Miss Robin's Art Class

You're Invited To . . .

2011-10-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Join me and attend the

Brighton City Hall Grand Opening

Dedication & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Friday, Oct 14, 2011 at 2:00 p.m.

500 South 4th Ave, Brighton CO

Daydream, Acrylic on Canvas, 36"x36", $600 (framed)

While there, you'll have an opportunity to support your local artist and your community. I'm honored to be among 21 area artists who have been chosen to provide art for the Grand Opening event.

Peace, Limited Edition Linocut, 11"x9"

$60 unframed, or $85 matted & framed

Artworks will be displayed through January 15, 2012, and most works will be for sale with 15% of the proceeds going to the Brighton Eye for Art Program.

Self Portrait in Cool & Warm, Oil on Canvas, 20"x16", $140 (framed)

The program supports local artists and public art: The 15% goes back into the program and is used to purchase art for this beautifully renovated building. It's a win-win :)

A Fly on the Wall, Mixed Media on Canvas, 40"x31"

$650, gallery-wrapped canvas

Artists featured during this opening event include: Ron Ames, Kim Degnegaard, Diane DeVries, Edward Erhmann, Ginger Emery, Marina Galasso, Ron Gerbrandt, Dean Glorso, Walter Hawn, Alex Kleidon, Melissa Koons, Sherry Seltzer-Kreutzer, Kathy Lechman, Sandie Mackenzie, William Nicol, Michael Sanderson, Nina Nagel-Ramser, Delia Casas-Valdevida, Holly Weipz, David Wells, and Robin Jamison-Hernandez.

Love, Mixed Media on Canvas, 36"x24", $330 (framed)

Mediums include photography, works on canvas, and prints, and there is art to suit every taste.

Eye Portraits, Mixed Media on Canvas, 36"x36", NFS

This would be a fantastic opportunity to purchase gifts for the upcoming holidays, or to find just the right piece of art for your home or office. And, while you're there, you'll get a chance to meet the artist :)

Mandala (Float), Acrylic on Canvas, 40"x31"

$550, gallery-wrapped canvas

Whenever I purchase art, I enjoy chatting with the artist, learning about their process, and asking questions about what inspired a particular work. It can be a great learning process.

Kahlo Tree, Linocut & Monoprint, 12"x12"

$60 unframed, or $85 matted & framed

To learn more about the City of Brighton's Eye for Art Program, contact the director, Laurie Maier.

Inspired Ceramics

2011-07-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Summer, Everyone!

Many of you already know that much of my work was published in the Visual Arts textbook a while back. I was flattered and happy to share my work with students in Western Australia, where this textbook is in use during the school year.

Recently I received an email from Lynda Kuntyj (one of the authors) with a photo attached. The subject of the email was "Inspired Ceramics" and the photo shows a bowl full of pots that were inspired by my "mouth of the pot" series:

The quality of the photo isn't the greatest (no offense, Lynda!), but you get the idea. Seeing the variety of expressions on these little pots just makes me smile.

A few of the published works are featured here, so you can see what inspired the students. Above: Talking Pot. Below: Say "Ah" Pot.

Above: Whistle Pot. Below: Pomegranate Pot.

Chuck Pot (below) was so named because the nose resembled that of my friend, Theresa Knight McFadden's husband, Chuck :)

Inspiration for art is all around us--in language (as in the mouth of a pot), on the street, in the newspaper, everywhere! Be mindful when you're out and about. You may just get inspired to create something wonderful!

Congratulations to Mr. Hugo!

2011-07-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, our very own Mr. Hugo has been nominated for the 2011 Henry Award for his work, The Life and Times of Ol' Alfred. Congratulations, Hugo!

Many of you already know that "Mr. Hugo" (Hugo Jon Sayles) is a talented actor, director, and writer. He has quite a few literary projects in the works, and I'm thrilled and honored that he asked me to illustrate some of his childrens' books. That said, I'll be spending a large part of my summer vacation working on illustrations. :)

Also from The Denver Post, Shadow Theatre's new venue :)

Art Show, Spring 2011

2011-07-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

Here are a few highlights from the Spring Art Show and Open House. The classes represented here include ATCs and Art in Miniature, Jewelry Making, and Ceramics I, II, and III, and are only a tiny sample of what was actually displayed during our last day of school.

Train by Alesia C., mixed media miniature

Almost Done by Keith C., mixed media miniature

Untitled, scratch art ATC by Stefan M.

The Zombies Want Apples, mixed media miniature by Katie I.

Snoopy, mixed media miniature by Joel Z.

Students in Jewelry Making created their own pendants using glass beads and wire. Once done, the pendants were attached to glass bead necklaces. My photos don't do them justice! :)

A Sampling of 2nd Semester Ceramics classes:

Alex's Apple Canopic Jar, whistle, and spirit ball (above).

Tasha's slab, coil, and pinch work.

Keith C.'s Canopic Jar was all about Money!

Chloe (above), Joe, and Shaelyn (below) displayed some of their handbuilt works . . .

Valencia M.'s Goddess Canopic Jar, artist stamp, pinch, slab, and coil works (below) . . .

Brothers Joel and Dillon Z. proudly display their Canopic Jars and other handbuilt works in the Art Show . . .

Matthew I.'s advanced work in Ceramics II earned him the chance to do CIII projects!

It was a FANTASTIC year for HSC art classes! We all learned a lot (including the art teacher!) and I'm thoroughly looking forward to the lineup of classes we're offering next year. New to the roster for 2011-2012 are:

Art Books

Jewelry Making II

Digital Photography (Miss Heather)

Also new for next year: WWA and HSC will be increasing their web presence to include a school-wide blog, which brings about another change. I'll be blogging at the new site and will retain this site for my non-HSC classes (private art classes) and a few other things to be revealed later. That's the "teaser" to keep you coming back! Hope you all have a fun summer! I'll see you in the fall!

Big Hugs,

Miss Robin

PS: Remember to keep doing your artwork over the summer, and please bring in your work during the 1st and 2nd weeks of school. I can't wait to see what you've been up to :)

Scratch Art and Shape ATCs, Canopic Jars, and Safety Pin Jewelry!

2011-02-27T15:13:00.000-08:00

Because of the upcoming Registration Week work, I've been remiss in posting updates for the art classes. Here's a brief look at what we've been up to the past couple of weeks:

Scratch art ATCs are always a big hit! Check out some of the clever designs that the students came up with a couple of weeks ago in ATC class:

Students scratched away the black surface to reveal either gold, silver, sparkle blue, or multi-colored sparkle paper beneath.

Then last week, in the same class, students created ATCs inspired by shape. Using tiny stencils, or drawing freehand, students set about making ATCs with multiple shapes inside.

Students had a choice to make their works representational or abstract. When the drawings were completed, some artists decided to add lightweight, foam shapes on top of their drawings--continuing the theme of shape-inspired work.

Afterward, "trading time" ensued, and some seriously good trades took place!

Ceramics III students are making wonderful progress on their canopic jars! The bodies of the jars are nearly complete, and work on the heads/lids will likely begin this coming week. Following are some "action shots" from class:

Students began with a slab cylinder, and then added coils. With each new layer, the young artists must first score the surface (and the next coil), and then slip the scores to be sure the next coil will hold. Once the body of the pot reaches 8", it receives a final tweaking and shaping. Looking good! It looks like Alex's pot (below) is about to receive a head-shaped lid!

Jewelry Making students worked on safety pin jewelry, and created some cool designs! For instance . . .

. . . a sail boat and frog (above), and peace sign and flag (below) . . .

. . . and a star and heart (below). Per the students' requests, we'll continue with this same project next week before moving on to something new.

Thanks so much to Miss Elona for supplying us with everything we need (including patterns!) for this project!

Reminder to all the students and parents: This coming week, March 1st and 2nd, is Registration week! Parents, please arrive to HSC by 1:50 p.m. to get a sneak peek of next year's class offerings, and pick up your registration packet.

There are some REALLY COOL classes planned for next year! I only wish I was young enough to attend each one! :)

Animalitos, Masks, and Necklaces!

2011-02-12T13:14:00.000-08:00

In Ceramics I this past week we worked on Animalitos! Following is a photo from Tuesday with some very cute little animalitos, star-itos, and even a cake-ito :)

In Ceramics II, work continued on masks. The photos featured here (above and below) are of unfired works, but since it takes a while for us to receive our fired goods back from WWA, I wanted to include something here to represent that great work that's happening in the Ceramics classes. Hopefully, soon, we'll have the artist stamps back so that I can show you what many of the students have been up to.

Ceramics III students continue their work on Canopic Jars, and are making great progress!

Jewelry students worked on necklaces this past week, and came up with some really pretty designs!

This is just a small sample of what happened in class. Rebecca's star necklace (above) is still a work-in-progress, but so pretty (as is!) that I couldn't resist taking a photo :)

Alecia used a very limited color palette--black, white, clear crystal, and apple green--in keeping with the colors of the charm on her necklace. What a fantastic design decision!

We had quite a few students out sick (or snowed in??) this past week. Be sure to show up this coming week, though, especially if you're in the ATC class! You'll find out why when I post photos next week!

See you in class! Stay warm & dry!

Snow Day AND the Stunning Work of Sherrie York

2011-02-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

Hey, Kiddos! I hope that you're all properly enjoying the weather we've been getting. I expect to hear all about hot cocoa, snowmen, sledding, and skiing next week in class!

Until then, and because I don't have images to share from this week's art classes, I want to introduce you to the absolutely gorgeous work of a local (Salida) artist, Sherrie York.

Sherrie York, Longing. Reduction linocut, 10 colors.

York is a printmaker, and does a lot of work with linocuts. In the video posted on her blog, she talks about how printmaking involves working backwards (reverse or mirror image). This will seem familiar to many Ceramics students, who have mastered the same technique while making their artist stamps!

Early Snow - Ponderosa Pine by Sherrie York. Reduction linocut, 5 colors.

Inspiration for Sherrie York's art comes from the natural world around her. She credits her ability to pay attention to the small details of nature, and this translates beautifully through her art.

Summer Aspen by Sherrie York. Reduction linocut, 3 colors.

Ms. York creates multiple copies of her linocut prints, known as editions, and this process involves cutting, and then printing, a color from her linoleum block before repeating this process. The number of times she does this is dependent on the number of colors she will ultimately use in her final print.

Sherrie York's Leaf Litter. Reduction linocut, 10 colors.

Students in ATCs, ACEOs, and Art in Miniature will remember our discussion about editions, and how creating multiples of a really good idea, or "editions," is one of the things that separates an ATC from an ACEO.

Beaver City II-V by Sherrie York. Reduction linocuts, 3 passes, multiple colors.

I hope that you'll take a moment to visit York's website, view her video, and find some inspiration from her words and work. I, for one, feel very inspired, and look forward to experimenting with the reduction linocut technique!

Have a wonderful week, everyone! I look forward to seeing you all next week in Art Class! Stay warm!

Memory Wire Glass Bead Bracelets (and More!)

2011-01-30T23:08:00.000-08:00

What another fun week! In ATC class, we talked about how, often, organized trades revolve around a particular theme. Students brainstormed to come up with a variety of themes that we could use as inspiration for our little works of art. Following this session, the artists worked hard to create ATCs for the themed trade at the end of class.

Students may remember some of my own ATCs that I shared with the class on the first day and, in particular, some really cool cards that I received recently in the mail. WELL, those cards are the inspiration for a near future project! As soon as I get the "project samples" done up, the secret will be revealed!

In Jewelry Making, we experimented with "memory wire" to create some very beautiful glass bead memory wire bracelets! Wednesday students got a real treat because we started the class with a "show and tell" session led by Miss Rebecca, a very experienced jewelry maker! Needless to say, we were all very impressed. She has promised to share more of her creations in the future.

Students in Ceramics I spent the class period designing and making the "Artist Stamps" that they'll be using throughout the semester. The stamps were whisked off to Woodrow at the end of the week, and will hopefully be fired and returned soon. I'll be sure to post photos when they come back because they are truly works of art in themselves!

Ceramics II students continued work on their masks, and started work on tall vessels. More details on that later!

Artists taking Ceramics III began coiling over the slab portion of their Canopic Jars. The "rules" for this particular assignment:

1. The vessel must be at least 12" tall.

2. Each canopic jar must have a name.

3. Heiroglyphics must be included (may be of the student's own design, or "borrowed" from ancient Egypt).

4. The jar must represent a particular compass direction, and be "protected by" someone.

5. The jar must have a specific purpose.

The students are already coming up with some fantastic ideas! Remember kids: The above 5 "musts" are things you should be thinking about/making notes about at home. By the time your Canopic Jar is complete, you should be able to tell me all about its purpose, etc.

Second Semester Begins!

2011-01-20T08:43:00.000-08:00

What a week! Second semester began this past week, and we have a fun lineup of classes to finish out the school year.

Jewelry Making students made simple stretchy-string bracelets. The "challenge" was for students to work within a limited color palette (or family), and some of the bracelets were inspired by the fabric on students' clothes. This low-pressure, laid back project gave students a chance to get to know each other, while honing their dexterity skills. Tying stretchy-string into a knot can be very challenging, and all students were encouraged to practice their knot-tying skills at home in the coming weeks.

Ceramics I students learned about the (sometimes temperamental!) qualities of clay, and spent quite a bit of time exploring the tools that they'll use in class. We discussed the handbuilding methods we'll use this semester, and looked at some project samples from each method. A reminder to students and parents: Every ceramic artist will need their own "work shirt" to use throughout the semester. This shirt will remain at HSC until we break for summer, and should be an old, over-sized T-shirt--one that you're okay with getting ruined. Clay will stain clothes, and a work shirt is necessary to protect school clothes. Please bring your shirt to class next week!

Ceramics II students began working with moulds this past week. Their first project will be a mask, and the challenge is to make the mask either a self-portrait, or an interesting, decorative mask that uses mixed media. Students rolled out slabs, cut to size, and then pressed them into moulds--a form that will be the starting off point for the project. The artists will significantly alter the moulded clay to create their own, original designs.

Ceramics III students will start the semester combining the methods of slab, coil, and pinch to make vessels inspired by the canopic jars of ancient Egypt. Students may decide to go with "authentic" looking jars, though they were encouraged to create a top (head) that holds meaning for them as individuals.

The photo (above) from Remodelista Daily shows an interesting and decorative way to display your artist trading cards.

Portfolios were the #1 project for students in ATCs, ACEOs, and Art in Miniature class. Each young artist created a portfolio to house their work (and their trades!) for second semester. Once this was done, students were given a stack of ATC blanks and they set about making their first set of Artist Trading Cards. We used the last 15 minutes of class for trading time, and I can testify that some serious trading was going on in class!

Detail of photo from Remodelista Daily: ATCs framed behind glass and displayed as one big art piece.

We talked about the "regulation size" of ATCs and ACEOs (they must be 2.5" x 3.5"), and about the difference between the two. Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) are ALWAYS traded. Art Cards, Editions and Originals (ACEOs) are sold.

We will sometimes mix things up this semester by doing the occasional miniature work (something 5" x 7" or smaller). These projects often take more time, and are not traded.

1st Semester Art Show!

2011-01-13T14:44:00.000-08:00

Following are some highlights from the end-of-semester Art Show. These photos show a sampling of work done in ATCs, ACEOs, and Art in Miniature; Explorations in Art (I and II); and Ceramics (I and II). If I can get some photos from Miss Heather from her Mixed Media classes, I'll be sure to post them here as well. Enjoy!

Above: Detail shot of some of the "mini mandalas" that students made in ATCs, ACEOs, and Art in Miniature.

When we studied TEXTURE in Explorations in Art, students went on a "field trip" around the school to find texture, and then took rubbings with crayon. Thanks, Alesia, for this beautiful work (above)!

Miss Elona saved the day when she drove over to WWA to pick up ceramics that were just coming out of the kiln. Thanks, E! You Rock! :)

Because of the number of students in the art program, the number of classes, and the limited display area, students were asked to pick their "one best work" for display in the show. First hour ATC students displayed their favorite ATCs on a sheet of paper, along with the "mini mandalas" they made earlier in the semester.

LIGHT AND SHADOW was just one of the topics we covered in Explorations in Art. Kaelyn demonstrates his mastery of this lesson (above). Great work, Kaelyn!

More mini mandalas. These little jewels measure about 3 inches in diameter, and my photos don't do them justice!

Emily beautifully illustrates her knowledge of PERSPECTIVE, another topic we covered in Explorations! Great work, Emily!

The calm before the proverbial storm (above). It must have been a record turnout this year!

Keith combined the lessons of SURREALISM and ABSTRACTION when he created the artwork above, which can be viewed from two different perspectives. The work is called

Trees? Or Giant's Feet?

Brilliant, Keith!

More mini mandalas!

Ceramics I artist Matthew is more than ready for Ceramics II! Techniques shown (and mastered!) here include pinch, slab, and carving. Great work, Matthew!

PORTRAITS and SELF PORTRAITS, another lesson from Explorations in Art, was beautifully mastered by Elisabeth (self portrait above). Great work, Elisabeth!

Other topics covered in Explorations include LINE, COLOR, BALANCE, SYMMETRY, SHAPE, FORM . . .

ABSTRACTS (above), POSITIVE and NEGATIVE SPACE, DESIGN, LANDSCAPE, STILL LIFE . . .

Still more Mini Mandalas! :)

Student portfolios, works of art in themselves, were also displayed for the Art Show!

During our study of MURALS, students worked together to create a class mural (detail above). They worked so well together!

Great work, EVERYONE!

Ceramics II artist Forest appreciates the beauty of clay, and chose to use only clear glaze on his works (below). I agree, Forest, the natural color of clay is absolutely beautiful! Great work!

ATC artist Ben displayed five of his favorite Artist Trading Cards in the Art Show. Don't you just love his intense colors and sense of design? Great work, Ben!

Okay, I have to admit: I'm really taken with the little mandalas:

Hence, the number of photos here! :)

Braden really plunged into the lesson on ABSTRACTS, and created Lone Turtle (above). Beautiful work, Braden!

More great work from the Tuesday Ceramics I students! I apologize to ALL of the students in the Wednesday Ceramics classes because, in my rush to set everything up, I neglected to get any photos of your work.

However, I do have this photo of a work by Ike, a candle holder that he made for me (in my favorite color!), that I took here at home (above). Beautiful work, Isaac! And thank you again for this wonderful gift!

Above is Rylee's mastery of miniature collage and mixed media, called Best Buy (on left), and Alex's mini mandala (right), called Gum Ball Machine. Fantastic work, you two!

I'd like to thank all of the art students for a fantastic semester! The Art Show was a huge success. Thanks, also, to all the parents who turned out for the show. It was great to talk with you about your child's work. Enjoy your weekend, everyone, and get ready for another REALLY FUN semester filled with ART and creative activity! Next semester's line-up includes:

ATCs, ACEOs, and Art in Miniature

Jewelry Making

Ceramics I

Ceramics II (prerequisite = Ceramics I)

Ceramics III (prerequisite = Ceramics II)

Drawing and Painting (with Miss Heather)

Everyday Artists (with Miss Heather)

Abstracts!

2010-12-15T17:21:00.000-08:00

What a fun day, and a great way to wrap up before our 2 week break! In ATCs, kids did student-choice cards and then spent quite a bit of time trading at the end of class.

In Explorations in Art, we spent some time talking about the qualities of abstract painting and sculpture. We toured the gallery and discussed works by some very famous artists.

Some of the artists featured this week were Marc Chagall, Constantin Brancusi, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso . . .

. . . Paul Klee, Elaine Marie de Kooning, Henri Matisse, and John Marin.

Afterward, students created gorgeous abstract mixed media works using watercolor and Sharpee markers. Anyone who had trouble getting their "Abstract Groove" on was encouraged to use their non-dominant hand--always a great way to loosen up!

In Ceramics I and II we spent the entire class time applying glaze to our bisque fired works. The goal was to have everything glazed prior to our winter break, but we just didn't have enough time.

We'll spend another class period in January just doing glazing. So, kids, if you have any ceramics at home that you still want to glaze, bring them in after break!

As always, we listened to some wonderful music all throughout class. Many kids were especially taken with a particular group, Mannheim Steamroller. So, if you asked about the music and can't remember the name of the group, there you go! :)

Just a reminder that we'll only have 2 more weeks of school before the end of the semester!

I hope you all enjoy your 2-week break, and return rested and ready to create some more incredible art!

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

See you Next Year!!

Murals, Mixed Media Miniatures, and Last Wet Clay Day!

2010-12-11T11:32:00.000-08:00

We continued our work with mixed media collage in ATCs, ACEOs, and Art in Miniature this past week. Students created colorful backgrounds, and then attached cutouts from magazines to create fun and whimsical mixed media miniatures . . .

Best Buy by Rylee, Mixed Media Miniature

These were a lot of fun to create, and will be displayed inside student portfolios at the end-of-semester Art Show. Don't miss it!

More mixed media miniatures!

We continued our tour through Art History and The Gallery when we viewed and discussed the art (and history!) of Murals. Students learned about the various materials used to create murals, beginning in pre-history and continuing through modern times.

Woman Playing the Kithara, c. 40-30 B.C., Roman Mural

Following our discussion and gallery tour, young artists set about making a group mural. While we couldn't do "real" murals, which would require applying our creative talents to the walls of our classroom . . .

Running Horses from Cave of Lascaux

About 17,000 years old! (France) Mural.

. . . We did the next best thing: Collaborated and worked on a VERY LARGE sheet of paper!

The History of Medicine in Mexico (1953), Mural by Diego Rivera

The "murals" themselves will be displayed in the hallways during the Art Show, but following is a Sneak Peek of what you'll see:

In all Ceramics classes, we wrapped up our production work during "Last Wet Clay Day" this past week. Because we will only have two more "working" classes before the art show, all of the wares need sufficient time to dry and get fired before the end of the semester.

Head from a Chinese Wall Painting, Yuan Dynasty

(c. 1271-1368) Mural.

Miss Bobbi sent an email to all of the parents,

but here's another reminder:

Please bring in all fired works next week!

We'll be glazing and painting works during the next 2 class periods in preparation for the Art Show.

Primavera di Stabiae, Rome (c. 89 B.C. - 79 A.D.) Mural.

One more reminder: The coming week will be our last week of classes before Winter Break, and we won't return until 2011! Wow, this year has gone by FAST! :)

Landscape, Still Life, and Collage

2010-12-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

To recap what we've been doing the past couple of weeks: The week of Nov. 15th, just before Thanksgiving break, we learned all about Landscapes!

The one featured above is by Asher Durand, an artist of the Hudson River School (HRS), and is titled Kindred Spirits. This painting paid homage to fellow artist Thomas Cole, and to the poet William Cullen Bryant. We talked about how this particular landscape combines elements of the Clove of the Catskills and also Kaaterskill Falls, becoming an "imaginary" landscape built from real locations.

