Augusta Prep Art teacher Chad Cole has a deep affinity for the literature, history, nature, architecture, and culture of the South. His oil paintings and watercolors embody his experiences and capture the vivid and symbolic aspects of the buildings and landscapes he chooses to paint.

Mr. Cole feels that the landscape of the South speaks to him. “I’m from Texas, and have adopted the South as my home,” he said. “Through my paintings, I am able to shed a light on some of the unpleasantness of our past, as well as on the beauty of it.”

Mr. Cole was drawn to the Gothic quality of Southern landscapes and architecture by the work of Southern writers Flannery O’Connor and William Faulkner. Their literature has influenced his work in profound ways. Not a fan of either author in high school, he discovered their writings after college graduation, while living in Austin. “I tapped into a southern consciousness that I missed by living away from the South,” he remembered. “My interpretation of O’Connor’s work is through the lens of Greek and Roman mythology, which I love.” This love of O’Connor’s literature culminated in a series of narrative paintings based on her short stories, among them “The River,” “The Comforts of Home,” and, most recently, “Good Country People.”

Weekends will find Mr. Cole hunting, but not in the conventional way! He hunts for structures that are decaying or have symbolic meaning behind them. If, on his treks, he finds an interesting dilapidated or crumbling building, he is quick to sketch or film it so that he can paint it when he returns to his studio. “On one of my hikes, I found an old school bus wrapped around a tree, out in the woods of Edgefield County,” he laughed. “There is some history there! How did it get there, but more importantly, why was it there?” Another of his paintings portrays a rotting farmhouse next to a new WalMart – an amalgamation of the old and new South. “I feel a sense of attachment to the impermanence of the buildings I elect to paint,” he said. “My work has transformed to be less about the representation of the natural world and more about symbolism within the landscape.” “The history and identity of the South in terms of plantation culture, civil war, and social class, as well as the transition of and contrasts between old and modern economics and cultures are all themes underscoring the images,” he added.

An accomplished artist, Mr. Cole is featured in a show at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, in Augusta, until the end of May. He then will appear in a show with Allison J. Smith of Atlanta, in the Firehouse Gallery in Louisville, Georgia, opening June 4. So far, he has sold two paintings during the show at the Gertrude Herbert!

After graduating from Augusta State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Mr. Cole returned to Austin, Texas, to work as an artist. “One leaves art school with a technical knowledge of art, but lacking the vision to complement these skills,” he stated. “I left Augusta and relocated to Austin because I knew that the nourishing cultural environment there would help me define my artistic vision.”

It was also during his Austin experience that he became passionate about teaching art to children and completed graduate work in art education to prepare him for the teaching profession. After finishing his program, he received offers from several inner-city schools in San Antonio and Dallas. Hearing about an opening at Augusta Prep from his friend and fellow artist Upper School teacher Tara Chokshi, he interviewed and was hired as art teacher for grades Pre-K through 6th. Mr. Cole could not be happier with how his work at Prep has transpired. “When I took this job, I felt that it was almost like a junior professorship,” he smiled. “The students here are brilliant, and I can do projects with them here that I never would be able to do in a public school setting, largely due to limitations with the budget and/or standards-based curriculum. I can teach and be creative, and the students just clamor for more.”

“Mr. Cole is fun. I liked the jellyfish fishing” said Antonio Shaffer, one of Mr. Cole’s preschool students. 

Mr. Cole is as impressed with his young students as they are with him. “The kids are happy to be here,” he said. “They have found their niche. They have a strong desire to learn, which can be rare. We live in a culture that does not place much value on education anymore. Prep is so different in that regard.”

In his curriculum, Mr. Cole works hard to see that each child takes something away from the program. “I try to meet every child’s individual needs through technique, a sense of fun, art appreciation, and games,” he said. “I realize that not every child may have a love for art, but it is my job to make sure that they take something from the experience.

He is optimistic for his older students as well. “I’m cultivating an interest in art in my middle school students,” he said. “I hope they will keep this appreciation throughout middle school and high school.”

Mr. Cole is quick to mention how much he appreciates the emphasis on art and theatre in the Augusta Prep community. In many public schools throughout the country, fine arts programs are the first to fall victim to budget cuts. He is planning to work during the Augusta Prep Arts Festival in April as a teacher, supporter and artist. If any funds are raised for his program, he would love to have them designated toward a new kiln for the Lower School. “Every child loves clay,” he said. “It is essential to my curriculum. It sparks the children’s interests and spurs their creativity in ways that can be so rewarding for them, and for me, as their teacher.”

Whether they are building clay geckos, wire mobiles, or paper mache penguins; whether they are painting with watercolors or acrylics; whether they are sketching with pencils or just drawing with crayons, Mr. Cole’s students are learning about the art world through their own experiences with different mediums. Above all, they are learning from an accomplished, proficient artist who passes on his knowledge to them and encourages them every step of the way.

Visit Mr. Cole's website.

Visit the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art website.