To students, teachers may seem to simply teach classes and grade papers, shutting down like a computer outside of school in anticipation of the next 8:00 bell.

This scenario leaves no room for the mural painting, architectural design, photographic exhibitions, and sculpture that teachers have accomplished.

Many teachers pursue creative interests outside the familiar walls of their academic setting. From painting and drawing to exotic expeditions to study foreign art, art teachers regularly practice in the fields of their choice, having fallen in love with their fields as students themselves.

In 1970, architecture teacher David Takamoto opened his own architecture studio.

“I’ve done work in the United States and Asia, everything from homes, to schools, to hospitals, to universities, destination resorts, hotels,” Takamoto said.

His drawing skills in grade school and high school led him to pursue architecture as a career.

“I would say the most important thing [in designing a house] is to find out what the client really wants out of a house, the lifestyle. The site is also important,” he said.

Art Teacher Pilar Agüero-Esparza maintains a studio in her home, where she creates drawings, paintings, and occasionally sculptures. She was inspired to study art in college by her high school art teacher.

“[Drawing] was one of those things that I used to do since I was a little kid. I always had pencils, I always sketched. I just loved it,” Agüero-Esparza said.

In 1998, Agüero-Esparza received the San Jose City Art Commission for a series of murals in the Biblioteca Latin America public library. The murals, collectively titled La Vida En Los Dichos (Life in Proverbs), feature themes relating to San Jose and Spanish aphorisms about life.

In 2010, Agüero-Esparza completed a residency at her parents’ sandal shop to learn about the intricacies of making handmade Mexican sandals and to document the work of her parents.

“It’s a tough field, because it’s very competitive. So if it’s something that you want to pursue, you have to do it 200 percent, a lot of energy,” she said. “Putting yourself out there, making art, going to museums, visiting shows, it’s kind of all a network and it’s all this process.”

Photography teacher Joshua Martinez has exhibited works in galleries in New York, Venice, and Mexico. A former photography professor at the University of California Berkeley, Martinez recalls the moment photography first piqued his interest when he realized the control that a photographer could have over an image.

“I was in the eighth grade, and [my friend’s parents] built him a darkroom. He took this picture of a plastic snowman, and he was able to print it on a piece of paper, flip the negative over, and print it again on the same piece of paper, so that there were two snowmen, but one was upside down,” Martinez said. “It was nothing special, but what really made me love photography was this idea of having control over the image and being able to have your hand in it.”

Martinez encouraged students to experiment with their work and work frequently to become better artists.

“The one thing that is most important is that the more open you are to doing your artwork without worrying too much about the end result the better your work will be,” he said.

Visual arts instructor Jaap Bongers has exhibited his work in the United States, Holland, Sweden, and Denmark.In 1981, Bongers received a study tour grant from the Dutch government to study art in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. He worked closely with the Pygmy tribe of Africa.

“When I was 15 years old I was looking through a book with sculptures by Michelangelo. I was very taken by the plasticity of the forms in the close-up pictures of his marble sculptures,” Bongers said.

Bongers’ resume includes numerous public and private commissions, along with several solo and group exhibitions. In addition to art, Bongers is passionate about language and can speak Dutch, German, French, Italian, and English.

To students, teachers may seem to simply teach classes and grade papers, shutting down like a computer outside of school in anticipation of the next 8:00 bell.

This scenario leaves no room for the mural painting, architectural design, photographic exhibitions, and sculpture that teachers have accomplished.

Many teachers pursue creative interests outside the familiar walls of their academic setting. From painting and drawing to exotic expeditions to study foreign art, art teachers regularly practice in the fields of their choice, having fallen in love with their fields as students themselves.

In 1970, architecture teacher David Takamoto opened his own architecture studio.

“I’ve done work in the United States and Asia, everything from homes, to schools, to hospitals, to universities, destination resorts, hotels,” Takamoto said.

His drawing skills in grade school and high school led him to pursue architecture as a career.

“I would say the most important thing [in designing a house] is to find out what the client really wants out of a house, the lifestyle. The site is also important,” he said.

Art Teacher Pilar Agüero-Esparza maintains a studio in her home, where she creates drawings, paintings, and occasionally sculptures. She was inspired to study art in college by her high school art teacher.

“[Drawing] was one of those things that I used to do since I was a little kid. I always had pencils, I always sketched. I just loved it,” Agüero-Esparza said.

In 1998, Agüero-Esparza received the San Jose City Art Commission for a series of murals in the Biblioteca Latin America public library. The murals, collectively titled La Vida En Los Dichos (Life in Proverbs), feature themes relating to San Jose and Spanish aphorisms about life.

In 2010, Agüero-Esparza completed a residency at her parents’ sandal shop to learn about the intricacies of making handmade Mexican sandals and to document the work of her parents.

