While it can be easy sometimes to think that our teachers are just teachers, it’s important to remember that many of them have had an abundance of past experiences before their arrival here at Amador. Michael Doyle is a prime example of this, having had countless years of expertise in being an artist and the field of art itself. 

“Art was always my favorite subject throughout elementary, middle and high school. I went to Columbia University for college but I stepped away from art because my college only had an art

history degree, which I pursued and enjoyed nonetheless and led me to find a career in and around art,” said Doyle.

Having obtained his Columbia Art History degree, Doyle was able to find himself a position at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the nation, where he worked to transport, develop, and display pieces of art from around the world.

“I became the assistant director of development at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. At first it was fun participating in the modern and contemporary art world, but eventually you realize it’s like a warehouse; moving objects left and right and shipping pieces to Europe and not really being involved in the art itself,” said Doyle.

While Doyle specializes in sketching and painting and other versions of contemporary art, becoming a teacher expanded his horizons into different creative fields and challenged him to teach things that he was unfamiliar with yet curious about. 

“My favorite style of art is what illustrators do. I love artwork that has a strong foundation in drawing and shading and coloring and it really influences my teaching. However, one of the fun things about being an art teacher is that you’re forced to teach others things and so I’ve taught photography and ceramics and it’s really been fun to be challenged in that way,” said Doyle.

On the surface, it looks like being an artist and being a teacher share minimal to no similarities. However, Doyle has discovered that in both his experiences as an artist and teacher, creativity is a driving force in both careers.

“My favorite part of being an artist is that I could literally surprise myself with what I draw. I could start the day with no idea of what to draw and eventually create images that surprise me and make me laugh. It’s an incredible feeling of being able to create something out of thin air. In the same sense, my favorite part of being a teacher is that teaching demands so much creativity,” said Doyle.