![]() I didn’t know what I was going to do, because art was the biggest thing I did.” It just seemed a little beside the point. “One day I decided, when I was hanging my master show, that I really felt bored with the idea of making artwork to put on the wall. “I thought that’s what I wanted to mainly do, to be a fine artist,” Degen said. He then went on to graduate from Pratt Institute with a master’s degree in printmaking and painting. I worked as an advertising agent during the summer to make money so I could go to school in the winter,” Degen said. I did painting, printmaking, sculpture, and all kinds of things there. It was there that he had a teacher who encouraged him to go to The Cooper Union, a private college in Manhattan. ![]() I found all the report cards recently that my mother had once put away, and in every report card since kindergarten to junior high school I had bad marks in conduct because I would get bored,” Degen shared.Īfter junior high, he passed the admissions test to attend The High School of Music & Art, known today as LaGuardia High School, at Lincoln Center. “My parents were kind of hopeless about me … I was good at spelling and math, but I was terrible at conduct. He likes to draw, and he has a teacher named Miss Rich, who I had.”Īrt was a top priority for him, even at a young age, and was a clear path for him to pursue. He happens to live in Brooklyn, where I happened to live. “It’s a young dog who’s an artist named Charlie Muttnik. ![]() ![]() Twhose formative memories inspired Degen to write and illustrate the HarperCollins book I Gotta Draw. He recalled how when the class would do spelling tests, Miss Rich would verbally ask him how to spell a certain word and he would recite it accurately, all while standing up and painting. “If I got bored, I was a very annoying kid … she would let me stay in the back of the room and paint, because then I wouldn’t get bored,” Degen said. In grade school, he found himself easily bored with the standard teaching methods and would much rather be doing something creative to hold his attention, he said.įortunately, he had a teacher, Miss Rich, who saw his intelligence and found what he needed to help focus was just a bit of multitasking. “I always, always, always loved to draw,” he said. Growing up, Degen was a Brooklyn boy who had an undeniable passion for art. On April 29, Degen spoke to The Newtown Bee to let residents know what they can look forward to at the upcoming event, as well as his journey as an illustrator and how living in Newtown has positively impacted his life. The book will mark the end of an era of Degen and Cole’s work together, as Cole passed away in 2020. Booth Library on Thursday, May 19, at 7 pm via Zoom.ĭegen plans to share how he collaborated with The Magic School Bus author Joanna Cole, who became his close friend and also lived in town for quite some time.Īttendees will even get to see slides showcasing the newest and last book in the series, The Magic School Bus Explores Human Evolution. Longtime Newtown resident Bruce Degen illustrated The Magic School Bus and will give a special presentation through C.H. Generations of children, caregivers, and teachers have imaginatively buckled up and taken a ride on The Magic School Bus through the beloved nonfiction book series that sold more than 93 million print copies worldwide.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |