Gallery Hours: Monday-Thursday: 10am-5pm, Friday: 10am-3pm (Admission is free of charge)

VSU’s Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery and Martha G. Smart Gallery are located on the first floor of the Fine Arts Building, at the intersection of Brookwood Drive and Oak Street.

@VSUMaranvilleGallery    @VSUMaranvilleGallery 

    

 

IT STARTS HERE | The Art of Educators and Their Students of South Georgia
 

 ARTIST STATEMENTS

Coby Rice  

Educator-Berrien High School-Nashville GA 

I grew up in Lanier County and later moved to Ray City, GA. My husband is Brandon Rice, and we have two children, a son, Carson (a senior at BHS) and a daughter, Cambree (an 8th grader at BMS).  

I graduated from Valdosta State University in 2002, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Later I obtained a Master of Science in Education from NOVA University. I currently teach Visual Arts at Berrien High School. I have been teaching Art for 20 years. The first half of those years were at the Elementary level before I transitioned to high school.  

As an Art Teacher, I feel it is my job to build relationships with my students while they gain the ability to express themselves in a visual way. Producing art can be calming but often, in a high school setting, it can be stressful. Students are pressured to not make mistakes in front of their peers. It is my goal to teach each student to embrace his/her imperfections and create an artistic style of their own. It is my personal experience that art class is a place that students come to grow in confidence and gain self-worth; a place to build friendships; a place to be expressive; a place to feel loved and appreciated. I LOVE what I do! Teaching students Art Education is so much more than my career; it’s my calling.  

 

Savana Shiver  

Student-Berrien High School- Nashville GA 

My name is Savana Shiver and I’m 17 years old. Mrs. Rice first became my art teacher back when I was in third grade. She helped me unlock my love for art back then. Later in life she became my high school art teacher as well and helped me enhance my skills as an artist far beyond what I ever thought I was capable of. This piece was made during my time in her AP art class and represents the nurturing part of humanity, that is motherhood. It ended up being one of the pieces I was most proud of.  

 

 

Cindy Lyons  

Educator -Lanier County Elementary School-Lakeland GA 

I love teaching art at Lanier County Elementary School in Lakeland, Georgia. Allows students the opportunity to express themselves and use their imagination to create original works of art. I have the privilege of watching students develop innovative solutions to solve problems. Math and Science, as well as other great subjects, are governed by strict rules which determine whether content is graded correct or incorrect. Art provides a safe space for students to use their ingenuity and intelligence to generate one-of-a-kind pieces of art. It is a joy to be part of the creative process and offer meaningful instruction as well as a tremendous amount of encouragement and support to my young artists. Flourishing was such a fun mixed media piece to create. I enjoy using bright colors and organic shapes to depict cheerful flowers in full bloom.  

 

AnnaLee Maldonado  

Student- Lanier County Elementary School- Lakeland GA 

AnnaLee is a budding young artist who has just started 6th Grade at Lanier County Middle School in Lakeland, Ga.  She loves to crate and is so very talented AnnaLee enjoys producing mixed media art and loves experimenting with markers, pencils, watercolors, acrylics and colored pencils.  
 I really like art because it’s a wonderful way to express myself without boundaries or rules. Upside Down represents a place where everyone sees the world around them in a different way.  

 

Amanda Youngblood  

Educator -Coffee High School-Douglas GA 

My inspiration came from trying to recreate God’s amazing artwork that he paints for us daily. Though I could never actually recreate the beauty he allows us to see, I find joy in trying. The beach always makes me feel closer to God. I painted this piece using acrylic paints and I hope you can find joy in viewing what I saw that early morning on the beach.  

I am currently one of the Art teachers at Coffee High School. This will be my second-year teaching Art at the secondary level. I also taught Art at the middles school level for three years.  

 

Shana Harper 

Educator-Coffee High School-Douglas GA 

I believe that we manifest reality through our thoughts, words, and actions. Therefore, I consciously choose to look for beauty and strength as subjects in my art. I use various media to exemplify reoccurring themes such as consistency, love and humor, things I want to see more of in the world around me. It is my hope to be a light that spreads positivity through my art and human experience.  

I am a high school art teacher working in my alma mater, Coffee High School, in Douglas, GA. I earned my BSED and EDS from Valdosta State University. I am married and we have three wonderful sons together.  

