If you’ve landed on this page you want to know one of two things; what is this place, seven.knot.wind or who is Kevin Townsend?seven.knot.wind is an anagram for my name (Kevin Townsend) and I think of it as a repository for my thoughts, images, inspirations and experiences.Your probably wondering who I am… well the short, sweet but incomplete version is that; I am an artist, a husband, an educator and a father. I am not sure I have any business blogging but I am going to do it anyway because it feels cathartic.
past:DC >>>I earned my BFA (97) from Corcoran College of Art and Design where, upon graduation, I taught beginning drawing + painting and printmaking, as an adjunct faculty member.While living in DC I also taught art at the Washington International School, but I would have to say that my work as master printer for Hand Print Workshop International was one the most rewarding experiences I have ever had as an artist. My work with the studio offered me a chance to simultaneously educate and collaborate with other artists while educating myself. The work we did at HPWI earned the studio and myself an Honorarium at the National Museum of American Art. The experiences I had at HPWI still inspire me and serve as a driving force in my exploration of the screen printing process. After DC, we moved to New Jersey to be close to New York, and landed about a 40 minutes outside of Manhattan.
NJ/NY >>>After a brief stint as an art director and web designer in NY (almost 3 years), I was able to return to teaching at East Brunswick high school were I wrote the initial curriculum for and taught a course entitled ‘Humanities:because human is more than just being’ focusing on the art of the last 100 years, Aesthetics and Philosophy . The course earned the recognition of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities for excellence in high school arts education. In order to meet the needs of the new curriculum and the growing number of students requesting the course two new teachers were brought in to expand the programs depth; one teacher focusing on society and culture as well as a film/performing arts teacher. The teachers who I collaborated with, are truly two of the greatest human beings I have ever met and are both phenomenal teachers in their own right.
present:ME >>>Currently I can be found teaching screen printing and portfolio development in the continuing studies program at Maine College of Art, in Portland, Maine. Slowly, I am making friends and connections here and it already feels like home. In addition to teaching I am also a stay-at-home-dad right now which gives me a lot to write about. (it is one of the greatest things I have ever done and also one of the most challenging)
