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Mission Statement
The Art Department at St. Mary's University is actively engaged in fulfilling the university's mission of educating for the common good and for the enrichment of the community by providing courses and exhibitions that enrich the creative spirit. Courses offered may lead to a Bachelors degree in Art Education, an Art Minor, and that fulfill the goals of the core curriculum of educating the whole person. Art courses may also be chosen as an elective.Brian St. John
phone: (210) 431-4232
bstjohn@stmarytx.edu
Charles Francis Hall 227
Exhibits
The St. Mary's University Art Department hosts a number of art exhibits throughout the year. Members of the University community as well as the general public are always welcome.
Please enjoy the images taken during our exhibits.
September 2012
St. Mary's University FOTOSEPTIEMBRE Photo Exhibition
Dan Dumitru and Clint Henry
"View Finder"
Dan Dumitru is an amateur photographer who has lived in San Antonio for about 30 years. His primary area of photographic exploration is that of thin spaces. A thin space derives for Celtic mythology for a sacred location that allows one to feel close to the spiritual realm. Dan primarily photographs landscapes and architectural spaces that bring our world and the spiritual world closer together. His photography is an attempt to convey to the observer a sense of what it feels like to be in a particular location. Of course, a photograph is no substitute for one s actual presence in a thin space, but it is an attempt to convey some small portion of the initial feeling. It is his hope that simply absorbing the images on an emotional level without overthinking them can perhaps create some small semblance of a thin space.
Clint Henry started pursuing photography in the course of earning his BSASE from the University of Texas at Austin. After graduation, Henry followed his sister s recommendation to pursue a career in education. Since 2008 he has been at Frank Tejeda Academy, an academic alternative school where he teaches select students of Harlandale ISD. Henry spent his formative years working at his father s animal hospital which developed his affinity for animal photography. He started photographing his pets during high school and has continued to use pets as subjects in his work. More recent inspiration has come from places that he frequently visits. Throughout the year Henry travels to the coastal city of Rockport, TX where the climate, culture and horizon offer their ever-changing characteristics for his lens. A sunny day at the beach is not my idea of coastal photography, fog rolling over the flats or the combination of twilight and incandescent floodlights on the water is. Back home in downtown San Antonio, the vibrant colors of local graffiti have become an ongoing documentary. Legally painted walls of writer's conventions display new material regularly. The walls are painted black every several months to allow for new work to be seen.
Summer 2012
2012 Summer St. Mary's University Student Invitational Art Exhibition
March 2012
St. Mary's University Women's History Month Art Exhibition
"Four Women, for Women"
Eva Bueno, J'Nil Jackson, Carol Koutnik and Laura Lopez
December 2011
2011 Fall St. Mary's University Student Invitational Art Exhibition
November 2011
The St. Mary's University Art Department Faculty Exhibition
October 2011
The artwork of Andy Villarreal
September 2011
Luis Marquez Romay
Major in Art Education
with an All-Level Teacher Certification
The Bachelors in Art Education with an All-Level Teacher Certification (Early Childhood-Grade 12) is designed for the student pursuing her or his interest in the visual arts and who wants to share that interest through teaching. Students will develop studio skills through courses providing experiences in traditional materials and methods as well as electronic digital image making. Through the study of art history, students will acquire knowledge of where humankind has been and where it is now as makers and creators in the world. Through the study of art education and in concert with the Teacher Education Department the student will acquire skills needed to work in today's art classroom with knowledge and passion.
For more information, please see the degree plans and course catalog.
Minor Program
Students at St. Mary's take courses in art for many reasons, including to fulfill the Fine Arts requirements of the Core Curriculum, to obtain a minor in art, to obtain a Texas Education Agency-certified second teaching field in elementary or secondary education, or simply as an elective.Students who take art courses as electives often choose Drawing, Design Fundamentals, 3-D Design, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, or Art Fundamentals. Because there are no prerequisites, any art course may be taken as an elective.
A student may obtain a minor by taking 18 hours of art courses. Of these 18 hours required for the minor, nine hours must be upper division coursework.
For more information, please see the degree plans and course catalog.
Faculty
Brian St. John
Chair of ArtAssociate Professor
Phone: (210) 431-4232
Office: Charles Francis Hall 227
Email: bstjohn@stmarytx.edu Full Bio Details
B.F.A., Southwest Texas State University, 1980
M.F.A., University of Texas at San Antonio, 1986
As a professional artist I maintain a private studio in San Antonio, Texas. Painting has always been my primary focus in making art. I have worked in other media and processes such as printmaking/etching, and sculpture in clay, but my love is painting. I have academic training in both abstraction and naturalism and have a deep appreciation for both. My influences are varied both in time and place. I find interesting ideas and beautifully realized work from different historical time periods and styles. My main interest now is in the works produced during the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.