 

Ariella Ramos 

Student-Coffee High School-Douglas GA 

I am 17 and a high school student at Coffee High School in Douglas GA.  

In 2004, high school boys in Canton GA were assaulting and robbing Hispanic immigrant workers. My grandpa, like many others, was beaten by five boys on the side of the road. The students bragged about the assault in school, which led to them being arrested. My grandpa was able to report this case because he was a citizen; still, many abuse or violence cases go unnoticed in the immigrant community because of fear that they will be deported. Despite the hardships as an immigrant in America, my grandpa continues to smile. His strength inspires me to create art dedicated to documenting the experience of Hispanic Americans in the South.  

 

Lynnzy M. Wooten  

Student-Coffee High School-Douglas GA 

My influence for this piece is mental health and cosmic horrors. This piece attempts to show how the further down you are in the water, the harder it is to breathe. Theo ocean is incomprehensibly heavy and is suffocating at the at the thought. I wanted this piece to convey how the human experience is like how it feels when you're out of breath in water. Sinking farther while watching an unreachable light become more and more out of reach.  

For most of my life, I've struggled to picture things in my mind's eye. It’s a difficult thing to be an artist who can't really imagine. I've always loved art though, soi I've had to push myself to come up with impressive recreation. But the more I experiment with new art styles and themes I find it a little easier to create something deeper than my surface-level work, which is what I tried with this piece here.  

 

Maria Pittman  

Educator -Thomas County High School-Thomasville GA 

Hey there! I’m Maria Pittman, and my journey ass an artist and educator has been nothing short of incredible. It all started at Valdosta State University, where I pursued my passion for art and earned my bachelor’s degree in art education. Little did I know my time there would not only shape my career but also introduce me to the love of my life- my husband.  

Our paths crossed during our years at Valdosta State University, as fate would have it, we fell in love. After graduation, we decided to set our roots in the charming town if Thomasville, Georgia. 

Returning to my hometown, I found myself drawn back to the very highs school that played a significant role in my own artistic development. It was a full-circle moment as I joined the teaching staff at the school I once walked as a student. Now, as I enter my fourth year of teaching art, I can honestly say that I’m living my dream. I absolutely adore guiding and inspiring my students to express themselves through art, just as I did all those years ago.  

Beyond my career, my heart is filled with joy of being a mother. My daughter is turning two this November, and every day with her is a precious gift. In my free time, you'll often find me immersed in my family activities, creating memories and embracing every moment together. My story is one of one love, art, and the beauty of coming full circle. From my education at Valdosta State University to returning to my high school as a teacher, every step has led me to where I am today. And through it all, my passion for art, my love for my family, and my dedication to education continue to drive me forward. 

My artwork, ‘Memories in Motion’ encapsulates a precious moment in time when my daughter, embraced the thrill of a swing for one of the first times. Through this piece, I sought to convey the vivacity of the moment by employing an array of vibrant colors that mirror the exuberance she radiated. The bold hues speak to the boundless foy she felt, as well as the intensity of emotions I experience as a parent witnessing her delight.  

In a unique twist, my daughter herself played a role in the creation of the artwork. She joyfully painted the background, infusing the piece with her own innocent energy and spontaneity. I then carefully paint her portrait on top. As I painted, I found myself immersed not only in the act of creating but also in the flood of memories and emotions tied to that moment. Every brushstroke was a tribute to her forging new ones. ‘Memories in Motion’ is a celebration of the present and a homage to the past, a canvas where vibrant colors and loving nostalgia converge to tell a story that’s both personal and universal. 

 

 

Milo Weiss  

Student-Thomas County High School-Thomasville GA 

Creating art is a deep, personal, and emotional experience for me. Every piece I create is an extension of myself, and I learn more about myself through the creative process as I explore various mediums and styles of art. From a young age, I have always expressed myself differently from other people my age, from fashion choices to how I interact with my environment. Other’s opinions have never stopped me from being myself since there is nothing worse than conformity.  

