Examples
Excerpt from:
"Introduction," The Creativity of Jonathan Knight: A Visual Dialogue. Scottsdale, Arizona: International Graphics, 1998 (Standard Edition: ISBN l-889741-49-3; Limited Edition: ISBN 1-889741-48-5).
"If a metaphor of a natural geographical feature were selected to express the corpus of Jonathan Knight’s art, it would be an American river. Not a tempestuous river full of inchoate longings such as the Mississippi or the Colorado, but a river like the Ohio, the Monongahela or the James. Rivers that, for the most part, respect their boundaries and flow sedately through towns, farms and cities. Rivers that reveal from the traveler’s train window, that quality that evokes a sense of timelessness. Rivers which, in those sacred twilight moments when day is sliding over the rim of night, share with us standing on the bank a momentary state of innocence and satiety that releases us from mundane preoccupations. Like the unspooling of our own lives, rivers inform us of many things…."
Excerpts from a Jonathan Knight’s exhibition brochure:
“…. Chinese paintings of koi are believed to be auspicious and attract good luck. In “lily Pond VI,” the koi gently swim towards the water lily in an interspecies communication of greeting and joy.”
“Little Pomegranate.” “A sensuous, inviting still life, this oil portrays the artist’s skill in recreating the ambience of a European masterwork, presenting a pleasing, balanced composition….A creamy, white flower mirrors the hue of the membranes that partition the pomegranate, while the petals of the other flower suggest the jewel-like crimson seeds of that exotic fruit that is found not only in Christian iconography but also has been associated with immortality and fertility in older religions and other cultures.
Excerpt from a general publication:
“Engineers in Government: Working in the Public Sector.” NSBE Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2, Dec.’85/Jan ‘86, (lead article), pp.20-30. “Novices considering employment in the Federal government should resist any temptation to view the government as a monolithic enterprise….The mission of the agency dictates the varieties of engineering jobs available and the type of work that engineers will perform….If one were not aware of the vast importance of engineering in every facet of society, some agencies would appear to be unlikely employers of engineers. For example, the Internal Revenue Service recruits engineers to perform valuation engineering studies in industrial manufacturing and other fields. Many engineers in government perform duties not directly related to engineering. Federal employment can be a serendipitous solution for an individual desiring to combine knowledge of engineering with an area of personal interest…”
Excerpts from a report:
Seminar Series: Technology and Development, Volume I, 1972-73 Seminar Series, May 30, 1974. Report of U.S.A.I.D. Grant csd-3622. “Technology and the Environmental Crisis”- Dr. Barry Commoner. “…Let’s now analyze some of the reasons for pollution. The problem really began after World War II. Most pollution levels have gone up enormously since that time the population has gone up by about 50 percent and the GNP has gone up four-fold, but this doest account for the order of magnitude increase in pollution I want to start with food particularly the use of nitrogen to grow food.
“In the U.S. as a whole, there was a 7.48-fold increase in the use of nitrogen fertilizer between 1949 and 1968. In 1949 we used about 11,000 tons of fertilizer per unit of crop production; in 1968, we used 57,000 tons of fertilizer per unit of crop production. Since that time, we’ve also reduced the acreage that we’re using to produce food. We’re using fertilizer to intensify the per acre yield. This is a technological change—using fertilizer instead of land. Since one of the laws of ecology is that everything has to go somewhere, the nitrogen which does not go into the crop goes into the water. Nitrate becomes a problem biologically if there is too much in the water you drink, it can be converted to nitrite in the gut and nitrite interferes with the operation of hemoglobin. If a pregnant woman drinks too much of it, she can get a blue baby. It’s a serious problem. We’re studying this in detail in Illinois. In many cities there, drinking water must be taken from rivers for nitrate purification.”
“Now, let’s look at another product: fibers. Fiber production per capita in the United States has been about constant since World War II, but cotton and wool have been displaced by synthetics. Again, you get the same good per capita, but you have to ask, what’s the environmental cost? Everybody talks about solar energy and how wonderful it would be if there were some new, economical way of converting solar energy into a usable form. Well, the cotton plant does exactly that: it manufactures cotton fiber with solar energy. Synthetics, on the other hand, are made from nonrenewable resources, like petroleum using energy. Their production uses up these resources and also pollutes the air. The argument is sometimes raised that we would also use gasoline and fertilizer to grow the cotton. Recently, we calculated the amount of energy used to produce cotton in the United States. We found even with the worst modern technology for making cotton—In Arizona, where the fields are irrigated by running pumps, where the crop is fertilized and sprayed with pesticides—it still takes twice as much energy to make a pound of nylon as cotton. So again, the real reason the additional strain on the environment is due to technologies.”
Excerpt from an autobiographical article (2005):
“As the dean of the College, one of my greatest challenges has been in gaining a better understanding of why students opt out of math and/or science. My premise is that we don’t make learning math and science fun for students – even college students need that. Sadly, though, many students want instant gratification, not long-term satisfaction, and math is definitely a sequential learning process that requires time and understanding to process. When I retire, I’ve thought of teaching math and also a course on technology and society for nonengineers – a course to reach the customers of technology. This is so necessary because people really need an understanding of how technology impacts every area of our life.
“The most rewarding aspect of my position as dean is the opportunity to shape the vision of the College as a producer of world-class students and research….Constraints on resources, disruptions in the world, the Iraqi war and Desert Storm have changed the funding priorities of the nation Research funding priorities for corporations have shifted to applied research and development versus basic research and the most significant infusion of federal funds to support research has been in the life sciences.”
"Introduction," The Creativity of Jonathan Knight: A Visual Dialogue. Scottsdale, Arizona: International Graphics, 1998 (Standard Edition: ISBN l-889741-49-3; Limited Edition: ISBN 1-889741-48-5).
"If a metaphor of a natural geographical feature were selected to express the corpus of Jonathan Knight’s art, it would be an American river. Not a tempestuous river full of inchoate longings such as the Mississippi or the Colorado, but a river like the Ohio, the Monongahela or the James. Rivers that, for the most part, respect their boundaries and flow sedately through towns, farms and cities. Rivers that reveal from the traveler’s train window, that quality that evokes a sense of timelessness. Rivers which, in those sacred twilight moments when day is sliding over the rim of night, share with us standing on the bank a momentary state of innocence and satiety that releases us from mundane preoccupations. Like the unspooling of our own lives, rivers inform us of many things…."
Excerpts from a Jonathan Knight’s exhibition brochure:
“…. Chinese paintings of koi are believed to be auspicious and attract good luck. In “lily Pond VI,” the koi gently swim towards the water lily in an interspecies communication of greeting and joy.”
“Little Pomegranate.” “A sensuous, inviting still life, this oil portrays the artist’s skill in recreating the ambience of a European masterwork, presenting a pleasing, balanced composition….A creamy, white flower mirrors the hue of the membranes that partition the pomegranate, while the petals of the other flower suggest the jewel-like crimson seeds of that exotic fruit that is found not only in Christian iconography but also has been associated with immortality and fertility in older religions and other cultures.
Excerpt from a general publication:
“Engineers in Government: Working in the Public Sector.” NSBE Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2, Dec.’85/Jan ‘86, (lead article), pp.20-30. “Novices considering employment in the Federal government should resist any temptation to view the government as a monolithic enterprise….The mission of the agency dictates the varieties of engineering jobs available and the type of work that engineers will perform….If one were not aware of the vast importance of engineering in every facet of society, some agencies would appear to be unlikely employers of engineers. For example, the Internal Revenue Service recruits engineers to perform valuation engineering studies in industrial manufacturing and other fields. Many engineers in government perform duties not directly related to engineering. Federal employment can be a serendipitous solution for an individual desiring to combine knowledge of engineering with an area of personal interest…”
Excerpts from a report:
Seminar Series: Technology and Development, Volume I, 1972-73 Seminar Series, May 30, 1974. Report of U.S.A.I.D. Grant csd-3622. “Technology and the Environmental Crisis”- Dr. Barry Commoner. “…Let’s now analyze some of the reasons for pollution. The problem really began after World War II. Most pollution levels have gone up enormously since that time the population has gone up by about 50 percent and the GNP has gone up four-fold, but this doest account for the order of magnitude increase in pollution I want to start with food particularly the use of nitrogen to grow food.
“In the U.S. as a whole, there was a 7.48-fold increase in the use of nitrogen fertilizer between 1949 and 1968. In 1949 we used about 11,000 tons of fertilizer per unit of crop production; in 1968, we used 57,000 tons of fertilizer per unit of crop production. Since that time, we’ve also reduced the acreage that we’re using to produce food. We’re using fertilizer to intensify the per acre yield. This is a technological change—using fertilizer instead of land. Since one of the laws of ecology is that everything has to go somewhere, the nitrogen which does not go into the crop goes into the water. Nitrate becomes a problem biologically if there is too much in the water you drink, it can be converted to nitrite in the gut and nitrite interferes with the operation of hemoglobin. If a pregnant woman drinks too much of it, she can get a blue baby. It’s a serious problem. We’re studying this in detail in Illinois. In many cities there, drinking water must be taken from rivers for nitrate purification.”
“Now, let’s look at another product: fibers. Fiber production per capita in the United States has been about constant since World War II, but cotton and wool have been displaced by synthetics. Again, you get the same good per capita, but you have to ask, what’s the environmental cost? Everybody talks about solar energy and how wonderful it would be if there were some new, economical way of converting solar energy into a usable form. Well, the cotton plant does exactly that: it manufactures cotton fiber with solar energy. Synthetics, on the other hand, are made from nonrenewable resources, like petroleum using energy. Their production uses up these resources and also pollutes the air. The argument is sometimes raised that we would also use gasoline and fertilizer to grow the cotton. Recently, we calculated the amount of energy used to produce cotton in the United States. We found even with the worst modern technology for making cotton—In Arizona, where the fields are irrigated by running pumps, where the crop is fertilized and sprayed with pesticides—it still takes twice as much energy to make a pound of nylon as cotton. So again, the real reason the additional strain on the environment is due to technologies.”
Excerpt from an autobiographical article (2005):
“As the dean of the College, one of my greatest challenges has been in gaining a better understanding of why students opt out of math and/or science. My premise is that we don’t make learning math and science fun for students – even college students need that. Sadly, though, many students want instant gratification, not long-term satisfaction, and math is definitely a sequential learning process that requires time and understanding to process. When I retire, I’ve thought of teaching math and also a course on technology and society for nonengineers – a course to reach the customers of technology. This is so necessary because people really need an understanding of how technology impacts every area of our life.
“The most rewarding aspect of my position as dean is the opportunity to shape the vision of the College as a producer of world-class students and research….Constraints on resources, disruptions in the world, the Iraqi war and Desert Storm have changed the funding priorities of the nation Research funding priorities for corporations have shifted to applied research and development versus basic research and the most significant infusion of federal funds to support research has been in the life sciences.”
Excerpts from art reviews:
"Peasant Paintings from Huhsien County of the People’s Republic of China," IAH NEWS- Vol. 4, No.2, Winter 1978/79. The Institute for the Arts and Humanities (now-defunct), Howard University, Washington, D.C.
"Stylistically homogeneous as if from the same brush, boisterously colorful and vastly different from the classical genre of Chinese painting, these paintings by Huhsien County peasants conveyed the energy and breathless rush of revolution…Bombarding the eye with color and capturing the imagination with political and literal titles, the paintings celebrated the ‘peerless’ joys of work with an unrestrained enthusiasm that makes the values of the Protestant ethic seem lethargic. Saturated blues, oranges, crimsons and emerald greens presented the communal view of industrialization, duck farms, elementary schools…and political and cultural activities, all permeated with unflagging zeal and respect for Chairman Mao and the revolution…"
"Andrew Wyeth, Magical Voyeur," The International Review of African American Art, Vol. 17, #4, 2001, pp. 58-59
"… Andrew Wyeth: Close Friends, is the internationally acclaimed artist’s record of a 70-year communion with his African American friends and neighbors in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. The theme of the book and exhibition rests on octogenarian Wyeth’s friendships with the American community of Chadds Ford where he was born and has lived except for time spent at his residence in Maine. Although this ‘all black’ collection is unexpected, the Helga series helped prepare the art world for Wyeth’s capacity for surprise ….Wyeth’s regenerative power would be admirable at any age but such artistic brilliance and enterprise are surely remarkable after one’s eighth decade. Both glorified and castigated during his long career, Wlyeth has been dubbed ‘American’s painter.’ Since painting genres go in and out of fashion, much of the criticism has been unfair…. Wyeth does not paint thematically even though Wyeth’s subjects are singularly American. Underlying Wyeth’s work is a search for the individuated character – not merely the distilled essence of character....That is why his portraits are endlessly fascinating…one can return again and again to contemplate the serenity of Tom Clark or the mystery of Helga Testorf as magician/voyeur Wyeth translates the ephemeral and transient into solidity….Wyeth’s hallmark depiction of solitary, dilapidated or deteriorating houses; sparse, denuded landscapes as well as a few vibrant watercolors from earlier periods; nuanced `portraits and articles of clothing inhabited by the ghosts of their owners comprise the bulk of the paintings…Among the most visually compelling is the surreal "Omen" (1997) in which the nude model races across landscape with the comet Hale-Bopp flashing through the sky."
"Working Roots with Style(s)," The International Review of African American Art, Vol. 20, #4, 2006, pp. 15-19."
"Like Claude Monet, who declared, ‘The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration,’ Styles culls artistic ideas from his garden as other gardeners harvest basil and tomatoes. The ‘Spring Awakening’ series documents the return of life… In this masterfully executed landscape, a richly textured surface exults in deep, mysterious greens and vibrant blues while a center of lavender-pink-flushed light streaming from heaven serves to illuminate this verdant scene. "Sun with Trees," a fantasy landscape, is deliriously happy with the colors and heat of late spring or early summer; the devas of plants--or perhaps just shimmering summer mists -- undulate across the painting’s surface transliterating Charles Lloyd's ‘Forest Flower’ jazz rhythms to another medium. Altogether, it is a happy picture that best illustrates Henry Mitchell’s notion that ‘Almost any garden, if you see it at just the right moment, can be confused with paradise.’ "
Excerpts from a speech (2002)--:
“….In almost every community, the classroom teacher faces vastly different challenges than the teacher of twenty years ago. In the same way, school counselors, principals, superintendents and the entire public school system face greater challenges as well as greater opportunities.
“Into this heady brew of opportunity and obstacles, we must also acknowledge the impact that politics, economics and other factors have on America’s teachers. Managed schools, school vouchers and changing national priorities as well as controversies about standardized testing, curricula and methods of teaching are only a few of those very serious philosophical differences that will elicit diverse reactions from teachers, principals and superintendents.
“As you contemplate these issues, I remind you that the decisions you make on a day-to-day basis have a tremendous impact on the lives of young people. They will influence whether 6/100 or 90/100 students are proficient in math and science in the twelfth grade; they will influence whether or not the engineers who create new processes and tools to aid humankind are homegrown or imported. Your decisions will determine whether or not national and internal struggles will end in peaceful coexistence or global turmoil, and they will determine whether it will be tomorrow or next year when we crack the code of some of the world’s feared diseases.
…..There are many paths to leadership and enormous opportunities. And there are principles common to all leaders: Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all that we do. Now, at this crisis in our country when our financial institutions are being scrutinized for many improprieties, as educators, we must uphold these principles so that our students may see that such old-fashioned virtues still have value. In time, this crisis will pass, and we must be in a position to reinforce these core values–that position will be a position of Leadership.”
"Peasant Paintings from Huhsien County of the People’s Republic of China," IAH NEWS- Vol. 4, No.2, Winter 1978/79. The Institute for the Arts and Humanities (now-defunct), Howard University, Washington, D.C.
