Sabbatical Proposal Julie Kirk Art Department, School of Fine Arts Irvine Valley College 1. Proposed title 2. Goals and/or Purpose

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1 Sabbatical Proposal Julie Kirk Art Department, School of Fine Arts Irvine Valley College 1. Proposed title A Return to Classicism With a Modern Twist 2. Goals and/or Purpose I am interested in developing my work as an artist in two specific directions, hence my title, A Return to Classicism With a Modern Twist. In one area, the development of my work as an oil painter, I would like the time to focus on studying further classical painting techniques with regards to both my figurative and still life paintings. I would use my sabbatical time to take painting workshops and/or classes at the Los Angeles Figurative Art Academy, a private atelier located in Van Nuys or at the Kline Academy of Art in Los Angeles, CA. Both schools offer workshops from highly regarded classical painters in time frames that are friendly to someone who is a working artist classes can be taken on a week by week basis, 6-8 week blocks, or weeklong intensive workshops from visiting artists. This flexibility will allow me to take classes around the seasonal requirements of my street painting work, which I would be developing concurrently. As I take these classes, and in the time throughout and after my sabbatical leave, I would be working on these additional skills to develop a new body of work in the area of oil painting. In addition, I would like to continue developing my work as a street painter. I have been street painting for 19 years and in the last decade have been gathering information and international contacts to develop my knowledge and skills in the area of 3D street painting. During the year sabbatical I would be pursing additional perspective knowledge by studying and applying more in depth some of the complicated geometry I ve been exposed to into my street painting designs. My plan would be to develop and complete at least 5-10 large scale figurative, 3D street paintings, a process which would utilize both the painting skills I am working on as well as the process of a specific anamorphic perspective developed for street painting. This project will be part of ongoing goals I have as an artist, and the body of oil painting work I develop for exhibition will most likely take 2 years to complete, but the sabbatical time I am requesting will give me the needed jump-start to both parts of this study, and will allow me a chance to fully integrate myself into the street painting community on an international level as well as the necessary time to focus on learning the perspective techniques I would like to master as the few people that are knowledgeable in this area are mostly practicing out of the country. 3. Describe the specific objectives you wish to achieve that will support the goals and purpose of your sabbatical.

2 I plan on taking 2-3 workshops at the LAFAA or Kline Academy of Art and completing at least 15 paintings and/or studies as part of this new body of oil painting work. In the meantime, I have specific Italian texts I wish to study regarding the understanding of anamorphic perspective as well as additional information I ve been gathering over the last few years but have not had the time to disseminate and put together into a cohesive geometry that will work for the specifics of my medium. Using this new knowledge in combination with enhanced painting techniques would help me in the creation of the 5-10 largescale (180+ square feet) 3D street painting designs I wish to complete. Sabbatical time would be spent traveling to many of the international festivals to participate in the competitions there, as well as pursuing opportunities to complete the 5-10 designs I develop as part of my learning process. I would also include exhibitions and lectures in 2014/15 displaying the body of work developed over this time, both oil painting and street painting. 4. Describe in detail the types of activities you propose to include and/or undertake during your project. Include, at least, a monthly timeline of activities. The work I plan on developing would extend beyond the sabbatical year, but I would expect to begin exhibiting the street painting work during the sabbatical leave period, and the oil painting work within a year of completing my sabbatical leave. I ve included a timeline below with some specific known dates of work and exhibitions, as well as projected dates: August 2012: 1. I Madonnari di Grazie di Curtatone (Street Painting Exhibition) Mantua, Italy 2. Geldern International Street Painting Exhibition, Geldern, Germany Sept. 2012: 1. James Carling International Street Painting Exhibition, Liverpool, England 2. 3D Street Painting Commission, Tel Aviv, Israel 3. 3D Street Painting Commission, Lelystad, Holland Oct Bella Via Street Painting Exhibition, Monterrey, Mexico 2. 3D Street Painting Commission, Tulare, CA Nov D Street Painting Commission, Sarasota, FL 2. Puerta Vallarta Street Painting Exhibition, Puerta Vallarta, Mexico 3. Guadalajara Street Painting Exhibition, Guadalajara, Mexico Dec April Projected: Class and workshop attendance at Ateliers in the LA Area Dec Dec Projected: Completion of 15+ studies and finished oil paintings March D Street Painting Commission in Corpus Cristi, TX April Projected: 3D Street Painting Commission in Amsterdam, Holland 2. Projected: 3D Street Painting Commission in St. George, Utah

