David Morrison: Ordinary Icons

David Morrison teaches the art of looking and seeing to his students at Herron School of Art and Design at Indiana University. "They think they already know how to look and how to see," he says. "But I tell them we're going to really look. I ask them to describe every little part of an object, not to generalize. We spend two weeks looking and observing. I want them to see how incredible the objects are. I have them draw their fmgernail, looking at the ridges and colors and patterns, and how it grows. They're always amazed at how much they haven't seen. Once they've improved their vision and learned how even in drawing realistically there is gesture and abstraction, I encourage them to discover their own artistic expression­what makes them click."