My name is Milo Weiss, and I am a 12th grade student at Thomas County Central Highs School. Art aside, I enjoy obsessing over animated series and media surrounding it. I have lives in a small town in South Georgia my whole life, with little opportunity to expand my reach. I utilized as many learning opportunities as possible from school, taking multiple advanced placement classes, along with joining the art club. I became the First person in my school to take more than one art course in one ye year. I loved the pressure of two classes, but it still was not enough. I participated in community events out of passion with no pay, where I carefully monitored art displays and brought joy to children by painting their faces. I have won high-placing awards in local fair competitions, such as first place in the Georgia National Fair's art competition for sculpture. Apart from that, I am proud to have been recognized as Georgia's Farm Bureau’s 9th District winner in the 28th Annual Georgia Farm Bureau High School Art Contest. In the spring of 2022, I applied and won Georgia's 8th Congressional District’s Congressional Art Competition. Knowing that my work is in the U.S capital is a hallowed accomplishment and raises confidence in what I create. Winning these competitions taught me that I could utilize my virtuosity and change the world. I branched out into even more media, using anything I could get my hands on. From ceramics to crocheting to digital and metalworking, I found joy in everything I tried. May passion for visual arts is part of my identity and goes far beyond the classroom and awards. It is a part of who I am and brings joy and fulfillment to everyday life. This program would allow me opportunities to work with other talented peers and receive guidance from experienced professionals because it would give me a unique experience. 

In this piece, I used paper, pencils, and acrylic paint. This piece is the first of an original series I created about a character who is thrown into fantasy world and embarks on a quest to get back home. This series represents my love of fantasy and, in a sense, explores my mind. The idea of this piece is that the main character opens a magical book, which they transport into a new world. In the piece, I wanted to represent dramaticism and wonder in the facial expression, the face being the focal point and the dolly-shot inspired dramatic zoom-out for the perspective. Next, I used a sandbox 3D model and created the scene I wanted, with a stretched background and the main character as the focus to use as a reference. Symmetry is an integral part of this piece, and I meticulously added every detail. I drafted the outline of the head and shoulders on paper and added details as I sketched. I used a ruler to create straight lines for the wooden boards to check my perspective. When I finished that I started painting the background using acrylic paint. I used muted shades of dark brown as the background and books to insinuate an aging building. The carpet is dark red because I associate red with importance, and I wanted to emphasize the library’s hidden significance. I used brighter colors towards the center of the image to draw focus to the character and make them feel lively. From the beginning stages, I knew I wanted to make the main character androgynous so that anyone could see themselves in pieces. It is important that people feel represented in my art as much as I do. Next, I decided a cool toned jean jacket would stand out the most against the warm background. The jacket required heavy detail since the fabric I was trying to replicate was texture. I added light white to the book to make the light rays pop and that final touch to the piece.   

 

Daisy Taylor  

Educator -Lowndes County High School-Valdosta GA 

Daisy Taylor is an artist and art educator in Hahira, Georgia. She is a proud graduate of VSU’s Art and Design Program, having received both her BFA in Art Education and her BFA in Art. This is her seventh-year teaching Art at Lowndes High School and has also led workshops and classes through various art centers and camps. She loves mixed media art and spending time with her husband and son.  

I find drawing and painting to be a form of meditation, and my ongoing abstract “Meeba” series was born out of the need for a healing outlet during the summer of 2020. I began to channel my anxiety of the unknown into creating controlled, freeform organic shapes and line patterns. This summer I created Weird Barbie Cow and Can you Spot Spot? after starting to paint more representational subject matter through an abstract lens.  

 

Knox Taylor  

Student- Lowndes High School-Valdosta GA 

This piece is the form of Surrealism called transformation and displacement. The subject of this piece is a television with legs, a remote with legs that is a centipede sitting on the floor with a bowl of popcorn and a soda near it. I am very pleased with how this piece came out, but if I could change anything I would add more junk food and cans around the TV fellow to make it feel a little more relatable to how it is when we watch tv. My favorite/strongest part of this piece is the TV because the shading came out nearly exactly how I wanted it to. This project helped me learn different techniques to manipulate the color how I want it, if you put a little bit of water on the paper first it helps spread the color more evenly.  