Henri Rousseau's Landscape with Cattle

We looked at a number of different styles of landscape painting, comparing Durand's, and the HRS's romanticism-inspired works to Rousseau's primitive style . . .

The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh (1889)

. . . and compared these to the post-impressionism work of Vincent van Gogh. We marveled over the impasto of van Gogh's painting, and his use of curvilinear lines.

View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm--The Oxbow (1836) by Thomas Cole

Students learned about the Rule of Thirds, and how it applies to landscape. Then, we took turns pointing out the how this rule was applied in each work of art on display before creating our own landscapes.

Henri Rousseau's Virgin Forest at Sunset (1910)

After returning from Thanksgiving break, we learned about the genre of Still Life, and how this particular type of art allows the artist some flexibility--through arrangement, palette, etc. We talked about how this becomes a good "exercise" for the artist in terms of honing their skills.

Chardin's Still Life: Apples, Pear, and White Mug

We talked about popular themes in still life: fruit, flowers, vases, fabric--basically, things from everyday life. We also discussed the works with regard to balance and symmetry, light and shadow, realism vs. stylization, warm vs. cool, and so on.

van Gogh's Irises (1890)

We also discussed how, in a successful composition, the viewer's eye will first "land" somewhere on the painting, then "take off" and travel around a bit, before returning where it initially landed. We took turns talking about how each of us viewed the paintings, and then analyzed why our eyes wanted to go to various places first--what the artist did to manipulate the way we unconsciously view the work.

Cezanne's Still Life (c. 1890-1894)

For instance, Cezanne gives us an island of warm in a sea of cool. All of the wonderful visual texture surrounding the fruit makes our eyes want to look at, or travel around, the rest of the work, but those warm colors force us to come back. Brilliant!

Finally, young artists worked on a still life that was set up in the center of the room. I've said this before but it bears repeating: We have some fantastic artists in our school!

In ATCs, ACEOs, and Art in Miniature, we had a BLAST working on small-scale collage. First, we browsed magazines to find a small picture, or the single element of a picture, then carefully cut it out. Once done, we decided where this element would go on our paper and then carefully drew & colored in the background. Once this was done, our cut-out was glued down to complete the composition. We'll be completing and/or continuing these projects in the coming week, so check back next week for photos!

LAST WET CLAY DAY!!

That's right! Our last wet clay day will be this coming week (December 7th and 8th). Our works will need sufficient time to dry (become "bone dry") before they can be bisque fired. No worries, though, because we'll be super busy finishing works that have already been fired. Some things will require glazing (which means they'll need an additional firing), and some works will be finished in either acrylic paint or wax. Students: Please bring back any works that you would like to finish during the last few weeks of this semester. We'll be doing our "finishing" work on Dec. 14th-15th, and Jan. 4th-5th.

Remember that WINTER BREAK is Dec. 20th-Jan. 3rd!

The End-of-Semester Art Show is Jan. 11th-12th!

Thanksgiving Break Approaches!

2010-11-15T16:38:00.000-08:00

Hey, Kids!

I'm a bit late posting for last week's classes because I've been a bit under the weather. I'll do a "make up" post soon.

We said good bye to Valencia this past week, who is moving to Dallas. She'll be missed, but has promised to stay in touch.

Norman Rockwell's Freedom From Want

As we prepare for Thanksgiving break, we'll spend the coming week working on our own versions of Ex Votos in many of the art classes. These are a lot of fun, and will be a nice way to illustrate our Thankful feelings with our families over the holiday.

I'm thankful to work with such a talented and cool bunch of kids!

See you in class!

Miss Robin :)

Dona Nobis Pacem

2010-11-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

Dona Nobis Pacem . . .

