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OSTERBIND FOUND HIS TRUE CALLING Mr. Carter Osterbind, Jacksonville State University professor of art, selected art school rather than law school to pursue his true calling. "I have always had in an interest in art. I originally obtained an English degree at Rhodes College but ended up earning art degrees at the University of Florida. I joined the Navy for three years and got into photography as a collateral duty. After I left the service, I was admitted to law school but before I started, I enrolled in a few art courses. I found that art was much bigger than I had originally thought. It was much more exciting so I decided to stick with it," he said. Mr. Osterbind, who teaches drawing, painting, and some photography in the Art Department, enjoys teaching college level students more than any other age group. "There is an early maturity in them. The students come in and they are genuinely interested. There is a sense of humor and wit that has developed. I like this level. It's the beginning of a time of exploration for them. I hope that I have some impact on them, not necessarily on what they do, but what they understand about art." Mr. Osterbind says that teaching art has its difficult moments but he believes in tailoring his teaching methods to reach each individual student. "Learning evolves over the years. Students need to find their strengths. I have to teach some fundamentals but about 30% of all students that come in have a great amount of talent with little formal training. “I also have to overcome tremendous prejudices about art. I teach students that they will change and grow visually. I believe in the ‘thinking’ hand. The hand does a lot of stuff on its own. The more you draw, the smarter the hand gets." Mr. Osterbind says Drawing I is his favorite class to teach because of the "blank canvas effect". "The students usually have not had any prior art classes at all. They don't have any preformed ideas about art. I don't have to undo anything. Drawing I gives you immediate feedback. I can pick out drawings before I know a student's name. Their individual charm and personality really come through from a student's uniqueness. I really like what I am teaching now. I have no desire to change." Mr. Osterbind dedicates part of his time to the Visual Arts Society in Anniston, which is a community group that helps the JSU Art department raise money for scholarships and new equipment through an annual art auction. Members of the society may donate a piece for the auction. Local and regional artists and JSU senior art students also donate pieces. As much as he enjoys teaching art, Mr. Osterbind also likes to put his creative talents to good use. He exhibits regionally and nationally in juried shows and has been in exchange exhibits in Poland and Russia. He is currently working on series of still life paintings. "I am working on a series with a repetition of the same image. One drawing features a pair of shoes that are actually my mother-in-law's mother's shoes. They have an interesting diamond back on the heel, which makes them stand out and contrast with the knots in the surrounding wooden floor. I just like the series of repeated objects. I feel like I have found a little niche to work in. I hope I can work on this series for the rest of my life as a painter." |
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