3 May Nocera International Street Painting Exhibition, Nocera, Italy 2. Toulon International Street Painting Exhibition, Toulon, France Fall Submission of a course on Artistic Perspective to the curriculum committee at IVC. 2. Development of lectures and class handouts for Artistic Perspective course. Spring Exhibition of a 3D Street painting during the annual street painting student exhibition on the IVC campus 2. Projected: Lecture on IVC Campus through the IVC2IVC faculty lecture program Spring or Fall Projected: Exhibition in IVC Art Gallery of oil painting body of work as well as inclusion of studies and designs for the street painting 3D designs possible lecture? 5. Describe how these activities relate to your goals and objectives. Both activities relate directly to my goals and objectives by allowing me to directly apply the technical aspects of the media I am exploring. My interaction in the international street painting community allows me to build a reputation and contacts that further enhance my career as an artist, giving me opportunities to exhibit my street painting work in large venues, but even more importantly, helping me to build relationships that allow me to interact and learn from my fellow artists. The top artists in the field of 3D anamorphic street painting tend to be abroad - I ve made connections with some of these artists over the last few months, and have obtained permission to work with them on a few of the commissions that I have lined up for the following year, thereby helping me to build my knowledge from this interaction. These activities give me the time and exhibitions necessary to apply knowledge in repeated attempts to grow such knowledge in a real atmosphere. In addition, I have allowed time to take courses in oil painting work the ateliers hold ongoing classes which run week by week or in 6-8 week blocks, depending on the class and instructor/visiting artist, which gives me the ability to learn from world class painters during both long and short breaks from street painting. I view this year off from my teaching responsibilities as one in which I plan on fully immersing myself in my work as an artist, and one in which I hope to grow in leaps and bounds and bring that knowledge back to build my abilities as an instructor, as well as to help build the community of the IVC campus into a positive and creative atmosphere. 6. Describe the measurable outcomes of your project, such as curriculum, materials, scientific specimens, manuscripts, audio-visuals, etc. Two different and yet related bodies of work will be developed, both of which are in ongoing areas of study in which I already practice and teach. The bodies of

4 work will be available for exhibition, lecture and publication, beginning during, and continuing well after, my sabbatical period. In addition to the actual work developed, I would be using the new knowledge to enhance my painting lectures/curriculum. I would also write and develop the information for a studio art course on Artistic Perspective as well as necessary handouts and lectures for such a course. This type of course would be a great enhancement to our art program as it expands with the new building scheduled for 2014, and the subsequent lectures and exhibitions would be a wonderful way of bringing attention to our department and helping it to attract new students. 7. Describe the projected impact your project will have on teaching and learning. Being current in the field of painting has an immeasurable impact on my own students understanding of painting techniques. For our District s students as a whole I hope that the project will expose them to the fast growing world of illusionary painting through an on-campus exhibition, as well as by completing at least one of these new designs on campus during my annual spring 2014 street painting project with the painting classes. Being able to share my experiences working on a project like this is invaluable during my lectures in class. Not only will I be employing and teaching newly developed technical skills in the areas of painting technique, composition and perspective, but also as an artist I will be continuing to create an international presence in a hugely popular medium (street painting) that can eventually benefit my students in the cultural exchange that might come about from such relationships. The additional understanding of painting and perspective techniques that I am seeking will also help in developing new courses, lectures and exhibitions for the future, especially as our department continues to grow and thrive in the new building we will soon be seeing take shape on campus. 8. Describe how you intend to apply the results of your sabbatical to your professional assignment and development plan. Through on-campus exhibition of the paintings, I will be exhibiting my artwork at the I.V.C. gallery in 2014/15. I will also be creating and exhibiting my street paintings both during and following my sabbatical, including completing at least one of these works on campus during our annual spring street painting project in 2014 that I organize with my painting classes. I will be seeking other venues for the further exhibition of the project and will keep our college P.I.O. current. I plan on applying for the IVC2IVC faculty lecture program for the school year of to discuss the body of work and results of my sabbatical project in a formal lecture. I would like to time this lecture with the student street painting exhibition in the spring of 2014 if possible. 9. Describe your plan for dissemination of the results of your sabbatical proposal to your students, colleagues, college, District and/or community. Immediate dissemination will be a written report of my activities immediately after the sabbatical. I will be exhibiting the street painting work both during and after I return from sabbatical at various locations internationally and within the

5 United States. I am planning on an exhibition of the painting work to be arranged for the IVC Art Gallery during the 2014/15 school year, and would also like to complete one of the large scale street paintings on campus, during the spring of 2014 at my regular street painting activity I do with my painting classes over a 2 week period.