SJRCC PRESS RELEASE June 2007 FloArts instructor retires educational canvas after 26 years Inside the fine arts studio at Florida School of the Arts are various items ranging from guitars and lanterns, to animal skulls and plastic grapes, stacked and stored throughout the room. The assortment of props David Ouellette has collected to teach composition is an ironic reflection of his diverse teaching techniques and of his students at St. Johns River Community College. On the eve of his retirement, Ouellette said the past 26 years as the FloArts fine arts instructor and gallery director has taught him that art is about the individual, and even though each student is unique, they share the same connection - art. "There is such a thing as an art world, where various students from different cultures, ages and life experiences still have a common bond," Ouellette said. Since 1981, Ouellette has brought in more than 150 gallery exhibits and has taught painting, color design, 3-D design and art history on the Palatka Campus to more than 1,000 students - students who have gone on to teach or become working artists. However, Ouellette doesn't plan on cutting all ties with the College. The St. Augustine resident plans to teach art history part time on the SJRCC St. Augustine Campus, while focusing his retirement on painting in his home studio and securing the right art agent. "An artist must continue to evolve, develop and progress," Ouellette said. Ouellette said while teaching others, he has learned it is important to maintain a grasp of the fundamentals. "Even though my work is non-objective and abstract, the principles of art that I teach also apply to my own work," he said. FloArts Dean Gary Piazza, Ph.D., described Ouellette as a model for artistic discipline, passion and love for his art. "David has that rare self-actualized gift to constantly raise the bar, not only for his students, but he continually strives to grow as a painter in his own right," Piazza said. SJRCC Executive Vice President Melissa Miller, J.D. said the Ouellette's retirement party in the FloArts gallery amid the art created by his students was a fitting tribute. "David is a gifted professor and artist; to be both of these things is truly a gift to the world," Miller said. Shirley Kennedy, Ph.D., SJRCC Vice President for Academic Affairs, said Ouellette's departure is bitter-sweet. "David is a wonderful friend and colleague, and we all will miss his daily presence at FloArts. During the quarter of a century he has been a professor here, he has touched the lives of students, imparting his wisdom, his skill as an artist and his kindness and caring as a human being," Kennedy said. "He is certainly well known in the community of artists in St. Augustine and beyond Northeast Florida. Appreciation for his work will continue to expand geographically as he has more time to work in his St. Augustine studio." Ouellette began painting at the age of 8. He remembers his artistic ability came naturally when he began drawing lessons at the local library in his home state of Michigan. During his college years, Ouellette traveled Europe and painted in exotic places such as the Isle of Crete in Greece. He specialized in painting in college and earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Wayne State University in Detroit. He moved to Florida in 1981 when Florida School of the Arts offered him a teaching position. During his tenure at SJRCC, Ouellette has worked with famous visual artists such as photographer Jack Mitchell, painter Syd Solomon and sculptor Enzo Torcoletti. Ouellette has shown his abstracts and scene paintings in various Northeast Florida galleries such as the Arts Advocate Gallery in St. Augustine, the Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, Gallery L in Jacksonville's Modis Building, the Arts on Douglas in New Smyrna Beach, and the Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts in Orange Park. In 2009, Ouellette plans to return to SJRCC and organize a FloArts Alumni Exhibition at the Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts, owned and operated by SJRCC. Florida School of the Arts was established in 1974 and is Florida's first state-supported arts school and is located on the SJRCC Palatka Campus. For more information about FloArts and its degree programs, call 386-312-4300. Return to SJRCC home page. Return to FloArts home page.