Katherine Hopkins is a Fine Arts student at the College as well as a Student Ambassador. You may remember her 10 Questions with Katherine blog post from last year. Katherine wanted to talk a little bit about a College instructor who has had an impact on her. Though she had great things to say about all her instructors, she decided to highlight Fine Arts instructor Roberta Frey-Chale.
Entering into the Fine Arts program here at College of the Rockies, I’ll admit that I was nervous to meet my instructors. When it comes to art, all of us have our own individual values, which can make it hard to evaluate what is considered good or bad. Some artists value accuracy while others value technique. Some want to follow the rules while others seek to break them.
Luckily for me (and the rest of her students), Roberta Frey-Chale values authenticity above all else. Regardless of style, medium, or method, she teaches that your work is at its best when it’s the way you want it – and she has helped me to realize exactly what that means for my own art.
Roberta has taught me a great many new skills, but perhaps most importantly, she has shown me the value of the skills that I already possess. Because of her, I pay more attention to fine details of the world around me, and the art that surrounds us all in our everyday lives. She has impacted the way I see the world and has given me reason to notice the little things, like the way the shadows of sunset fall on her classroom wall, and she inspires me to be brave in all of my creative pursuits.
So thanks, Roberta, for showing me I had nothing to be nervous about.
Photo: Roberta enjoying some time away from the classroom, with some turtle friends.