The following letter is from one of my Pre-College Age Portfolio-Prep graduates.
Goooood Afternoon Kyle!
I'm loving Parsons and I haven't even been here a week. I also recently received another scholarship, making that a total of $10,000 in scholarship per semester here at Parsons. Thank you. SO much! Nothing could have been accomplished without your help, guidance, and instruction. You're the greatest.
Also, I would be honored if you used my work in the online student gallery. Thanks!!!!!!
How are you? How's the museum's Sandy recovery?
Victoria
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Sunday, October 7, 2012
A few letters of appreciation from my portfolio students:
“I had a wonderful learning experience with Kyle. She has been my Professor for both Color Theory and Pastel Drawing. Her expertise in the field and ability to express that knowledge has been extremely informative. Her enthusiasm and her great personality made me look forward to seeing her. Kyle has always made meetings convenient for me and made the lessons work appropriately for my career as a teacher at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is a great Instructor and needs to be acknowledged for her work at Empire State College.”
“Thank you so much for all your instruction, dedication, and care. I don’t know how else I would’ve unlocked my passion for painting without your help. Seeing how you help guide other students on completely different paths lends me to believe that you are the sorting hat of the art world. I can’t wait to return and tell you all about my time at RISD. I will continue to recommend to you people in search of lessons and can only hope they will benefit as much as I did.”
“Kyle is a hidden gem among art instructors, someone who pushes her students beyond their capacities. She is the first teacher that guided me towards original artistic expression”.
Kyle showed me how to work like a professional. Unlike most teachers, she doesn’t give assignments, but allows her students to come up with their own ideas. Before I created any painting in her class, I would first present my thumbnails and references. Kyle would correct things that do not work, making a scribble here and there in an effort to make the drawing personify my concept. In the midst of presentations such as these, she would pop grand questions such as: what do you intend to do with your talent, or what is your purpose? Kyle forces you to use parts of your brain that almost never get used at such a young age. Even at age eleven, I was beginning to understand the fact that art is not about making pretty pictures, but is a continuous battle to express oneself. She helped me discover who I was through the journey of painting.
My relationship which Kyle did not end after my student years at the Usdan center came to a close. She helped me assemble a scholarship portfolio for college, and I converse with her frequently over the phone and at the Usdan Cener where I currently work as an assistant teacher. I like to call her my second mother. Our relationship may seem unique, but Kyle goes to great depths to accommodate many of her students. She is a genuine person who exemplifies the true gold standard in education.”
“It was William Arthur Ward who said, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The great teacher demonstrates. The superior teacher inspires.” Professor Kyle Blumenthal inspires and I am grateful to SUNY-Empire State College for hiring people of such integrity, who provide such inspiration.”
“I just want to make sure you know how much I appreciate your guidance and support. You give me such great confidence and faith in myself. You really have done so much for me Kyle, and I’m not even a student anymore! Then again, maybe since you’ll always be teaching me and sharing me things I’ll always be a student-kind of. Working outside of A6 made me realize what a rare and beautiful person you are. Kyle, and what better role model to have than you? Again, thank you for everything-though it may seem small and at times, just a pat on the back, means the world.”
“I did not sleep last night and I keep thinking about everything you taught me yesterday.
I learned more in eleven hours than I have in many, many, many, of my prior courses.
After I come home from California, I will write you with more detail regarding things I am thinking about and want to accomplish.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
P.S. As if you didn’t already know, there is something very special about you. Happy New Year to you and your family!”
“I wanted to come to see you and tell you everything instead of just emailing you. I went to the museum Friday because I thought you might be there but you weren’t. I got into all of my schools that I applied to and most of them with scholarships. I got into Drexel, Moore, Fordham, Hofstra, Pratt, Parsons, FIT, Marist, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Stony Brook, and one other school I can’t even think of the name right now. I can’t thank you enough for everything you have done for me and all the extra time you have spent with me! I’m still not sure where I am going but I have to decide soon and I will defiantly let you know what I do. I still want to come in to the class and say hi to everyone also.”
“I’m doing really well I started class Monday actually! I ended up at FIT! I love it so far but it’s a lot of work.”
“I have some exciting news, despite getting rejected from RISD, I did get accepted at Parsons the New School for design with a full scholarship. I had a couple of interviews and showed my portfolio and they loved it. I can’t believe that I will be going there this fall.”
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Trust
Trust
Trust is a word that plays many rolls in our lives. I have learned over the years to trust my gut instincts. When I walk into an art store, I prefer to follow my gut the moment I walk into the store. Allowing myself to explore new media down the isles and touch papers or canvas. The aesthetics of shopping for art materials is very personal. I prefer to create my own sketchbooks by purchasing or finding various papers and cutting them to fit various sized folios that I create or purchase and tie on three sides. This process allows me to choose the paper that will work best for the media I plan to use at any given moment. The media used in any work is just as important as the concept behind the work. Art stores will have testing papers on the shelves down the drawing media isles. The personal relationship you feel to certain drawing tools is unique to each artist. I like to use certain brands or colors. I enjoy running my fingers through the pen nibs and smelling primed and unprimed canvas. I enjoy finding bargains in bins or markdowns. I open paint tubes to see the color and at times I touch the tip of the tube to see how the color moves on my fingertips. I also enjoy searching the isles in the Materials Resource Center and the Habitat for Humanity Restore. Finding discarded materials is an earth friendly way to go green in ones art work. My students like to have a list of materials telling them exactly what to purchase in an art store. These lists should only be used as a guide when shopping. The best lists will leave options and openness for individual exploration when choosing art materials.
