Mr. Totten is a passionate and creative art teacher at Marco Island Academy and has been involved with art since he was a child. His love for art began when he learned to blend colors with crayons in coloring books with his mother. Ever since that day, art has been a part of his life, from doodling in his school notebooks to throwing pottery in high school, to finally including his love for art into his career and becoming an art teacher. His joyful and approachable teaching style makes a lasting impact on his students.
Along with his love for art, Mr. Totten has always had a passion for science, meaning it was only appropriate for him to pursue both in college. Mr. Totten graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art and science and with a master’s in science. After graduating, he decided to become an art teacher. He said, “When I learned that I could work as an art teacher, I thought that was the best gig possible.”
Mr. Totten was inspired by artists like Frank Frazetta, known for fantasy book covers, and M. C. Escher, who blended science and art. Today, he is mostly inspired by the creativity his students bring to his classroom.
The way he described his art style was “happy, chill artwork,” showing his love for creating cheerful art. When painting, he prefers to be working on multiple pieces; he stated, “I prefer to have several works of art going at once so that I can seamlessly move from one project to another.” His preferred media are clay and acrylic paint. He said, “I love working with clay and acrylic paint, the best! It’s easy to clean up with water.” Although over time, his access to clay has diminished, his love of painting continues to thrive.
Mr. Totten often explores environmental themes in both his personal artwork and classroom projects. When creating lessons for students, Mr. Totten said, “First, I place myself into the lives of my students and try to imagine what matters most to their success. Second, I select a current-day theme that they can relate to at this point in their lives. Third, I model several art projects for them to clearly understand the project prompt. Finally, I encourage my students to approach each project with their own unique creativity.”
The most famous work of art Mr. Totten has created is the cover design to a hit song he recorded in 1990 with his friends from Wisconsin called Da Turdy Point Buck, which has 5 million views on YouTube.
Outside of the classroom, Mr. Totten said that “Most of my creative talents go into designing art projects for my family and friends to show them how much I appreciate them in my life.” One of his cherished paintings that he is proud of is the one he painted for his wife on the night after their first date. He says that his wife mentioned how much she wanted to live somewhere warm, so that evening he wrote her a song and painted her a tropical palm tree for her. Mr. Totten said, “A year and a half later, I placed that painting on the altar of our wedding, and I sang that song to her during the ceremony. It was a magical moment I will never forget.”
Teaching art and painting has become a key part of who Mr. Totten is. He said, “During the summer, when I am away from the classroom, I feel like something is missing. A couple of days back in the classroom, and I feel complete again.” You can truly see how much he loves his job and his students even more. His favorite memory is teaching his own children when they were students in his own classroom. Over the years, he has taught every grade level and has worked with many types of students, learning the different ways students connect with art.
An important lesson he teaches students about art is that, in his words, “Art is JOYFUL! It’s good for the soul!” To Mr. Totten, being an artist means contributing to the beauty of our universe. His advice to young artists is to “Get outside and enjoy life to the fullest. The richest beauty in the world can be found just by spending time in nature.”
