For many years, DeClerck has been exposing high school students to their first experience in the medium of oil painting. He has always had in interest in incorporating technology into his projects, but for a variety of reasons, has hesitated to do so.

In the past, DeClerck's students were always allowed to choose any topic at all as the subject for their first attempt at oil painting. While the results were always acceptable, DeClerck felt that, if the students could only put more of themselves into the project, it might be more successful. DeClerck and Taylor met several times to discuss ways that this might become a reality.

Taylor suggested the use of digital photography as a means of involving the students more intimately in their work. He asked DeClerck to consider using digital photos of the students themselves as a subject for their oil painting. DeClerck then took the idea one step further. He wanted the students to imagine themselves 10-15 years in the future. He challenged them to think hard about what they saw themselves doing at that point in their lives.

Each student was asked to bring in a photograph, magazine cover, postcard, etc. which showed the "background" that the student wanted to become part of. Taylor then scanned this background into the computer. Next, each student's photo was taken using a digital camera. Taylor "posed" the student in a position that would eventually blend in with the background image the student had chosen.

The next step was to "merge" the two photographic images together, resulting in the student becoming "part of" his/her chosen background. (We used the "clone brush" in  Paint Shop Pro from Jasc Software.) This blended picture was then printed out and became the "model" which the student used for his/her first attempt at oil painting.

Click on any of the links above to see the progress of several of these projects.

For more information, send e-mail to Jerry Taylor at: Jerry.Taylor@greece.k12.ny.us

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