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J Furr's Personal Art History Timeline
Some of the things and events that have had an influence on my personal art history. -
Learning to draw animals in Kindergarten
I learned how to draw animals with circles and basic shapes in Kindergarten. My mom was my Kindergarten teacher. After looking at this picture, I remembered coloring in one of those large Care Bears for our graduation night. I wound up having chicken pox and wasn't able to go. -
1st grade Arts & Crafts
Most of the "art" I remember doing in elementary school was actually more "Crafty" than artsy, and the teacher did most of the work, like this Christmas craft. I'm pretty sure that bringing my picture in was my only contribution. -
Fashion art
This picture is actually one I colored with my own daughter back in about 2013, but I am using it to represent the fashion art I used to color when I was a kid. I have basically nothing left from then. The few pieces I did have were lost or misplaced in one of my several moves during the past few years. -
Trying to macrame with my grandma
This is not my grandma's owl, but a picture I found online that was very close to her massive macrame owl hanging in her living room. She tried to teach me to macrame and crochet when I was a kid. -
Dual enrollment at JDCC
I took my first black and white photography class when I was 15, the summer after 10th grade. Mr. Powell was an awesome photography teacher who boosted my self-esteem as well as teaching me the ins and outs of 35mm photography. -
Mr. Manning - best art instructor during college career
I'm not sure, but I think it was my second semester at JD after high school that I took my first art class with Mr. Manning. He's the guy on the right. I learned about art history, and took painting and ceramics classes with him. He had a great sense of humor and always had a twinkle in his eye. -
First trip to New Orleans, LA
I took my first trip to New Orleans with the Honors Program I was in at JDCC. It was the most amazing experience I had had in my life at that point. I fell in love with the sights and sounds of the city, especially the visual and performing artists. I have been back five times since then, and it has been amazing every time, and a different experience every time. I always come back with new ideas and inspirations for art. -
Versailles exhibit in Jackson, MS
I went with the Honors Program to Jackson, MS, to see the Palace of Versailles exhibit. The Faberge eggs were so much cooler in person than any pictures I'd ever seen. Besides the galleries I had been to in New Orleans, I think this may have been the first real museum I had ever been to. -
Senior exhibit at Troy State University
This is one wall from my senior art exhibit in college. My paintings were all done in oil pastel, which was my preferred medium at the time. My theme was "abstract dreams". I was heavily influenced by Dali, Miro, Matisse, and Klee at the time. -
Painted furniture
I was married (the first time, lol) in November of 2003. My now ex-husband was gone all the time, to his parents' house or volunteer firefighting, when he was not at work. I had a lot of free time on my hands, so I started painting furniture as a hobby, and making beaded jewelry. This is a folding table (top part is upside down) that I had decoupaged a Beatles' theme on. I started teaching full-time a few months later and didn't have quite as much free time on my hands any more. -
Teaching doodles
I started teaching full-time (3rd grade my first year) in a public school in 2004. I was always doodling in faculty meetings and professional development. This is one of the exercises we had to do in a professional development session that I put a little more color and detail in than required, but it made the morning a little more fun. -
My daughter was born
I don't have any of her tiny baby pictures saved on this computer. I think she was about 3 in this one. It was probably when she was about this old that I was finally able to really start doing art work again, since she could do it with me then. -
Making birdhouses
As I just mentioned, my daughter was about 3 when she started doing art projects with me. We painted a lot of bird houses that summer. I was also just starting to go through the divorce with her father, so it was a very difficult time for us both. Making things together helped keep my mind busy, and was a shared experience of creating for us. -
Spring Carnival with art booths
Me and my daughter at a Spring Carnival at school. She always headed straight for the art stuff, still does. We had a new principal that year that implemented an Art night program and really encouraged us to use art projects in our classroom as much as possible. She was a breath of fresh air. I was teaching 4th grade that year. Had taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades since 2004. -
Art Night
I think this was our first annnual Art Night at Riverside. It may have been the second. I bought this painting that a kindergarten class made. It was their tribute to Kandinsky. The teacher I bought it from was my daughter's kindergarten teacher the following year. It was so wonderful to have our students and parents excited about art. It motivated me to integrate art as much as possible into my regular curriculum. -
Oval Art lessons
Our principal encouraged a program called OVAL art that we or volunteers could teach art concepts through the masters and their works. We were short on volunteers for the program, but I enjoyed it, so I taught art at least once a month on our early release days, and more when I could combine it with writing or Science. -
Re-married and making more art than ever
I had started dating Josh in May of 2013, and had made a ton of art work in the time since. I was truly happy with him, and my art reflected that with beautiful colors and subjects. I was going through some issues with the ex during this time, so I started reading this book, and myy daughter and I both went to counseling. I became friends with my daughter's counselor and wound up teaching an art class to a group of teenage girls that met there for a self-esteem class. It was so awesome. -
Hired to teach art! HOORAY!
I applied and interviewed for an art teacher position at a local public school, Walker, and got the job. I was ecstatic. After 10 years of teaching regular ed, I finally get to teach art. This is by far the best job I've ever had and I absolutely love it. This pic shows some goody bags I made for my fellow art teachers in the district for a professional development meeting we just had at the beginnig of January. -
Started grad school at UFARTED
I just, downloaded this logo online, I don't have any rights to it, but just wanted a symbol to represent UFARTED. I am ecstatic about being here. :)