Know Taylor is from Fort Lauderdale, FL and they moved to Valdosta, Georgia at 11 and have live here since. This piece’s name is Roles Reversed. My social media for my art page is Instagram: @odd._. creations. They are in the 11th grade. Art has been a major outlet for them since about 3 years old. For them it helps them keep their anxiety under control, destress and express things that are hard to put into words. They live with their parents and younger brother; their family has supported their drive and love for making art and they are so grateful for that. After high school they will go to college and possibly the military, but they are going to take a 6-month break after high school before starting their next step in life.  

 

Anee Miller  

Student-Lowndes High School-Valdosta GA 

Anee Miller is from Valdosta, Georgia and is currently a Junior in Lowndes High School. Throughout her life she has developed a deep interest in art. She has taken various art classes and clubs contributing to the fine arts, which helped broaden her skills and creativity. In regard to art, Anee favors sketching, painting, and sculpting. Her other interests include spending time with family, listening/playing music, gaming and more.  

I was very fascinated with such serene and graceful creatures that dwell within our planet. Hence, my alebrijes represent a sea turtle and peacock hybrid. The process in making this was building the form of the hybrid by using newspaper, Styrofoam, and cardboard. When the form was made, I added a few hard layers on top by using the paper mache. After letting it dry, it was time to apply the acrylic paint. The choice of colors would most likely be the strongest part of this artwork. I wanted the palette to correlate to the creatures' elements such as air and water as well as implement other colors that help the patterns stand out.  Alebrijes embraces a beautiful culture and expresses the use of amusing creativity and ideas.  

 

Becky Yancey 

Educator -Lowndes High School-Valdosta GA 

This artwork is a piece of personal exploration inspired by a student teacher’s lesson. It served as the introduction to a non-objective approach to painting I had not explored before. This piece allowed me to step away from the traditional style I was used to and dive into the world of shapes, lines, and colors. The pastel colors represent a calmness while the lines and shapes with India ink serve a directional purpose to encourage the viewer’s eye to move around the composition.  

This piece embodies a glimpse in time on the road between home and Amelia Island. It was inspired by a fleeting glance out the window as we crossed one of the many bridges to the island. The original images is of a beautiful clear day, however, during its production the weather was consistently rainy, dark and dreary, This painting brough the light from the trip and the memories created to the forefront of my mind bringing the day while I was creating it, but it also reminded me that it is fleeting as the next time I see this view it will have changed.  

Becky Yancey was born and raised in Leesburg, GA. After graduating from Valdosta State in 2015, she began teaching visual art. Currently she resides in the Valdosta area and teaches at Lowndes High School. Although a majority of her time is spent with her students, she enjoys reading, creating, and playing with her young daughter. Becky looks forward to the time she can spend on her pack porch with a paintbrush in hand turning memories into artworks.  

 

Flint Fosdick 

Student-Lowndes High School-Valdosta GA 

When I look at this drawing, I almost feel like I am waking up in the world. It’s like I can hear the crickets and the birds, of the rushing creek. The plants look brighter and brighter as the sun gets higher, and I can feel the wind rushing through the pine trees and grass. Making art is like immersing myself in different worlds and looking at the finished product bring I right back to me. 

 

Madison Booth 

Student-Lowndes High School-Valdosta GA 

For this piece I used a picture I took during a six-week internship at the University of Georgia, Tifton campus. During this internship, I gained both knowledge as well as appreciation for farming. I chose this subject because I guess I haven’t seen enough blackberries this summer! I really enjoy watercolor due to it feeling almost like drawing. This piece was very challenging but very enjoyable.   

I am a 17-year-old artist raised in Valdosta GA looking forward to continuing to improve my artwork. I am so grateful for both of my wonderfully talented art teachers, Rebecca Yancey, and Daisey Taylor. Thank you so much for this opportunity.  

 

Taylor Gray 

Educator-Lowndes High School-Valdosta GA 

This collection of works, featuring my students Alyssa Redden and Maelani Zambelli, showcases the variety of projects my students complete throughout a semester and how my personal work influences the direction my students’ work goes in. 

Taylor Gray is a visual arts instructor at Lowndes High School, teaching the introduction course and drawing course in the Fine Arts pathway. Gray was born in Valdosta and received her BFA in Art Education and a BA in Art from VSU in 2022. Gray has participated in the Draw Project and Spring Into Art at the Turner Center for the Arts. Her work was also featured in “Grounds and Roots” at Plough Gallery in Tifton GA. Gray has also participated in shows at VSU. Her personal practice focuses on printmaking and painting, however, being an art teacher allows her to broaden and experiment with different media and themes.  

