of treasures- my personal expression.

Teaching Philosophy

I see the field of education as a life-long career path. I taught my first workshop when I was in the 7th grade. The challenges and excitement of teaching have strengthened and transformed my own artwork throughout my lifetime. I describe my teaching philosophy as the following:

All too often learning has been hampered at an early learning stage by fear of error. Learning needs to include development of the whole person, building on success-oriented experiences. Seeing, feeling, thinking and being, build self-esteem. As a teacher, I endeavor to cultivate creative thinking and problem-solving abilities in my students. An effective professional artist/designer is able to perform way beyond just following instructions. Students need to learn confidence, self-motivation, creative/critical thinking skills to perform in the competitive field of Art that awaits them. In the classroom, they need to experience creating artistic projects from a variety of learning perspectives, which address all of the unique, individual learning patterns and personal learning timeframes. My personal memories of influential teachers are less associated with brilliance, but capture the ability to mentor a balance of guidance and independence.

FACULTY SHOW 2009: Recent Work by SRJC Faculty

Artist Statement

Teaching Philosophy