Ventura College Art - Addiction in Art

"Addiction in Art" enjoyed a well-attended, one night showing in the Oxnard Art Beat Gallery in Oxnard, CA.  Curated by Ventura College 3D instructor and artist Jenchi Wu, this show was a collaboration between Ventura College art instructors and their students. As artists and educators, the passion, drive, belief and dedication for creating works of art influences our daily teaching. Students absorb information from their instructors and reflect it on to their own work. This creates a thread between student and instructor. This exhibition showcased  instructors Julie Dahl-Nicolle, Michelle Onstot, Catherine Day, Pam Huth, Bob Moskowitz, and their students' works. The exhibition included drawings, portraits, paintings, prints, ceramics, and sculpture.   


Special thanks to Megan Petree for providing her beautiful voice and guitar playing to the evening, and Mitchel Wu Photography for capturing images from the event.

Ventura College - Sculptural Self-Portraits

Following up our successful cardboard chair project, beginning sculpture students have been busy working on clay self-portrait busts. Not all self-portraits have to be accurate and literal (although they can).  You are more than the sum of your outer skin, and so can your self-portrait.  How do you see yourself?  How do others see you?

Zachary Illig

Julietta Cortez

Lynne Holmes

Sebastian Palomares

Art Beat at Oxnard Garala Gallery - Ventura College Art Show

These four office spaces provided by Oxnard Art Beat will be experimental gallery spaces for Ventura College art faculty and their students this November. The exhibition "Addiction in Art" begins Nov 11 - Nov 30. The reception is on Nov 11 from 6 - 9 p.m. Mark your calendars for what promises to be a thought-provoking show.  The gallery is open by appointment only after the reception.  

Fall 2011 Cardboard Chairs - Ventura College Beginning Sculpture

The VC Beginning Sculpture Cardboard Chair project this semester was another great success. Students did a fabulous jobs creating a personal chair that fits their profile - personal, comfortable, colorful and functional.   The chair, made completely from cardboard, had to support the student's weight.  Mission accomplished!

Dene Mesick
Double Seaters

Sebastian Palmoares
(Black, Red and other color style)

 Lynne Holmes
(Costco Cardboard Chair)

Megan Petree

Michael Mchale
(Frank Lloyd Style)

Ventura College 3D - Self Portrait With Historical Reference

Ventura College 3D - Beginning Ceramics 

The students' first assignment: create a self-portrait. But not just your regular self-portrait.  Students were asked to create a self portrait (at least 14" tall) using a historical vase as inspiration and reference.  The assignment utilized various clay skills while requiring the students to think conceptually.  Everyone is familiar with the traditional painted or photographic self-portrait... but a self-portrait vase?  They did a GREAT job.

Ventura College 3D - Kiln Opening Week 6

This is our second glaze firing of the Fall semester.  Students helped load and unload the kiln, a science and art unto itself.  Opening a kiln is like waking up on Christmas morning... did Santa leave us something amazing or a sack of coal!?  Thankfully it was something amazing.  Congrats to my students for a job well done!

Ventura 3D - International Student Club Meeting

I was invited to participate in the Ventura College International Students Club Meeting last Friday. Student members are from Brazil and the Philippines.  We had a nice cultural exchange where we learned about each others homes and traditions.  For my part I taught them how to make origami. As you can see from the photos they did well!  I encourage students and staff to become involved with some of the VC clubs.  If you have an interest or curiosity in something chances are there is a club for you.  If not then find people with like-interests and look into forming your own club.  It's just one more way to make the most of your time at VC.

Ventura College 3D - Self Portraits - First Sculpture Project

9/14/11 - The students' first project in beginning sculpture was to create a sculpture that reflected themselves either in spirit, likeness or symbol. Students were mainly limited to using various wires and chicken wire to create the 3 dimensional work. They did an good excellent job of fulfilling the project requirements in a very creative manner.

Dene Mesick

Megan Petree

Kate Perez - She worw her cartoon portrait and walked to the cafeteria to chill. It became a fun performance art piece. 

Gabby Costella

Michale Mchale

Neda Nakhai

Sebastian Palomares

Lynne Holmes

Fall 2011 - 9/11 Remembrance Installation from Ventura College to Valencia's Helmers Elementary

This year marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  We began the Fall 2011 semester with the installation event "Remember 9/11" which took place simultaneously on both the Ventura College campus as well as at Charles Helmers Elementary School (I am an art docent there) located in Valencia CA. Helmers' students began their installation on Friday 9/9/11. Ventura College began its installation on 9/6/11.

It's interesting to note that most of the Helmers students were either born in 2001 or not even born yet - so remembrances such as this are very important.

Ventura College 9/11 installation

"9/11 was a horrific event. Too many innocent people lost their lives. I hope to god that nothing like that ever happens again." 

"I remember being in 3rd grade & not understanding why my mother was crying or what was happening. 9/11 will never be forgotten and the peoples live that were taken will never be forgotten...."

9//9/11 Mrs. Wolf  who teaches English 1A had her students to write about this installation. She encouraged students to not only read the messages on the tags but to also be aware of their surroundings using the five senses.

Helmers Elementary School - Valencia 

Three classes of  4th and 5th grade students participated in this 9/11 event.

Students used red frabic to weave "Remember 9/11" in a chain link fence.

And used blue tape to create words.