Fridden, Der Frieden, La Paix, Achukma, Mr Bosnian, Shalom, Heiwa, Salam, La Paz, La Pace, A Paz, Alaafia, Amaithia, Amani, Aman Malay, Amniat, Ashtee, Asomdwee, Aylobha, Bake, Barish, Beke, Booto, Budech, Chibanda, Dailama, Damai, Diakatra, Dodolimdag, eace-pay, Echnahcaton, Ets'a'an Olal, Eyewi Nez, Faddriampahalemana, Filemu, Fois, Fred, Friour, Goom-jigi, Gunnammwey, Hasiti, Hau, Hedd, Hmetho, Hoa Binh, Ilifayka, Innaihtsi'iyi, Iri'ni, Irq, Ittimokla, Kagiso, Kalilintad, Kapayapaan, K'e, Khanhaghutyun, Khotso, Kinuinak, Kiba-kiba, Kunammwey, Kutula, Kwam, La Paqe, La Patz, La Pau, Lape, Layeni, Ki-k-ei, Linew, Lumana, Mabuhay, Maluhia, Meleilei, Melino, Miers, Mina, Mtendere Chewa,, Muka-muka, Musango, Mutenden, Nabad-Da, Nanna Ayya, Nerane'i, Nimuhore, Nirudho, Nye, Olakamigenoka, Paci, Paco, Pax, Pingan, Pokoj, Pyong'hwa, Rahu, Rangima'aire, Rauha, Redamaian, Rukun, Saanti, Santipap, Saq, Shite, Shanti Bengali, Sholim, Siochain, Sith, Soksang, Solh Dari, Sonqo, Sulh, Taika, Tecocatu, Thayu, Tsumukikatu, Tuktuquil, Tutkinun, Udo, Ukuthula, Uvchin, Uxolo, Vrede Afrikaans, Waki Ijiwebis-I, Wetaskiwin, Wolakota, Wontokode, Wo'okeyeh . . .

Peace.

Today is the international Blog Blast for Peace. People all over the world are celebrating and spreading the hope for Peace today. The Peace Globe featured above includes a linocut print that I created which is titled Many Beliefs, One Wish. I hope that you'll take some time today to visit the Peace Globe Gallery. Perhaps you'll even find some time to create one of your own to share with the rest of the world.

Happy Day, Everyone!

Wishing you Peace!

Miss Robin :)

Portrait and Self-Portrait

2010-11-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

Self-Portrait, 2010, by Elisabeth B. (Age 8)

Okay, I have to make a confession: Artist's self-portraits have always fascinated me, and are by far one of my favorite subjects! Needless to say, this week's Explorations in Art lesson on portraits and self-portraits is also my favorite discussion (and project!) so far this semester. Students got an opportunity to see a variety of artist's self-portraits, as well as a few very famous portrait paintings. After our tour of the gallery, students spent the remainder of the class period either capturing the likeness of one of their classmates, or doing a self-portrait!

Self-Portrait, 1997, by Chuck Close. Oil on canvas.

Portraits and self-portraits can be created in a number of ways, and also in a variety of styles. For instance, Chuck Close's self-portrait (above) is a pseudo mosaic of painted squares which, when viewed close up, appears very abstract. Viewed from a distance, though, it takes on a photorealistic effect--almost like looking at Close through wavy, clear glass. Since 1988, Close has been confined to a wheelchair, and has adapted his easel to spin in a circle for easy access to all parts of the canvas. Because he usually works on a very large scale, most painted works take about 2 months to complete.

Albrecht Durer's Self-Portrait at 28, 1500. Oil on panel.

Portraits and self-portraits are well documented throughout art history. Some of the more famous of these, the Faiyum (or Fayum) portraits date back to the 1st century B.C., and were created with encaustic (wax) and tempera on wood.

Faiyum mummy portrait, c. 1st century B.C.

La Gioconda, commonly referred to as the Mona Lisa, is probably one of the most celebrated and recognized portraits of all time. It, along with Grant Wood's painting, American Gothic, is one of the most copied paintings in the history of Art.

La Gioconda (Mona Lisa) by Leonardo da Vinci, 1503-1506. Oil on wood panel (below left) . . . and Salvador Dali's Self-Portrait as Mona Lisa ( below right), 1954

Above left: Grant Wood's American Gothic, 1930. Oil on beaverboard. Above Right: Robin Hernandez' Atchison Gothic, 2006. Acrylic on canvas.

We talked quite a bit about how artists are inspired by the works of other artists, and will often "borrow from," copy, or work in the style of others. Student's saw, first-hand, the influence Gustav Klimt, Grant Wood, Andy Warhol, and Frida Kahlo had on a number of portraits (and self-portraits) done by their very own art teacher!

The great thing about self-portraits is that the artist always has a subject available and ready to be captured on paper or canvas (or in a 3-dimensional medium!). Students were strongly encouraged (and challenged!) to do at least 1 self-portrait per year for the remainder of their lifetime.

Self-Portrait as a Cyprus Tree, 2001. Ceramic, acrylic, and wax (left); and Self-Portrait in Cool and Warm, 2003. Oil on canvas (right) by Robin Hernandez.

Many artists have built their oeuvres around portraits and self-portraits. Albrecht Durer's earliest known self-portrait was created when he was a mere 13 years old, and he continued to use himself as a subject throughout his entire lifetime.

Portrait of Josh B., 2010, by Keith C. (Age 11)

An artist most well known for her self-portraits is Frida Kahlo. She used this particular genre of painting to record events in her life and to express her feelings of pain and frustration. Because she spent a great deal of time confined to bed, she created much of her art while in the supine position, and used a mirror (attached to the bed above her) to do her work.

