Countdown to Winter Break!

We spent the past week finishing up pending projects, and talking about everyone's plans for Winter Break! 

Students in Ceramics I had a blast painting the spirit balls that they made a few weeks ago. Each one has it's own personality and own unique sound. Ceramic artists in the Wednesday class (above) counted the number of clay "marbles" they put into the spirit ball, and we compared sounds before the painting began. 

Hey! We could start a 

spirit ball percussion band! :)

The Tuesday class painted a variety of bisque fired wares . . .

Including small sculptural works (above)

Ian added onto his to spirit ball (below) to create a highly sculptural, and very interesting piece! What a great imagination!

Ceramics II students added glaze to their functional pieces. Once these have been glaze fired, I'll be sure to post the "after" photos. 

Mae (above) and Sarah (below) worked diligently all through class to put three layers of glaze on each of their pots. It's a slow and time-consuming process, but very important since they want to use these for food.

Students in all the other classes either finished work on pending projects, or did a "student choice" work . . .

Parker, for instance, brought in reference material from home ( a little penguin toy, above) which he drew in class. Great work! It looks just like the original!

Decorated trees surrounded by wrapped gifts were also very popular this past week . . .

And there were thoughts of spending the holidays in tropical locations . . .

We're going to do some fun, Earth-friendly projects during the week before Winter break (the coming week!).

The projects will involve using "junk" mail that I've been saving  . . . very shiny junk mail that is way too pretty and interesting to toss into the landfill!

If you saw me preparing the project last week, you have some idea of what we'll be doing. If not, you're in for a real treat! But that's all I'm going to tell you!  

And, if YOU can tell ME something specific, you'll get an ATC to add to your collection! This week's web challenge is all about Raku Pottery!

Yellow gourd with two raku fired pinch pots, by Miss Robin 

For the week of December 15th through 17th: Find out* what raku pottery is, and how the raku firing process is different from "regular" ceramic firing. Bring me this information, and I'll give you an ATC!

Coil pot, burnished with sgraffito, and raku fired, by Miss Robin

*Remember: Anytime you're doing an online search, your parent or other responsible adult must be present. No exceptions!

Morgan and Parker correctly identified Andy Warhol (Warhola) as the mystery artist from last week's web challenge. Great work, Parker and Morgan! You rock!!!

REMEMBER: Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs by the end of the semester will win a REALLY COOL PRIZE. A 2nd place prize will also be awarded. There will be a first and second prize for each school day, so get busy!  

And remember to bring the above assignment to class!!!!

Wrapping up Projects

We had quite a few students out sick this past week (get well soon!), so those in attendance spent their time wrapping up existing projects and creating independent works. 

Carson created the wonderful depiction (above) of a mother bird feeding her hungry babies . . .

. . . and Morgan started and finished the "fill in the missing side" drawing you see below. 

As one final tribute to the Thanksgiving holiday, Chloe drew this whimsical "Butterfly Thanksgiving":

This past week saw our final "wet clay day" in all ceramics classes. Students finished up their hand building projects, and will spend the coming weeks refining existing greenware, and painting or glazing bisque ware. We'll need time for works to completely dry (also known as "bone dry"), so that they can be bisque fired, then returned to us for glazing, and then back to the kiln for a final glaze firing. It's a long process! This group of four Haniwa were found having a little party during Wednesday's Ceramics II class!

And, finally, this week's:

goes to Kaylyn in Evergreen! Just look at these three exquisite botanical paintings that Kaylyn did at home!

These are just magnificient!

Great work, Kaylyn!

Students who would like to win an ATC during the week of December 8th through 10th can do so by figuring out the following web challenge that comes straight from the 

It was a time for dramatic change all over the world, and especially in the ART world! One particular artist (a man), became quite famous for his POP ART, where he turned attention back on popular culture and the world around him, and created works of art that depicted everyday "mundane" objects (like soup cans!) and huge silk screen portraits of famous people. Often his artworks, which were quite large, would have multiple depictions of the same image. His art studio was called The Factory, where he treated art making like a business, and employed many people to help him create art. Many of the images he used in his art came from newspapers and magazines. Other clues:


He was the son of Slovakian immigrants. 

He predicted that everyone would have 

"15 minutes of fame."

Because of his premature baldness, he often wore a 
funny-looking white wig. Who is this artist?

