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=**Welcome!**=

**I primarily grew up in Rice Lake, WI since 5th grade. Our family traveled all over the U.S. prior to moving back to Rice Lake. Rice Lake is a population of around 8,000 people. Eau Claire, Wisconsin was the big city I would drive to for entertainment and shopping. In Rice Lake Senior High School, I gained the desire to teach from the inspiration of my art teacher – Mr. Kaupanger. I took two years of classes in a community college at UW-Barron County in Rice Lake. This was a great experience for me coming from a student in a small city. I applied to Art colleges and universities with my portfolio and one school I thought was practical and high goal set to reach was the Art Institute of Chicago. I applied and they accepted my art portfolio, but refused my application due to a low scored entrance written English test as a prerequisite to my admission. I took that English test twice. I thought I was a failure, but again thought well they wouldn't have recognized Van Gogh or Picasso if he walked in there anyways. On my road trips back to RL, my alternative was UW-Milwaukee which was along the way on I-94. This was a perfect school for me to blossom, because for one - Chicago might have been a little of a culture shock to me and two - it had a great curriculum and widely recognized staff.** **I pursued that next year to venture on a church planting close to my hometown in Eau Claire, WI. A few of us struggled with the economy in finding jobs. I had two paper routes and took a telemarketing job for a while. I soon found that maybe I should try to go back into teaching and felt that passion again and to somehow use my God given talent in art. I pursued substitute teaching in three school districts around Eau Claire and thought of taking the Praxis test again to teach. I was getting affiliated with the UW campus, starting a ministry and trying to make friends in the art department at UW-Eau Claire. I set up an appointment with the chair of the Department Mr. Steven Terwilliger to talk about any possible opportunities in their art department. I had in my mind to do a similar project in the wood fire class I took from UW-Milwaukee and propose the project to build a kiln and possibly be hired as an associate professor. My efforts were to ramp up the art district a little in Eau Claire. My ambition was deflated when he said that at this particular time in 2005 their art funding across the state was being cut and there really wasn't any future seen at the moment.** ** Meanwhile, I was dating a wonderful woman and decided to get married and chose a quick good paying job to provide for our finances. This is when I started working for UPS. I put in two years there as a route driver. The stress caught up to me and I was looking for a way out. I was suspended for a winter accident. So for two weeks I was looking for another job. I was eventually reinstated as a driver, but already chose to pursue another job, which led into a scam that I am still fighting to get paid since February of this year 2009. ** **Currently, I am re-evaluating my life and deciding to make some efforts in teaching again, hoping that some doors will open for me and to get back on my feet and enjoy a career that I have only seen closed doors to and quite possibly I hope this latest venture into teaching will be the right door to open up for me. Overall, the skills and knowledge I have attained in my past will only transfer into my creativity and motivation in guiding this next generation.**
 * I am thrilled that you visited my Wiki. **
 * I am an artist and an Art teacher. (Before I receive my license after my student teaching this fall, I was thinking a few days ago that I should start thinking of my self as an Art teacher.) I thought I would share my story a little, so that you all can know a little about me and how I came to where I am today. **
 * In 2004, I graduated with a double-major with Ceramics, Painting-Drawing and a minor in Art History. That summer I started classes to start my teaching certificate. I took the Praxis test and missed passing the test in Wisconsin by a few points. I thought that was a sign to the end of the road in teaching. Meanwhile, I was working through college for a family owned business selling custom labels & tags. I worked in the Warehouse and Shipping then got a promotion doing Graphic Design and custom artwork. I took on a project and created a catalogue of labels and tags for the company. It was a great accomplishment. Seeing that would be my only profitable expression of art. I didn't see myself risking my future to become a starving artist and selling my own work. **

I was born in Rice Lake, WI, but up until 5th grade as I shared above where do you think I moved to next; or did I move? - Do you think I grew up in my early childhood years in Rice Lake, WI? - Do you think I moved Elizabeth City, NC?

I researched a couple of videos that seem to summarize the stigma of Art Teachers and the art community. Do you think these are accurate?

Here I have made a page for a "toolbox" of tools and reviews for us as teachers to use. As an Art teacher, I think these are great technology tools to use. Take a look! These are 2 really cool Web 2.0 tools that I used in making propoganda messages for the importance of Art Classes in a student's academic curriculum.

Those websites are [|Delicious]

Are you wondering if my profile picture is Copyright protected?

Google Earthand [|Google Maps]

Do me a favor and take this [|Art Questionaire], so that I can understand you as a fellow artist; because all of us are artists.