linear perspective

One of the hardest skills to acquire as I became more self conscious about drawing was that of depicting space. I wanted ever so much to depict rooms with people in them and scenarios "beyond" the front-and-center. At university, Dennis Nechvatal handed me an illustration-free, 1930s how-to book on perspective. How NOT to!! Such dense text encouraged me to work it out on my own. Roger Tibbets heartily supported that effort, which has been the root of my understanding of spatial relations. A fascination with how we perceive and depict space and how visual images link us to deeper fields of information has fueled my studies and my work life.
For those who don't want to work out perspective drawing on their own, an abundance of well-illustrated books and websites covers the practice of linear perspective. Much dwells on the built environment as content. 3D modeling software, the slide rule for 21st century perspectivists, will do much of the work for us, faster than humanly possible. But it makes the process opaque, yields a less-than humane-looking product, and severs the proprioceptive feedback loop that makes drawing so rich. (Check out the dedication at the bottom of this page!)
I've taught perspective drawing (both measured and freehand) since 1981.