5th Observation at VYAS

Today I arrived to the studio at 12:20 pm and was greeted outside by one of the students who was going home early due to family being in town.

When I reached the second floor where the studio is located, I saw the students were on their lunch break and a new student was amongst them. I said hello before entering the studio where Mrs. Vosler was located. Like always Mrs. Vosler greeted me with an enthusiastic and warm welcome. She told me that a new student started the program today and that her and the other students were drawing from Bargue plates, which is found in the Charles Bargue Drawing Course textbook. I noticed one of the students who I haven’t seen since starting the observation in January, was working on a drawing of a cast. I greeted her and asked her where has she been and she told me she took time off to focus on her academics (she’s in the 11th grade). I went out to the hallway where the other four students were having their lunch break to officially meet the new young lady and to also ask one of the students if I could interview her regarding her interest in learning representational drawing. After I got the agreement from the student to conduct the interview we went to Mrs. Vosler’s studio where it was vacant, but very cold. The student was very nice and informative about her interest in art. We wrapped up and I went to go speak with the new student.

I wanted to interview her but she just started and didn’t have documentation completed, so we had a casual conversation. She told me how she enjoyed drawing realistic people and possessed an interest before her eighth grade year in middle school. I asked her how she found out about the Vosler Young Artists’ Studio and she told me her mother was the one that found it online. I asked her how did she like the experience so far and she seemed unsure. I asked her if she understood what the program was about and she said she didn’t. So I explained to her that it’s based on the structure of how master artists like Da Vinci practiced. Students start by drawing from a plate, then to drawing from a plastered cast, and then from life all for the purpose to build skill and knowledge on seeing. At that time the students had to report back to work.

I took a seat by the new young lady and two other students. I wanted to observe how the students were going through the process of drawing from a plate and what ways Mrs. Vosler would assist the students.

During this time I saw Mrs. Vosler provide individual support, encouragement, and immediate feed back to all five students. Which promoted achievement of visual recognition in their artwork. (3i of FEAPs)

Throughout my visits and interviews with the students I noticed seeing is what the classical atelier curriculum has to offer to art education along with structure, measuring, and the ability to solve problems in a visual way.

At the end of class the new girl’s mom came upstairs to the studio to pick her up. I was able to ask the mother how she heard about the Vosler Young Artists Studio and she told me she found it online. I asked her what motivated her to bring her daughter and she stated that she saw her talent to draw and she wanted her to go to a place where she could improve her skills. The mother is a business educator at a public school and she witnessed an art program removed and hated that happened. She’s a believer in the arts and wants her daughter to take part of the opportunity with mastering her skill. I am interested in seeing if the daughter will be back and if so what will be her motivation to learn representational drawing.