Art making enriches life with wonder and expression, it is empowering, healing and meditative, a personal asset that can never be taken away. I'm a passionate artist and educator, welcome to my world!
Passion, drive and focus are words I use to describe myself. My life has taken me in many directions but always in an artistic realm. I was sure that I wanted to be a visual artist when I was very young and became interested in exploring new mediums. I began my career as a computer graphic image artist for a major corporation in my twenties while continuing with painting as a side line. By the time I was thirty I knew that I could sustain my lifestyle as a self-employed artist by painting murals. My career choice as a muralist and decorative had many advantages in terms of family life and flexibility but I didn't stop there.
I knew that by furthering my knowledge and education my natural talents could be better applied. My experiences in higher education have been invigorating and rewarding. As an undergraduate at Northern Illinois University, I learned how to manipulate materials and use tools to gain desired results. I continued my education with various classes at community colleges and private institutions over the years to enrich my life and satisfy curiosities.
My culminating academic experience at Grand Valley State University, first an undergraduate in the visual arts with a painting emphasis and then as a College of Education graduate student. I became a certified K-12 art teacher but the real fruit of my efforts is in my current position as a full-time Graphic Design instructor at Glen Oaks Community College in Centreville, MI. I'm in charge of the Mac Lab with twenty computers running Adobe Creative Cloud for both dual enrollment Career and Technical Education and traditional college level students. My focus has primarily been on increasing student success rates based on the research I conducted for my Master of Education project document completed in 2017.
I have had many opportunities to play active roles in local community organizations. I helped form the Kalamazoo Artist’s Alliance now known as the Southwest Michigan Artist’s Alliance and served on the board of directors for the Antrewp Sunshine Library Friends of the Library as Vice President. I enjoy being a contributing member of such organizations to serve the public in order to make our community more unified and a better place to live.
My personal interests are based on relationships. I am concerned with interpersonal relationships such as with; students, parents, administration and coworkers. Managing the classroom with advanced lesson preparation, differentiation and attention to the individual’s needs are all significant values I place importance on. Moreover, I am concerned with how individuals can relate to current and historical events, social and cultural topics expressed through the arts.
Through advances in technology, we now live in a global village and as educators we need to help our students understand and be aware of issues that affect them personally and also affect their larger community and world in which we live.
I knew that by furthering my knowledge and education my natural talents could be better applied. My experiences in higher education have been invigorating and rewarding. As an undergraduate at Northern Illinois University, I learned how to manipulate materials and use tools to gain desired results. I continued my education with various classes at community colleges and private institutions over the years to enrich my life and satisfy curiosities.
My culminating academic experience at Grand Valley State University, first an undergraduate in the visual arts with a painting emphasis and then as a College of Education graduate student. I became a certified K-12 art teacher but the real fruit of my efforts is in my current position as a full-time Graphic Design instructor at Glen Oaks Community College in Centreville, MI. I'm in charge of the Mac Lab with twenty computers running Adobe Creative Cloud for both dual enrollment Career and Technical Education and traditional college level students. My focus has primarily been on increasing student success rates based on the research I conducted for my Master of Education project document completed in 2017.
I have had many opportunities to play active roles in local community organizations. I helped form the Kalamazoo Artist’s Alliance now known as the Southwest Michigan Artist’s Alliance and served on the board of directors for the Antrewp Sunshine Library Friends of the Library as Vice President. I enjoy being a contributing member of such organizations to serve the public in order to make our community more unified and a better place to live.
My personal interests are based on relationships. I am concerned with interpersonal relationships such as with; students, parents, administration and coworkers. Managing the classroom with advanced lesson preparation, differentiation and attention to the individual’s needs are all significant values I place importance on. Moreover, I am concerned with how individuals can relate to current and historical events, social and cultural topics expressed through the arts.
Through advances in technology, we now live in a global village and as educators we need to help our students understand and be aware of issues that affect them personally and also affect their larger community and world in which we live.
All images appearing on this website are property of Linda Walker, copyright, 2013.