Teachers have the ability to hold the quality of the class. The art department is bursting with success and a big factor is the effort put into it by the teachers. Ted Kincaid and Suzanne Shelton are two out of many teachers that truly care about the students.
“I enjoy the energy,” Kincaid said. “The give, take and watching a student build his/her skills, confidence and breadth of ability.”
Kincaid is an art teacher that helps students through their regular and AP art classes. He received his degrees of Bachelor of Fine Arts from Texas Tech University and his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Kentucky at Lexington. Teaching art is not his only activity involving art. He has many achievements and projects outside of his teaching life. He uses photography and paint to express his work and is inspired by many early photographers.
“I was always intrigued by photographers from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who never considered themselves artists, but whose aesthetics came to define what we now consider fine art photography,” Kincaid said.
He expresses his ability using the medium of photography and has become well known in many galleries. His work is presented in many locations in Texas, Washington DC, New York and Washington. His art is displayed in places such as the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts in Dallas, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Museum of Fine Arts in San Antonio.
“I like helping people discover their talents,” Shelton said. “Also, teaching is a great career if you have a family.”
Shelton is another art teacher that makes art classes enjoyable for the students. She studied at many universities like Tyler Junior College, University of Texas at Austin and University of Metz in France. In France she studied French and Art History. She then continued her education at the School of Architecture at UT Austin and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture and ceramics. Her favorite mediums are clay and watercolor. Shelton’s work has been recognized by many companies and she even had a film crew come to her house to film her making art for a feature on HGTV’s Crafters coast to coast.
“It was fun, exciting and scary all at the same time,” Shelton said.
She has many achievements. In the past, her greeting card line was sold nationally at Target. Her work was also carried nationally by Recycled Greeting Card Company, Wild Apple, Bloomin’ Cards and Poster.com.
“I have an innate desire to build things,” Shelton said. “I have always been a builder.”
Shelton is inspired by sculptural objects, sculptors, architects and furniture design. Her favorite sculpture is Frank Ghery. She ironically did not take art through high school because she did not agree with what was being taught at her high school.
Kincaid and Shelton bring a new meaning to the learning of art.
“Art is the best when it expresses our joy, fears and desires in a language that transcends words and classifications,” Kincaid said.