"Stylistically homogeneous as if from the same brush, boisterously colorful and vastly different from the classical genre of Chinese painting, these paintings by Huhsien County peasants conveyed the energy and breathless rush of revolution…Bombarding the eye with color and capturing the imagination with political and literal titles, the paintings celebrated the ‘peerless’ joys of work with an unrestrained enthusiasm that makes the values of the Protestant ethic seem lethargic. Saturated blues, oranges, crimsons and emerald greens presented the communal view of industrialization, duck farms, elementary schools…and political and cultural activities, all permeated with unflagging zeal and respect for Chairman Mao and the revolution…"
"Andrew Wyeth, Magical Voyeur," The International Review of African American Art, Vol. 17, #4, 2001, pp. 58-59
"… Andrew Wyeth: Close Friends, is the internationally acclaimed artist’s record of a 70-year communion with his African American friends and neighbors in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. The theme of the book and exhibition rests on octogenarian Wyeth’s friendships with the American community of Chadds Ford where he was born and has lived except for time spent at his residence in Maine. Although this ‘all black’ collection is unexpected, the Helga series helped prepare the art world for Wyeth’s capacity for surprise ….Wyeth’s regenerative power would be admirable at any age but such artistic brilliance and enterprise are surely remarkable after one’s eighth decade. Both glorified and castigated during his long career, Wlyeth has been dubbed ‘American’s painter.’ Since painting genres go in and out of fashion, much of the criticism has been unfair…. Wyeth does not paint thematically even though Wyeth’s subjects are singularly American. Underlying Wyeth’s work is a search for the individuated character – not merely the distilled essence of character....That is why his portraits are endlessly fascinating…one can return again and again to contemplate the serenity of Tom Clark or the mystery of Helga Testorf as magician/voyeur Wyeth translates the ephemeral and transient into solidity….Wyeth’s hallmark depiction of solitary, dilapidated or deteriorating houses; sparse, denuded landscapes as well as a few vibrant watercolors from earlier periods; nuanced `portraits and articles of clothing inhabited by the ghosts of their owners comprise the bulk of the paintings…Among the most visually compelling is the surreal "Omen" (1997) in which the nude model races across landscape with the comet Hale-Bopp flashing through the sky."
"Working Roots with Style(s)," The International Review of African American Art, Vol. 20, #4, 2006, pp. 15-19."
"Like Claude Monet, who declared, ‘The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration,’ Styles culls artistic ideas from his garden as other gardeners harvest basil and tomatoes. The ‘Spring Awakening’ series documents the return of life… In this masterfully executed landscape, a richly textured surface exults in deep, mysterious greens and vibrant blues while a center of lavender-pink-flushed light streaming from heaven serves to illuminate this verdant scene. "Sun with Trees," a fantasy landscape, is deliriously happy with the colors and heat of late spring or early summer; the devas of plants--or perhaps just shimmering summer mists -- undulate across the painting’s surface transliterating Charles Lloyd's ‘Forest Flower’ jazz rhythms to another medium. Altogether, it is a happy picture that best illustrates Henry Mitchell’s notion that ‘Almost any garden, if you see it at just the right moment, can be confused with paradise.’ "
Excerpts from a speech (2002)--:
“….In almost every community, the classroom teacher faces vastly different challenges than the teacher of twenty years ago. In the same way, school counselors, principals, superintendents and the entire public school system face greater challenges as well as greater opportunities.
“Into this heady brew of opportunity and obstacles, we must also acknowledge the impact that politics, economics and other factors have on America’s teachers. Managed schools, school vouchers and changing national priorities as well as controversies about standardized testing, curricula and methods of teaching are only a few of those very serious philosophical differences that will elicit diverse reactions from teachers, principals and superintendents.
“As you contemplate these issues, I remind you that the decisions you make on a day-to-day basis have a tremendous impact on the lives of young people. They will influence whether 6/100 or 90/100 students are proficient in math and science in the twelfth grade; they will influence whether or not the engineers who create new processes and tools to aid humankind are homegrown or imported. Your decisions will determine whether or not national and internal struggles will end in peaceful coexistence or global turmoil, and they will determine whether it will be tomorrow or next year when we crack the code of some of the world’s feared diseases.
…..There are many paths to leadership and enormous opportunities. And there are principles common to all leaders: Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all that we do. Now, at this crisis in our country when our financial institutions are being scrutinized for many improprieties, as educators, we must uphold these principles so that our students may see that such old-fashioned virtues still have value. In time, this crisis will pass, and we must be in a position to reinforce these core values–that position will be a position of Leadership.”