Radial Balance, Beautiful in all directionsI

In 2nd grade, we learn about RADIAL BALANCE. This is a wonderful opportunity to create these beautiful radial designs that look the same in all directions. This is one of the students favorite projects and they begin finding things in radial balance everywhere. Process: * Trace a circle on black paper and cut it out carefully. * Fold the circle in half, then in half again, and in half once more. * When opened up, the circle should have 4 long folds (8 sections) showing the middle of the circle. * Using pencils, students can begin creating their designs, making sure to do the same thing in each of the 8 sections. * Students can then paint in designs and finish up with oil pastels.

Monochromatics

This is such a difficult thing for my 4th grade students. To paint with only one color, only using the tints and shades of that color is not natural as our world is so colorful. BUT is does make you THINK.......... and learn about mixing tints and shades.

Landscapes

This year's third grade Landscapes help to teach depth. We also review FOREGROUND, MIDDLE GROUND, AND BACKGROUND.

Clay Vessels

Clay has begun, and these are the first projects to come out of the kiln. This 4th grade class made slab vessels, painting them to reflect a "NATURE" theme. Texture was emphasized as we rubbed paint into the clay and rinsed off the excess. This created a "bark" like texture. Then colors were painted on vines and flowers.

Perfect Portraits

Each year I like to teach PORTRAIT to my 1st grade students as it is a great way to teach proportion, formal balance, and color blending. We also discuss what makes a portrait a portrait---when the artist focuses your attention on WHO the person is instead of what they are doing. We also learn about blending colors using oil pastels. As you can see, it makes for some interesting color. This year, I added a pattern component. The portraits were remounted on colored construction paper and different patterns were added around the "frame". We did discuss regular and irregular pattern so the students could practice both on their portraits.

Pattern and Shape......How Cute!

Here is a lesson that teachers request just about every year. Why? Because it is so cute! It is a great way to teach Pattern and Shape. We talk about regular and irregular pattern as well as organic and geometric shape.

Coming in 2013

It is time.......................

Literary Pumpkins! WOW!

Every year, we have a tradition where each class chooses a book, then uses a pumpkin to create a character from that book. Every year, I am amazed at the creativity that comes out of these children and their teachers. Here are just a few for you to enjoy.

Gusty Trees

This is another Color Study lesson done with Kindergarten students, where they mix primary colors to get secondary colors. In this lesson they are creating trees, growing in grass with fall leaves. Can't you just feel the wind blowing through the branches as the leaves swirl to the ground?

Color Study is happening in Kindergarten

What hues do you get from mixing PRIMARY HUES? What's a HUE anyway? Well, the answer is HUE is the name of a color. Soooo what do you get when you start mixing PRIMARY HUES? You get SECONDARY HUES. That, of course, would be green, orange, and violet (purple). That is what we are learning. Here we have pumpkin pictures painted by students where they had to mix the correct colors to get the desired results. Beautiful orange pumpkins, with purple stems and green leaves and grass!

Studio 360 - Redesigning T E A C H !

The website below has a wonderful video on Redesigning how we look at Teaching and being a Teacher. Instead of the typical "apple", ABC's, or crayons and pencils, this design studio began looking at what TEACHING actually is and what designs would reflect this. The feeling was that these "normal" symbols were very immature, giving the impression that teaching was as "easy as 123". Maybe this design will better represent who we are and what we are really all about. Take a look and see if you don't agree. click on VIDEO I love the quote stated below the video.....THE ART OF TEACHING IS THE ART OF ASSISTING DISCOVERY. Mark Van Doren

Unusual donations, but much appreciated!

Every year, like many other art teachers, I put out a Trash 2 Treasure list. This usually consists of the normal "garbage" that families might throw away, that could actually be useful in the Art Lab. On this list I include the phrase "Anything that might be fun to use in an art project." Well, sometimes, I get some really interesting stuff. This year, I received a bag of eyeglasses! I must say I have never, in my 25 years of teaching, received glasses..........but what a great idea! If YOU have a wonderful idea about how I might be able to use these glasses in an art project, let me know. I am excited to have them as a possible "ingredient" in a new masterpiece.