“It’s a tough field, because it’s very competitive. So if it’s something that you want to pursue, you have to do it 200 percent, a lot of energy,” she said. “Putting yourself out there, making art, going to museums, visiting shows, it’s kind of all a network and it’s all this process.”

Photography teacher Joshua Martinez has exhibited works in galleries in New York, Venice, and Mexico. A former photography professor at the University of California Berkeley, Martinez recalls the moment photography first piqued his interest when he realized the control that a photographer could have over an image.

“I was in the eighth grade, and [my friend’s parents] built him a darkroom. He took this picture of a plastic snowman, and he was able to print it on a piece of paper, flip the negative over, and print it again on the same piece of paper, so that there were two snowmen, but one was upside down,” Martinez said. “It was nothing special, but what really made me love photography was this idea of having control over the image and being able to have your hand in it.”

Martinez encouraged students to experiment with their work and work frequently to become better artists.

“The one thing that is most important is that the more open you are to doing your artwork without worrying too much about the end result the better your work will be,” he said.

Visual arts instructor Jaap Bongers has exhibited his work in the United States, Holland, Sweden, and Denmark.In 1981, Bongers received a study tour grant from the Dutch government to study art in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. He worked closely with the Pygmy tribe of Africa.

“When I was 15 years old I was looking through a book with sculptures by Michelangelo. I was very taken by the plasticity of the forms in the close-up pictures of his marble sculptures,” Bongers said.

Bongers’ resume includes numerous public and private commissions, along with several solo and group exhibitions. In addition to art, Bongers is passionate about language and can speak Dutch, German, French, Italian, and English.

To students, teachers may seem to simply teach classes and grade papers, shutting down like a computer outside of school in anticipation of the next 8:00 bell.

This scenario leaves no room for the mural painting, architectural design, photographic exhibitions, and sculpture that teachers have accomplished.

Many teachers pursue creative interests outside the familiar walls of their academic setting. From painting and drawing to exotic expeditions to study foreign art, art teachers regularly practice in the fields of their choice, having fallen in love with their fields as students themselves.

In 1970, architecture teacher David Takamoto opened his own architecture studio.

“I’ve done work in the United States and Asia, everything from homes, to schools, to hospitals, to universities, destination resorts, hotels,” Takamoto said.

His drawing skills in grade school and high school led him to pursue architecture as a career.

“I would say the most important thing [in designing a house] is to find out what the client really wants out of a house, the lifestyle. The site is also important,” he said.

Art Teacher Pilar Agüero-Esparza maintains a studio in her home, where she creates drawings, paintings, and occasionally sculptures. She was inspired to study art in college by her high school art teacher.

“[Drawing] was one of those things that I used to do since I was a little kid. I always had pencils, I always sketched. I just loved it,” Agüero-Esparza said.

In 1998, Agüero-Esparza received the San Jose City Art Commission for a series of murals in the Biblioteca Latin America public library. The murals, collectively titled La Vida En Los Dichos (Life in Proverbs), feature themes relating to San Jose and Spanish aphorisms about life.

In 2010, Agüero-Esparza completed a residency at her parents’ sandal shop to learn about the intricacies of making handmade Mexican sandals and to document the work of her parents.

“It’s a tough field, because it’s very competitive. So if it’s something that you want to pursue, you have to do it 200 percent, a lot of energy,” she said. “Putting yourself out there, making art, going to museums, visiting shows, it’s kind of all a network and it’s all this process.”

Photography teacher Joshua Martinez has exhibited works in galleries in New York, Venice, and Mexico. A former photography professor at the University of California Berkeley, Martinez recalls the moment photography first piqued his interest when he realized the control that a photographer could have over an image.

“I was in the eighth grade, and [my friend’s parents] built him a darkroom. He took this picture of a plastic snowman, and he was able to print it on a piece of paper, flip the negative over, and print it again on the same piece of paper, so that there were two snowmen, but one was upside down,” Martinez said. “It was nothing special, but what really made me love photography was this idea of having control over the image and being able to have your hand in it.”

Martinez encouraged students to experiment with their work and work frequently to become better artists.

“The one thing that is most important is that the more open you are to doing your artwork without worrying too much about the end result the better your work will be,” he said.

Visual arts instructor Jaap Bongers has exhibited his work in the United States, Holland, Sweden, and Denmark.In 1981, Bongers received a study tour grant from the Dutch government to study art in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. He worked closely with the Pygmy tribe of Africa.

“When I was 15 years old I was looking through a book with sculptures by Michelangelo. I was very taken by the plasticity of the forms in the close-up pictures of his marble sculptures,” Bongers said.

Bongers’ resume includes numerous public and private commissions, along with several solo and group exhibitions. In addition to art, Bongers is passionate about language and can speak Dutch, German, French, Italian, and English.

This article was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on April 4, 2014.