Trust is a word that is used when I set my brush to paint, as well as when I walk into a museum. In both situations a feeling of excitement comes over me as I approach the Museum door or a blank canvas. The feeling of trusting my gut instincts comes into play in both these situations. When I enter a Museum, I let my instincts tell me where to go and what direction to focus on. I step back and observe others in the galleries around me as I listen to the sounds and glory in the sights that surround me. Recently, I was walking around the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. I bypassed the Hugh line of people waiting to purchase tickets as I use my museum card to enter the exhibitions. As I turned around I stood directly across from Andy Warhol’s work hanging in the lobby. One of his life’s ambitions was to have his work exhibitied in the Museum of Modern Art. So I observed this as a certain peace. I could hear the sounds of people excited about what they may see or experience on this day at the Museum. People from various countries speaking many different languages were there that day. I love the Museum in that it introduces new forms of art to the public as well as chronologically preserving the historical reflections of humanity all preserved for people to view and contemplate.
The galleries exhibited many works in various disciplines. In my observations, as a Painter and Theatrical Designer, the concept of Sound, Film Projections, Drawings, Paintings and Sculpture seemed to come into the space of the viewer rather than waiting for the viewer to approach the art. Many works reflected various times in the history of art but the two paintings that continue to receive the most attention remain Claude Monet’s “Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond”, 1920, oil on canvas, (78.74 inches x 502.36 inches) and “Dance (1)” by Henri Matisse, 1909, oil on canvas, (8’6 ½” x 12” ½”). Crowds of people stood and sat in front of these works for long periods of time. The works convey the feeling of hope, love, beauty and a flowing humanity. That common thread which brings us all together.
Trust
By Kyle Blumenthal
June 28, 2011
Trust is a word that plays many rolls in our lives. I have learned over the years to trust my gut instincts. When I walk into an art store, I prefer to follow my gut the moment I walk into the store. Allowing myself to explore new media down the isles and touch papers or canvas. The aesthetics of shopping for art materials is very personal. I prefer to create my own sketchbooks by purchasing or finding various papers and cutting them to fit various sized folios that I create or purchase and tie on three sides. This process allows me to choose the paper that will work best for the media I plan to use at any given moment. The media used in any work is just as important as the concept behind the work. Art stores will have testing papers on the shelves down the drawing media isles. The personal relationship you feel to certain drawing tools is unique to each artist. I like to use certain brands or colors. I enjoy running my fingers through the pen nibs and smelling primed and unprimed canvas. I enjoy finding bargains in bins or markdowns. I open paint tubes to see the color and at times I touch the tip of the tube to see how the color moves on my fingertips. I also enjoy searching the isles in the Materials Resource Center and the Habitat for Humanity Restore. Finding discarded materials is an earth friendly way to go green in ones art work. My students like to have a list of materials telling them exactly what to purchase in an art store. These lists should only be used as a guide when shopping. The best lists will leave options and openness for individual exploration when choosing art materials.
Trust is a word that is used when I set my brush to paint, as well as when I walk into a museum. In both situations a feeling of excitement comes over me as I approach the Museum door or a blank canvas. The feeling of trusting my gut instincts comes into play in both these situations. When I enter a Museum, I let my instincts tell me where to go and what direction to focus on. I step back and observe others in the galleries around me as I listen to the sounds and glory in the sights that surround me. Recently, I was walking around the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. I bypassed the Hugh line of people waiting to purchase tickets as I use my museum card to enter the exhibitions. As I turned around I stood directly across from Andy Warhol’s work hanging in the lobby. One of his life’s ambitions was to have his work exhibitied in the Museum of Modern Art. So I observed this as a certain peace. I could hear the sounds of people excited about what they may see or experience on this day at the Museum. People from various countries speaking many different languages were there that day. I love the Museum in that it introduces new forms of art to the public as well as chronologically preserving the historical reflections of humanity all preserved for people to view and contemplate.
The galleries exhibited many works in various disciplines. In my observations, as a Painter and Theatrical Designer, the concept of Sound, Film Projections, Drawings, Paintings and Sculpture seemed to come into the space of the viewer rather than waiting for the viewer to approach the art. Many works reflected various times in the history of art but the two paintings that continue to receive the most attention remain Claude Monet’s “Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond”, 1920, oil on canvas, (78.74 inches x 502.36 inches) and “Dance (1)” by Henri Matisse, 1909, oil on canvas, (8’6 ½” x 12” ½”). Crowds of people stood and sat in front of these works for long periods of time. The works convey the feeling of hope, love, beauty and a flowing humanity. That common thread which brings us all together.
Trust
By Kyle Blumenthal
June 28, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
What is unique about you?
As a Professional Artist and Educator, I would like to begin by sharing a little bit about my own work. I would also like to discuss a little about why the subject of creating a portfolio for college admissions is such a broad topic. There are so many of you out there that dream of a career in the arts and spending your life’s work in the art field.
Let me start by saying that it is important to understand that your parents or family members come in very helpful in this portfolio and college admissions process. You want to be working together as a team. I was painting in oils on canvas at the age of five years old. My years in College were as follows, my first year was at Farmingdale SUNY in Graphic Arts and Illustration, I transferred to Pratt Institute for my second year until I completed my BFA in Painting with a minor in Art Education, I went on to CW Post College for my Masters in Painting so that I could keep my Teaching License in Art K-12. I went on after that to CW Post College once again to earn my MFA in Painting.
In school I tossed theories and concepts around in my head, I became an observer at times and began to intellectualize things in my head. I noticed how many students there were in my classes and began to think about how I would be able to compete in the art world when there were so many talented people in the field. I remember it very well to this day because this was very important in the big scheme of things. I realized that I would have to be much more than great at rendering the figure or painting various subjects. I began to question what made me different. What could I do that the others could not do? This is where I ask my students to start in order to start setting themselves apart from the others.
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