Quick Sketch

Do you ever feel like you have to squeeze in some creativity time? No matter how long you work or what the end result looks like, you just need to spread some color onto some paper. Well, that's where I'm at tonight. For Christmas, my parents bought me some crayons. Not just any crayons, Neocolor11 watersoluble wax pastels. They are like a combination between crayons and oil pastels, that when mixed with water turn into watercolors. They are SWEET!! But I don't have any experience with them. So, I thought I would doodle with them for few. Here's my 15 minute sketch.

 

In the Classroom...

Today, the first graders finished up their Super Hero Family Portraits. After, drawing their chosen environment students were to paint in their background with watercolors. The kids imaginations soar during this project developing costumes, super powers, and background stories to go with their families. One of my favorites stories included the grandparents as villains, who were also giant aliens. As a teacher, this is a great way to build relationships with your students. I ask every student to tell me about their picture. And for students who are normally quiet and reserved, they usually perk up and want to tell you all about their project.

Angel Wings>>> Finished

 

 

Sunday Drive

 

 

Dreaming of Summer

It's freezing here in the Midwest. I am so thankful for a warm cozy home, hot tea, and daydreams of summer. This painting was created under the hot summer sun. If I get close enough to the fire I can imagine the sun on my bare skin while painting on my deck.

In the Classroom

The second graders are weaving!!! I personally love to weave. Teaching weaving is a difficult task, but so rewarding when the light bulb finally turns on.

On Day 1 of the project, I do an introduction of all the different types of weavings, weaving materials, and terms. The students then paint one piece of paper with the warm colors, and the second with the cool colors. The watercolors dry very quickly. So, when the pages are dry we trace around all the different colors and values of color with sharpie.

On Day 2, I demonstrate weaving students together. The kids love it!!! We then create our loom out of one of the papers. And the second piece of paper we cut into strips for the weft. Next, we weave them together. And lastly, glue the weaving down on a square white paper. If there are strips left students gut them up and glue around the weaving.

Next, time we will create a frame for the weavings out of brown paper, construction paper crayons, and metallic markers.



 



Heartwork

"In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you."
                                                                                              - Buddha

Revisiting Brave, Intuititve YOU

Over the summer, I took Flora Bowley's online class Brave, Intuitive You. The class was rich with luscious exercises in connecting with the painting process. My main goal of taking the class was to help ignite a creative habit. The very unexpected result of the class was the spiritual practice that I've incorporated in my day to day life through painting. I adore her paintings. After a few months of processing the info from the class, I realized there are a two things I really love about her paintings that I need to practice. First, I love how her colors almost melt into each other. Even when she's using contrasting colors it's as if they all just flow together. Secondly, her edging is phenomenal, crisp with character.

Above is my attempt to figure out melting colors and work on my edging. I treated it much like any artist study, observing her work. Therefore, the imagery is very Flora. But, I did figure out the blending colors a little bit, and will be experimenting with incorporating it into my own work. Now for the edging I think it's just going to take lots of practice.

In the Classroom...

A staple in my first grade curriculum is 'Super Hero Family Portrait's!!!" The students get a kick out of developing ideas for each family members super powers. Then, they get to decorate each members costume including capes, masks, boots, and dare I say "underwear on the outside of their clothes!!!" The kids eat this project up like candy.

My objective is to have kids drawing "shape people" rather than the dreaded "stick people." I always have the students draw in sharpie rather than pencil at this age. Because if I give them pencils they erase non-stop. Eventually, tear their paper up or you have half erased figures everywhere. But, when they use sharpie they are forced to go for it. If they make a mistake, they transform it into a "happy accident." And this is what they look like in the beginning.

My Painting Playlist

My third graders are painting to music right now. I was talking to the kids about my personal experiences with painting to music. And I realized it really is a part of my creative practice. Plugging into my Pandora. Ear buds nestled securely into ears. Scrolling through my list of channels, trying a few to see if they fit my mood. Then, once I've found the one... I can begin preparing my palette, and finally paint.

I paint to music for a variety of reasons, but the top one is to quiet the voices in my head. To quiet those voices, I like it loud and typically upbeat, that's just me. But, I can't deny some days I'm feeling more zen and like something a little softer. So here is my top ten list of Pandora channels for painting in no particular order.

1. Gin Wigmore

2. The Black Keys

3. Florence and the Machine

4. Old Crow Medicine Show

5. The Rolling Stones

6. Michael Franti

7. Van Morisson

8. Bob Marley

9. One Republic

10. The 2 Cellos

Pretty funny now that I see it written down, because this is a lot like my workout playlist.

What do you listen to when creating?

What I want more of in 2014...

Lifebook 2014

 



 



Top 10 Art Room Management Tricks

I always compare teaching art to being a cocktail waitress in a beehive. Imagine... 35 kindergarteners on the first day of art It's very hectic, messy, and your customers are pretty needy. I teach PreK through third grade. I believe that you have to teach students how to not only treat you, but your procedures and routines. When you do this you can actually get a lot accomplished in the 50 minute class once a week. Here are a few of the most important things I've learned over the last 8 years. These classroom management techniques have made me truly enjoy teaching, and have helped me keep my sanity, most days. I hope you find them helpful.

1. Be Prepared... I know this is not new information. But, if you want to have a smooth class that the kids and you enjoy, over do it. Are all the supplies ready and on tables? Is my demo ready? Do I need extra resources or the smartboard ready? What to do if you get done early? What's clean up going to look like? Are you prepared for kids with special needs?

2. Organize Art in Table Folders... Each table has their own folder. Inside the folder is the students personal folder in which they store their artwork. This, not only, saves time, but reduces lost artwork.

3. Keep Intro Short and Exciting... When I first began teaching I wanted to cram in as much info as possible. At the end of class, all the info was lost. Instead I pick a few key points that correlate to my grade level expectations. And I use those key points over and over and over again throughout the class. My intro usually takes at most 10 minutes. And do whatever it takes to transition them into your classroom and get them excited about being  in the art room. Sing, dance, dress up in costume, use silly voices, etc.

4. 5 points... Classes can earn 5 points per class by 1. Entering quiet 2. Listening 3. Following Directions 4. Being Respectful 5. Clean Up and Exiting Quietly. The class with the most points in that grade level gets a party and a traveling trophy to hang outside their classroom. It's kind of a big dea!

5. One Warning... I see students once a week for 50 minutes, there is no time to waste. So, I have a very strict policy of giving students one warning. Then, the student moves to the safe seat, where they can continue working on their project. I have been very consistent with this for about 5 years. The kids are all aware of the one and only warning. In turn, I have very few discipline problems.

6. Verbal Cues... can be used to get students attention and for transitions. I've used it all from bells to clapping to flashing peace signs. Right now, I'm using some clapping and chanting to show students the "next step" or "clean up." My recommendation is to find something the students can participate in.

7. 10 Minute Quiet Time... The structure of my class is always the same: Intro/Rev, Demo, Guided Practice, Independent Practice. For the older students, when we begin independent practice, we also begin 10 minute quiet time. This 10 minutes allows students to get fully engaged in the project. But, it also, allows me time to check for understanding and assist any students who are in need. This came out of  necessity. Now kids are completing more projects with more success, and it helps with my sanity.

8. When I Say Go... When I give directions it always goes like this. "When I say go you have 10 seconds to put your name on your paper and then smile at me. Go!!!" I always ask them to smile at me when they have it done, so they are not screaming out "I'm Done." Again, just trying to save my sanity.

9. Clean Up... Consistency is key. No matter what medium we are working in, it always goes like this: 1. Stop working 2. Put tools away 3. Put artwork away 4. Clean area 5. Sit quietly. I always set a timer. If the place isn't cleaned up in time, the class loses a point.