 

Heather Dorsey 

Educator -S.L. Mason Elementary-Valdosta GA 

I have been creating for as long as I can remember. I began drawing and painting as a young girl and took many art lessons and classes as a child. As I finished high school, my art teacher encouraged me to consider teaching as a career. I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Art at Valdosta State University and began my teaching career at Dewar Elementary School in Valdosta, Georgia.  I was given the opportunity to teach high school at Lowndes High School and spent the next 11 years teaching many art courses at the high school level. During this time, I received my Master of Education in Art Education from VSU. I also received training to teach advanced placement art. I currently teach art a S.L. Mason Elementary school in Valdosta, Georgia. For the past 19 years, I have had the pleasure of using my creativity and love for art to create inspiring lessons that expose students to artists and art processes. I truly love teaching and inspiring creativity in each student that walks into my classroom.  

Experimentation is the action or process of trying out new ideas, methods, or activities. As a teacher and an artist, I believe this is an important part of the creative process. I teach my students to experiment with each new media that I introduce. As an artist, I like to experiment with my media of choice, watercolor. I love the unpredictability of the watercolor as you drop it on wet watercolor paper. I let it run and bleed freely in the initial steps of my experimental paintings. Sometimes I like the initial outcome and sometimes I use the results as a learning experiment and move on. Texture is an element that I like to focus on in the initial steps of my watercolor paintings. I use many different techniques to achieve different textures in my pieces. Once the initial experimentation is complete, I look at the outcome to see where I will take my painting. Some lend themselves to botanical subject matter, some water, and other landscapes. I work the subject matter into the texture background letting the shapes that formed naturally lead the way.  

 

Addyson Dorsey  

Student-S.L. Mason Elementary-Valdosta GA 

I teach art because I love the creative process and I want to pass it along to my students. Whether my students will go on to make art in the future or not I think it is important to teach an appreciation of art and an understanding of the artistic process. Art is all around us and many people don’t realize the impact that art has on our everyday lives. I use my classroom to show students how much the world around us is affected by the artistic process. I also teach art to instill confidence in my students. I teach my subject in a way that gives students a safe place to learn and experiment. They have a place to try new things and succeed at something! They learn how to problem solve and take and use constructive criticism. I strive to make my art classroom a place where students are not afraid to make mistakes while learning and can turn their mistakes into a masterpiece.  

 

Harlee Bell 

Educator-Cook County High School-Adel GA 

Harlee Bell grew up in Ray City GA. and attended Valdosta State University for an undergraduate degree in Art Education. She currently resides in Tifton GA and teaches introduction to Art, Draw/Paint 1 and 2 and Fiber arts at Cook County High School. She is currently attending Kennesaw State University for a graduate degree in Art with a concentration in Art Education. When not making art or teaching, Harlee loves to spend time with her husband and their Australian Shephard, Waylon 

This artwork reflects my time spent with my parents in the Gulf of Mexico. These beautiful pelicans come to the canal every winter and are gone in the summer. I have always held an admiration for nature and animals, and I belie these birds are just magnificent creatures. I snapped a photo of this bird last year and knew I wanted to recreate this imaged with vibrant colors to express the beauty and light I feel when I am home. I have been such a serious person my entire life and I want my art to be the exact opposite: fun, lighthearted, and energetic.  

 

Edward Salazar 

Student-Cook County High School-Adel GA 

My name is Edward Salazar. I am 16 years old, and I am currently attending CHS. I started pursuing art from a very young age. The sole reason why I did start pursuing art was because my dad and brother were good at drawing, and I wanted to be as good as them. So, over the years I have been practicing and getting better at drawing and I hope I can keep doing that.  

This self-portrait was a project for my art class. I used the grid method to sketch the outline of my body. After the outline I would slowly start adding details. I would first start with my torso and then move on to my head. After I completed adding details, I started erasing the grid lines and any other mistakes I found. Once I finished with the cleanup, I wanted to add something in the background and so I decided to draw eyes staring at me. Finally, I was done with the project and overall I enjoyed the entire process, although I would like to do it again because I feel like I can do better.