Finally, OfficialI

It has been a long time coming, not that it wasn't there all along, from the opening of this school, actually. But now, it has been officially titled - THE CHETS CREEK STUDENT ART GALLERY! We have always had a huge display of student work on the 2nd floor of our school that can be enjoyed through out the year. Now, we have a title to go with it. Thanks to the help of John Tamburrino, who helped paint the letters, we are now official!

New School Theme

Yeah, Yeah.....I know, I am WAY LATE putting down this post. Here it is October and I am just now showing off my decorations for the year. But, we do have a fun thing going on outside and inside the art lab to portray our theme of "Recipe for Success". That's right! We are COOKIN'! Below you will see the entrance to the art lab, The plaster sculpture from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, the Art bulletin board, and scenes from inside the "Gallery Bistro". Enjoy!

Art To Remember Coming Home

The first part of every school year here at the Creek, students create a small work of art that is used for our Art To Remember fundraiser project. Families get an opportunity to purchase different items with their child's artwork printed on the front. These make wonderfully unique gifts and keepsakes for families to share. Now the Artwork is COMING HOME! It is time to get the order in and get it back by October 12th! Orders coming in after that will be included in a late order that will be sent by November 2nd. Enjoy your child's creativity and know that the process has taught them more than the product!

Happy Squirrels

Today was the last day of art classes for this year. It is always a wierd day for me. However, for a last day there was still a lot of great work that needed to be finished. This squirrels were one of those projects that my 2nd grade class needed to complete. I usually don't expect the BEST artwork on the last day, because the kids are so excited about school ending, they don't really focus as much on the artwork. But THIS class did an awesome job of finishing this project. A perfect way to end their art year.............with a bang!

Geometric to Organic - Shapes Gone WILD!

WOW! I found this lesson online and developed it into was a fun way to teach geometric and organic shape to my 4th grade students. They LOVE art mediums that react to different stimuli. This was a simple exercise, where the students were to draw GEOMETRIC SHAPES with washable markers on white drawing paper. I encouraged overlapping and interesting juxtapositions. Once they were finished, we sprayed the paper with water and watched the ink spread into VERY INTERESTING organic shapes. That was just TOO COOL! The next class, we took black markers and outlined shapes, both organic and geometric, to really pull them out for all to see. This certainly opened up the opportunity to review LINE AND DEPTH by encouraging the students to fill up the negative space with line design, showing lines going under and over each other. The resulting design was really eye catching, don't you think?

Pretty Patterned Pussy Cats

What a fun and whimsical way to teach pattern to these 2nd grade students. Even though, most of them are familiar with REGULAR pattern,IRREGULAR pattern became the challenge. Can you pick up where a student used IRREGULAR PATTERN? Their imagination flared and their creative juices flowed while still using this PRINCIPLE OF DESIGN. They also use SIMPLE SHAPES to create more COMPLEX SHAPES as they form these cute kitties with paint. It was a prrrrrrrrrfect project!!!!! (funny.....right????)

ATC's are Still LOTS of Fun!!!!

One art activity that most of my students LOVE to do is creating personal Artist Trading Cards (ATC). These are small 2.5 by 3.5 inch cards on which people create small works of art out of various materials. THEN.....you trade them! People trade them with friends and other artists, even around the world. What you end up with is a miniture gallery of art from a variety of artists. ATC's can be made out of posterboard, material, matboard, or just about anything. They can be decorated or created with all kinds of media, ie. paint, pencil, pen, marker, collage, fibers, etc, etc, etc. The imagination can soar!!!! Try some of these your self, and Google, "ATC" or "Artist Trading Cards" and see where you can go or where you can trade!