M.F.A., University of Texas at San Antonio, 1986
As a professional artist I maintain a private studio in San Antonio, Texas. Painting has always been my primary focus in making art. I have worked in other media and processes such as printmaking/etching, and sculpture in clay, but my love is painting. I have academic training in both abstraction and naturalism and have a deep appreciation for both. My influences are varied both in time and place. I find interesting ideas and beautifully realized work from different historical time periods and styles. My main interest now is in the works produced during the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.
James Joffe
Visiting Assistant ProfessorOffice: Charles Francis Hall 229
Phone: (210) 431-5083
Email: jjoffe@stmarytx.edu Full Bio Details
B.A., St. Mary's University, Political Science, 1996
B.F.A., Southwest Texas State University, Painting, 1999
M.F.A., University of Texas at San Antonio, Painting, 2002
James Joffe is an artist and instructor who has been a visiting lecturer at St. Mary's since the fall of 2002. After success making and showing his work while attending St. Mary's, and encouraged by his friend and mentor Professor Brian St. John, James decided to forego law school and pursue his interest in art. In 1997, James enrolled at Texas State University to study painting, and in 2000 went on to graduate school to earn his terminal degree in Painting at the University of Texas at San Antonio. James is a working painter who focuses on producing and exhibiting his work and teaching at the University.
B.F.A., Southwest Texas State University, Painting, 1999
M.F.A., University of Texas at San Antonio, Painting, 2002
James Joffe is an artist and instructor who has been a visiting lecturer at St. Mary's since the fall of 2002. After success making and showing his work while attending St. Mary's, and encouraged by his friend and mentor Professor Brian St. John, James decided to forego law school and pursue his interest in art. In 1997, James enrolled at Texas State University to study painting, and in 2000 went on to graduate school to earn his terminal degree in Painting at the University of Texas at San Antonio. James is a working painter who focuses on producing and exhibiting his work and teaching at the University.
Mary Morrell, Ph.D.
Visiting LecturerOffice: Charles Francis Hall 226 Phone: (210) 431-4232
Email: bstjohn@stmarytx.edu--> Full Bio Details
1994, Doctor of Philosophy,Stanford University
M.A., Art History, Stanford University
B.A., History, Stanford University
Dr. Morrell received a Whiting Fellowship for Dissertations in the Humanities that allowed her to research a series of J. M. W. Turner watercolors for her thesis. Two of the watercolors from the series are owned by the Stanford Museum. She has conducted research in the British Library and Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum.
M.A., Art History, Stanford University
B.A., History, Stanford University
Dr. Morrell received a Whiting Fellowship for Dissertations in the Humanities that allowed her to research a series of J. M. W. Turner watercolors for her thesis. Two of the watercolors from the series are owned by the Stanford Museum. She has conducted research in the British Library and Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum.
Christina Carvajal Quiroz-Ramsey
Adjunct FacultyArt
Office: Charles Francis Hall 228
Phone: (210) 436-3797
Email: cramsey@stmarytx.edu Full Bio Details
B.F.A., Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi, 1986
M.F.A., Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi, 1989
Influenced by Francis Bacon and Anselm Kiefer she often works in chalk pastels and oils over monoprints. A recurring theme within her work often includes the use of windows or Venetian blinds as portals into the past which is built up and then removed in a process she class "addition through subtraction." The images seen reveal themselves in layers with an uncommon depth that seemly pulls the viewer into them.
She teaches at St. Mary's University, San Antonio College and Northwest Vista College. She has taught Introduction to Fine Art classes, Drawing I & II, and now Printmaking at St. Mary's University.
M.F.A., Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi, 1989
Influenced by Francis Bacon and Anselm Kiefer she often works in chalk pastels and oils over monoprints. A recurring theme within her work often includes the use of windows or Venetian blinds as portals into the past which is built up and then removed in a process she class "addition through subtraction." The images seen reveal themselves in layers with an uncommon depth that seemly pulls the viewer into them.
She teaches at St. Mary's University, San Antonio College and Northwest Vista College. She has taught Introduction to Fine Art classes, Drawing I & II, and now Printmaking at St. Mary's University.
