York, England

What does it mean to be a lifelong learner? It doesn’t mean being ‘stuck’ in school interminably—or I would be in 46th grade! It does mean that I get to follow my curiosity about the good, true, and beautiful wherever it leads.

Medieval cathedrals are one of the beautiful things that fourth graders study at Naples Classical Academy. As their art teacher, I wanted to know more, so I took an online class on cathedrals taught by a professor of art history.

At the same time, my family was planning a summer trip to England, so when I learned about the art and architecture of York Minster in my Cathedrals class, I lobbied to spend a week in the City of York, and to stay within walking distance of this magnificent cathedral.

I have a passion for soaring arches and massive stained glass windows, so I researched and prepared a presentation on York Minster for my family so that I could show them what I found so beautiful. I created a lesson to share with my multi-generational “class”, ages 8 - 84.

While in York, I toured the inside and outside of York Minster with private guides, and took photographs for future teaching. Some of the facts I learned about the York Minster were new to me, and I had the opportunity to ask about how the windows were made, watch stone carvers making reproductions in their outdoor studio, and to see the Minster from many angles both up close and from high up on the ancient city walls.

Teaching Art

MY FAMILY Classical education has shaped my family. Figures from history and the arts are part of our dinner table conversations. As a mother, I am inspired by seeing my five daughters grow and become well-rounded, vivacious, and responsible young people. I’M AN ARTIST I grew up as that kid who loved to draw and read. Like many, I stumbled when I wanted to draw realistically and didn’t know how. In high school, I had patient teachers, and I really committed to life as an artist. I began my serious study of drawing, painting, and sculpture. Later, at Columbus College of Art & Design, there was nothing better than spending whole days drawing and painting from life, and working in the ceramics studio! Looking for more instruction in the liberal arts, I moved to Pittsburgh and finished my Bachelor of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University, with honors and a double major in writing. WHY I LOVE NAPLES CLASSICAL ACADEMY At Naples Classical Academy, I get to share my passion for great works of art and artmaking. I love bringing the arts into the lives of young people by teaching how we grasp the essential truths the great masters reveal, by encouraging our scholars to see the world through artists’ eyes, and by teaching the skills and practices of a classical artist. FUN FACTS Teaching energizes me! When I'm not teaching and learning about art, I'm probably knitting or baking, drinking strong coffee, and listening to moody music. My dream studio would be open to the outdoors, and would have lots of artists dropping in to talk shop, collaborate, and eat great food together

Making Sourdough

Expanding the starter.

---

Some passionate bread-lovers say they can enjoy baguettes in France with no problems, and noticed that bread here in the US would give them unpleasant symptoms, so I decided to look for French-grown wheat and see how my husband and friends felt after eating it. Success!

This is the French flour I found:

I love to eat a slice with Kerrygold butter and flaky Maldon sea salt.

Now my next step is to figure out how to work the rhythm of sourdough into my routines of driving, cooking, early mornings, early nights, and maybe some painting.