Former Pratt Institute Professor and Fulbright Scholar Martin Skalski helps high school students prepare to become professional artists and designers through his classes at Paint Creek Center for the Arts (PCCA). Through his innovative methods and tools, Martin teaches his students to create beautiful and visually interesting drawings and sculptures suitable for college application portfolios.
Martin will be teaching two classes at PCCA this spring: Perspective Drawing and Foundations in 3D Design. His Perspective Drawing classes help students master the skills needed to represent the three-dimensional world in drawings using one, two, and three-point linear perspective. In Martin’s Foundations in 3D Design classes, students design sculptures, buildings, cars, or any product they choose as they learn the fundamentals of 3D design including size, proportion, character, axis, accent, connections, and visual relationships.
Martin taught full-time at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY for more than 25 years. Much of his research and teaching is focused on turning beautiful designs into new, functional products. He taught internationally in China and Turkey as well as in design schools in Michigan. He earned his master’s degree from Pratt and his bachelor’s from the University of Toledo. He received grants from the NEA, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Daimler Chrysler, and directed design projects for Northrup Grumman, BASF/Mearl, Black and Decker, NASA, NEC, Corning, Nissan, Ford, and GM.
Martin feels “connecting the eye, the hand and the mind is one of the most important parts of a person’s development as a complete human being.” In addition to his teaching at PCCA, Martin is working on a series of steel sculptures with complex surface qualities, presenting workshops for high school art teachers, and remodeling his home in Rochester Hills.
To learn about classes with Professor Skalski and to see other instructors at PCCA, please check-out the Spring Term Classes, which run from April 5 to June 6.
About Paint Creek Center for the Arts
Paint Creek Center for the Arts (PCCA) is dedicated to promoting the arts and artistic excellence through a full range of cultural programs including exhibitions, studio art classes, outreach programs, and community involvement projects in Southeast Michigan. Every year, PCCA offers over 300 classes for all ages and levels of experience including drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, and summer camps. Annually, PCCA proudly presents the Art & Apples Festival, which is consistently praised for its excellence and was designated as one of the top 10 fine art and design festivals in the nation.