10. Table Competitions... Tables can earn points for positive behavior. The table with the most points at the end of class earns a prize. All the grades respond well, especially kindergarten. So stock up on stickers and treasure chest items because we could all use some help when it comes to kindergarten.

What would you add to this list?

5 Things I'm Obsessed With...

1. Free stencils and printmaking supplies>>> After the holidays and all that packaging I hoarded a whole drawer full of cardboard, bubble wrap, interesting shape stencils from game board pieces.



The hexagon's came from Settlers of Catan.
 

2. Messy palette>>> It's made from a dry erase board covered in palette paper. I refuse to throw away the paper until my series of paintings are done. I guess I'm kind of superstitious.

 

 

 3. Seed Pods>>>The dried weeds I pulled from the ditch along my gravel road. I know classy right. But, I really love these crazy little seed pods. I'm painting them every where.

 

 

4. Neon Sizzling Pink>>>  I'm super obsessed with this color. I think it makes everything glow and pop out!!! I've never been a huge pink fan but, I'm in love with sizzling pink. Oh and this brand is super cheap, which means it's very thin and great for outlining imagery and applying thin glazing.

 

 

5. My Newest Series of Paintings>>> I'm in love with these paintings because creating in this way is so very freeing. I'm in love with the color palette. It's using imagery from my home. And once it is complete, this series will be my first ever to sell either on etsy or society6.

 

 

 

What are you OBSESSED with these days?

 

 

 
 

 

5 Lessons I Learned from "So - So" Paintings

I do love the color scheme!!!

 

Well, I finished them. I can't say I love them. But, I didn't give up and I learned a few lessons. And isn't that what this is all about?

1. I love the color scheme, it really seems to be working for me. And it has inspired me to do a series of artwork in these colors. I've decided not to clean my paint palette till it's finished. So, I don't forget the colors in the scheme.

2. Keep it simple, particularly when it comes to the subject matter. I don't mind the layers of text or printed items. It's the imagery that needs to stay simple.

3. I have a painting addiction. Once I start it's very hard to stop, which leads to over working a piece of artwork. I need to use some restraint and step away from the easel every now and again.

4. Stop using the imagery to frame the composition. PERIOD... I teach my kids at school not to do this and here I am doing it!!!

5. Color Contrast is my friend. It is something I have consistently really loved about my favorite paintings. And in these two paintings I applied acrylic washes over each which really toned down the contrast.

What lessons have you learned from painting "so - so " paintings?

I don't love the dark blue just at the bottom, but I do like the texture of effect.
 

 

Work in Progress

Pushing the limits... practicing non-attachment... and sharing unfinished work that I'm not particularly satisfied with... yet.

Using imagery from yesterday's walk.

 

Adding more layers of color.

Oh... where will this go?

I'm open to suggestions.

 

 

Inspiration is All Around Us

I went for a walk this morning with my #1 puppy, Keeta. And for some reason I didn't give much thought to it and we ran out the door. Big mistake... it's only 12 degrees outside. I'm wearing virtually my pj's (in the country you can go out in your pajamas and no one will ever know). My attire consisted of capri tights, a long shirt, coat, hat, and gloves. It wasn't too bad until we hit the gravel road. But, there was no turning back. As Keeta was fully enthralled in deer tracks, I discovered some beautiful gifts from nature. I then began my "collection." Now some may call these dead weeds in the ditch. I would like to refer to them as "preserved beauty." Once I was paying attention, I couldn't stop pulling weeds... I mean "preserved beauty." After about 30 minutes in the frigid temps, we arrived back home to unthaw with a cup of coffee. When the feeling arrived back in my hands I arranged the "collection."

I will use the arrangement as inspiration in the coming days for paintings.

Where do you find inspiration?

Emerging into the New Year!!!

My sacred word for the year...

 

 

Emerging as an artist, an art teacher, and a person who sells their artwork.

Emerging in my spiritual practice, in my healthy lifestyle, and our happy little homestead on the hill.

 

What's your word for the year?