Viking_Yearbook_78

40 His teaching: (Jeff teaches two classes in beginning ceramics at PSU) " I enjoy teaching. I find it to be one of the hardest jobs I've ever had . It's very fru strating trying to communicate to some 20 different per– sonalities, especially in a class where I' m trying to get them to express ideas-it'snot like I' m giving them information and saying ' learn this and I' m going to test you on it.' I'm trying to teach them how to be creative thinkers. " Teaching also helps to reinforce my know– ledge of the subject. I don 't see teaching as merely a means of making a living but vital to the arts. It is my contribution to keeping the arts· going. It also serves to help people understand why I do abstract ceramic sculpture." His thesis: " I chose to be a visual artist. I'm not a poet. I' m not a writer. But we live in a society where the written word is one of the primary means of communication. A lot of people are not good abstract thinkers and they need you to clarify. " So at times you need to document your work and that's where a thesis comes in . I'm not opposed to the written thesis but I think too much emphasis is put on it. It becomes one more hurdle- an endurance test. " At times it seems they are asking you to make some profound verbal statement about what your work is and how it differs from anything anyone else has done. At times I say that's bull– shit-why don't you look at my work and judge it for yourself?"