*Remember: Anytime you're doing an online search, your parent or other responsible adult must be present. No exceptions!

Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs by the end of the semester will win a REALLY COOL PRIZE. A 2nd place prize will also be awarded. There will be a first and second prize for each school day, so get busy!  

And remember to bring the above assignments to class!!!!

A Week of Giving Thanks

I'm Thankful for . . .

This week's photos come from Explorations in Art (1st through 3rd), where we spent our class time making Ex Votos. We learned about the importance of Ex Votos in Mexican culture, and talked about how we could make our own versions to share with our families over the Thanksgiving holiday.

The criteria for our Ex Votos was . . .

#1: Think of something you're truly thankful for, something that means a lot to you.

#2: Draw a detailed picture to illustrate what you decided on. Pretend that the person who sees your Ex Voto can't read your language. Make sure the picture tells the story.

#3: It has to be something real (not imaginary or made up), because this is a serious piece of art, and something special that you'll share with your family.

#4: When your drawing is complete, find a place in the artwork where you can fit in your "thanks" sentence or paragraph.

#5: Color in your picture, and then be sure to put your name and the current date on your Ex Voto. This is important because, traditionally, an Ex Voto marks an important moment or event in a person's life, and the Ex Voto is an illustrated and written record of that time.

#6: Share your Ex Voto with your family!

This is also a fun activity for the entire family! I intend to have plenty of paper, pencils, and crayons available to my Thanksgiving dinner guests!

Among other things, I'm thankful to work with so many talented and creative young artists. I appreciate the thought and work that goes into each work of art, and the time that students spend at home looking up web challenges and finishing the works that they start in class. There's so much to learn, we couldn't possibly cover it all in our short class time! As a measure of my thanks, art students will have the opportunity to win several ATCs (up to four) when they return from Thanksgiving break! 

Here's how:

1. Find out what a "carte-de-visite" is,* and then tell me how it relates to an Artist's Trading Card (ATC). If you can answer this, you'll get one ATC.
2. Draw a picture to illustrate how you spent your Thanksgiving holiday. Be sure to put in lots of details. Somewhere on your drawing, tell me what you are thankful for (this should be illustrated in your artwork). Don't forget to sign your name, and write the date! Show me this (you can take it back home, since this would be an important piece of art!), and you'll get one ATC.
3. Create your own ATC, and bring it to me to trade. You can choose from any ATC that I have (already made) in my possession, earning you one ATC. Be sure to check the proper dimensions for an ATC before you begin! 
4. Create a tondo, doing your best work. Be sure to color it in! Bring me your tondo, and I'll give you one ATC.

*Remember: Anytime you're doing an online search, your parent or other responsible adult must be present. No exceptions!

Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs by the end of the semester will win a REALLY COOL PRIZE. A 2nd place prize will also be awarded. There will be a first and second prize for each school day, so get busy!  

And remember to bring the above assignments to class the first week following Thanksgiving break!!!!

Contour Lines, Mandalas, and More Origami!

This past week was so much fun! We got more (fired!) ceramics back from Woodrow, and kids in both Ceramics classes got to glaze their works. As soon as the glaze firing is complete, I'll be sure to post photos. We had some gorgeous colors to choose from, so be sure to check back in a week or two to see them! You'll not be disappointed, I promise!

The weather was so beautiful in Evergreen on Thursday that we decided to spend some time outside in the fresh air. Students in Drawing and Painting class learned how to do a contour line drawing, and they did some amazing work (see above)!

In Explorations in Art, we talked about the qualities and meaning of the Mandala, and which elements to include in one to make it visually interesting, and meaningful, to the artist and viewer.

We'll be working on our mandalas for at least two weeks. Above is a sampling of detailed drawings (the first step!) that students worked on this past week. The variety of styles and details is very impressive! It'll be fun to see these works in their finished state (complete with color!). Each of these is about a foot in diameter, so that's quite a bit of drawing! 

Great work!

In Art From Paper, we continued our work with Origami. This has been lots of fun, so we'll continue until we're able to master a few more patterns. Above we have ladybugs, twirling birds, a boat, two lotus flowers, and a bunny head. Below are more twirling birds, a horse, a tortoise, and a snapper. 

Pretty Cool!