Melanie Rush Davis
Adjunct FacultyFull Bio Details
B.F.A., University of Texas at San Antonio, 1981
M.F.A., University of Texas at San Antonio, 2004
Nationally recognized pinhole photographer Melanie Rush Davis is truly an integral part of her community. Her recent projects include, installations of interactive camera obscuras, participation in Luminaria, documentation of the Pearl Brewery, honest portrayals of teens at risk and the simplicity of the everyday found in her neighborhood and garden. Having studied and collaborated with such greats as William Wegman, Mary Ellen Mark, Duane Michals, and Jerry Uelsmann and France Scully Osterman she possesses the exceptional ability to perceive the needs of the moment.
Melanie was one of the innovators of the Saturday Morning discovery program at the Southwest School of Art and Craft, by introducing pinhole photography into the program. The Texas Nature Conservancy invited this artist to participate in their photographic exhibition, The Last Great Places of Texas. Her work is published on a regular basis in the Pinhole Journal and she exhibits regionally and nationally.
Her love of life and the people she works with allows this artist to document what she finds humorous, beautiful, and humane. With an MFA from the University of Texas at San Antonio her specialties include view camera work, digital imaging, alternative processes, and custom black and white printing. She teaches at many prestigious institutions throughout Texas.
M.F.A., University of Texas at San Antonio, 2004
Nationally recognized pinhole photographer Melanie Rush Davis is truly an integral part of her community. Her recent projects include, installations of interactive camera obscuras, participation in Luminaria, documentation of the Pearl Brewery, honest portrayals of teens at risk and the simplicity of the everyday found in her neighborhood and garden. Having studied and collaborated with such greats as William Wegman, Mary Ellen Mark, Duane Michals, and Jerry Uelsmann and France Scully Osterman she possesses the exceptional ability to perceive the needs of the moment.
Melanie was one of the innovators of the Saturday Morning discovery program at the Southwest School of Art and Craft, by introducing pinhole photography into the program. The Texas Nature Conservancy invited this artist to participate in their photographic exhibition, The Last Great Places of Texas. Her work is published on a regular basis in the Pinhole Journal and she exhibits regionally and nationally.
Her love of life and the people she works with allows this artist to document what she finds humorous, beautiful, and humane. With an MFA from the University of Texas at San Antonio her specialties include view camera work, digital imaging, alternative processes, and custom black and white printing. She teaches at many prestigious institutions throughout Texas.
Ruth Tiemann
Adjunct FacultyArt
Phone: (210) 431-4232
Full Bio Details
B.F.A., University of Texas at Austin, 1958
M.F.A., University of Texas at San Antonio, 1978
Tiemann has exhibited in several states and entered many competitions, one resulting in an award from John Canaday, former art critic for the New York Times. Her emphasis in art is gouache and sculpture. She has been published in Western Art Education at Joetsu-shi University, Niigata-ken, Japan, and was a contributing editor for Art Works, a middle school textbook. She has also written articles for School Arts Magazine.
M.F.A., University of Texas at San Antonio, 1978
Tiemann has exhibited in several states and entered many competitions, one resulting in an award from John Canaday, former art critic for the New York Times. Her emphasis in art is gouache and sculpture. She has been published in Western Art Education at Joetsu-shi University, Niigata-ken, Japan, and was a contributing editor for Art Works, a middle school textbook. She has also written articles for School Arts Magazine.
What's happening in the Art Department
Below are activities or events happening for students or faculty in the Art Department.
September 9th to October 23, 2012
St. John Named Artist of the Year
Brian St. John, associate professor and chair of the Art Department at St. Mary's University, has been named the 2012 Artist of the Year by the San Antonio Art League and Museum.
In addition to his faculty position, St. John is a professional artist with a private studio in San Antonio. Painting is his primary art focus, although he has worked in other media and processes including printmaking/etching and sculpture in clay. His academic training includes both abstraction and naturalism.
March 20th to April 7th 2012
San Antonio Art League Museum - 2012 Collegiate Art Exhibition
17 St. Mary's University students were selected to be a part of the 2012 San Antonio Art League Museum - Collegiate Art Exhibition. Student works on display were from the art departments of all of the universities and colleges in the San Antonio area.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Chalk It Up 2011
A team of students and faculty from the St. Mary's Art Department participated in the Chalk It Up 2011. Chalk It Up is a free, family-friendly annual community event where San Antonio's premier artists and students transform city sidewalks into colorful works of art. The St. Mary's Art Department team collaborated on a large-scale chalk work.