I'd like to thank Arthur for directing me to a really great place to find origami designs, AND for helping all of us to figure them out! THANKS, ARTHUR!

Once again it's time to hand out the van Gogh award for 

dedication to the arts!

AND, once again, it's going to Acacia! 

Congratulations, Acacia!

Acacia dedicated a great deal of her personal time working on the beautiful craft projects you see below. 

Such dedication and talent!

Thank you again, Acacia. You Rock!! :)

The end of the semester is quickly approaching, and there's still time to earn your ATC prizes! Last week two students, Keith and Tavia, correctly identified Norman Rockwell as the mystery artist in the web challenge, and each received an ATC to add to their growing collections! 

Great work, Tavia and Keith! 

Norman Rockwell, Freedom From Want, 1943

If you'd like to win an ATC to add to your collection, and want a chance to win the BIG PRIZE at the end of the semester, here's what you need to do: 

For the week of November 17th - 19th:

Do a search* and find out what the art term "tondo" means, and where the term originated. Also, tell me how a tondo mimics, or is marginally related to, a Mandala 

(this part is easy!).

If possible, print out a copy of a tondo that particularly appeals to you, and tell me what you like about it! My personal favorite is at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC :)

*Remember: Anytime you're doing an online search, your parent or other responsible adult must be present. No exceptions!

Bring me this information and you'll get an ATC to add to your collection! 

Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs by the end of the semester will win a REALLY COOL PRIZE. A 2nd place prize will also be awarded. There will be a first and second prize for each school day, so get busy! Go find that art term! 

And remember to bring the assignment to school!!!!

SPECIAL NOTE:

During the Thanksgiving holiday, you'll have an opportunity to earn MULTIPLE ATCs! If you've missed out on previous web challenges, this is a chance to put yourself into the running for the end-of-semester prizes! So, be sure to check back here during the holiday! 

Paper Portraits, Haniwa, Whistles, and Origami . . . and the Two Modern Day da Vinci's!

I'd like to thank Miss Elona for leading the Thursday classes this past week. Thanks, Miss Elona! I've been a bit under the weather and, as a result, this weeks post is running late. 

 

In Art from Paper, students finished their self-portraits (above). Can you guess who each one is?

Ceramics II students finished up work on their Haniwa figures (above). Each one has its own personality, and we're looking forward to seeing them again after they've been fired.

And speaking of things being fired . . . we got lots of fantastic stuff back this past week! Among them were the whistles made by Ceramics II students. After finishing the wet clay work on their Haniwa, students finished work on their whistles by painting them in acrylics.

Following are photos of some of the Origami work we did. 

 

Because we had so much fun, and want to do lots of origami projects, we'll be working in this art form for the next few weeks.

   

Be sure to check back for updates on this fun and interesting form of art! Did you know that "Origami (折り紙^?, from oru meaning "folding", and kami meaning "paper") is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding. The goal of this art is to create a representation of an object using geometric folds and crease patterns preferably without gluing or cutting the paper, and using only one piece of paper." (Thanks, Wikipedia!) 

Artists in several classes continued work on 

The Butterfly Project . . .

 

Before we move on to this week's web challenge, I'd like to take a moment to thank a couple of very talented students, Parker and Keith

who will hereafter be thought of as: 

Parker da Vinci and Keith da Vinci!

Parker's representation of La Giaconda (more commonly known as the Mona Lisa) above, and Keith's rendition below, are stunning examples of great portrait art. 

The Mona Lisa is one of the most easily recognized (and copied!) works of art in history. Thanks, guys, for your hard work! 

For the week of 

November 10th through 12th:

This week's web challenge* has to do with an artist and illustrator who is famous for his cover art for 

The Saturday Evening Post 

Bring me his name and, if you wish, a print out of your favorite cover. To give you a hint, he's an  American painter whose success with the Post led him to do work for The Literary Digest, Look Magazine, and Life Magazine (among others!). However, his work and name is mostly synonymous with 

The Saturday Evening Post :)

Bring me this information and you'll get an ATC to add to your collection! 

Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs by the end of the semester will win a REALLY COOL PRIZE. A 2nd place prize will also be awarded. There will be a first and second prize for each school day, so get busy! Go find that artist!  

*Remember: Anytime you're doing an online search, your parent or other responsible adult must be present. No exceptions!