Self-Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser, 1940, by Frida Kahlo

Another artist well known for portraits and self-portraits is Andy Warhol, an icon of the Pop Art movement.

Andy Warhol's Self-Portrait, 1966. Silkscreen print.

Warhol was fascinated by celebrities and by popular culture. He used photos, either taken by him but often by others, to create colorful screen printed portraits. Often he would create multiple images of the same portrait. Sometimes he would re-ink the screen between printings, but more often he would create multiples from one inking which resulted in the degradation of the image.

Self-Portrait by Vincent van Gogh, 1889. Oil on canvas.

By now we've viewed many works by Vincent van Gogh, so students easily and quickly identify his work by the brush strokes and impasto of his paintings. He is another artist who did many portraits and self-portraits throughout his lifetime. According to Wikipedia, van Gogh painted himself 37 times between 1886 and 1889!

Dr. Martin L King by Diana Bracy. Fiber Art.

Students got the opportunity to see an original fiber (or textile) portrait done by artist Diana Bracy. Bracy uses assorted fabrics to create colorful, realistic portraits. Students in my ATC, ACEO, and Art in Miniature class will be interested to learn that Diana is also a big fan of ATCs and ACEOs, and if you visit her website, you'll get a chance to see miniature textile works by her, in addition to an amazing variety of portraits!

Self-Portrait by M. C. Escher, 1948. Lithograph

I feel pretty comfortable stating that any artist "worth their salt" has done one or more self-portraits throughout their career.

Interestingly, many artists include very subtle (or not!) self-portraits within works that would be categorized as another genre. One of my absolute favorite artists who is "guilty" of this is Remedios Varo . . .

Exploration of the Sources of the Orinoco River, 1959.

Oil on canvas by Remedios Varo. In her book, Remedios Varo: Unexpected Journeys, author Janet A. Kaplan says, "The intrepid traveler in [this painting] is a most determined woman who bears particular resemblance to Varo herself."

. . . Varo created whimsical, dream-like surrealist worlds which were often filled with people--and sometimes animals--who looked just like her!

I've often mentioned, in class, that artists will tend to depict people who look like themselves. Varo illustrates this point better than any amount of lecturing on my part, and does it in the most wonderful way!

Mixed Media ATCs and Design

2010-10-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

We began a 2-week project in ATC class: Mixed Media ATCs! Students created wonderful little drawings on their watercolor ATC cards, then set about painting them with watercolors. Some students chose to use traditional watercolor palettes for their work, while others used watercolor pencils followed by wet brushes. Next week we'll add a second (or third! or fourth!) medium to finish the little jewels!

Anais' design features symmetry and balance. The mood is certainly happy!

Design was the topic of this week's Explorations in Art classes. All of the classes leading up to this were in preparation for this week's lesson. While touring the gallery, we discussed the myriad components that artists consider when designing a work of art. Students pointed out the more obvious design choices of the featured artist's work.

Edward Hicks' The Peaceable Kingdom, c. 1834, has a strong theme of "peace" and employs mostly a warm color palette. The mood is calm and peaceful.

Elements that make up design can include, but aren't limited to: Use of space, theme, line, color, symmetry, asymmetry, mood, light and shadow, perspective, pattern, balance, repetition, proportion, etc. Even a title can become or can influence a design choice.

The Child's Bath, 1893, by Mary Cassatt has a very calm and soothing mood, with a mostly cool palette. Cassatt put a lot of pattern into this work.

We compared and contrasted the ideas of balance and symmetry, and discussed how a work of art can be very balanced while not necessarily being symmetrical.

Of particular interest was assigning a "mood" to each work of art, and identifying design choices the artist used to convey that mood.

Rosa Bonheur's The Horse Fair, 1853 is very balanced in the way the subjects gallop across the midline of the painting, and also in her use of cool and warm colors. Her painting evokes a sense of excitement and, with the rearing horses and oncoming storm, also a touch of possible danger.

And, of course, we learned some very interesting things about the artists featured in this week's gallery tour. For instance, we talked about Edward Hicks' theme of "peace," and how his life as a Quaker, and therefore a pacifist, would compel him to paint a scene such as the one in The Peaceable Kingdom . . .

Victorian Parlor II, 1945, by Horace Pippin is very symmetrical and has a great deal of pattern. His painting is very still and calm. Students decided that the occupants of his painting were tidy, and were also "very old; probably even 50 years old or older!" :)

. . . and how Horace Pippin was a self-taught artist! We noted the lack of perspective and proportion in his work, but marveled over his use of pattern and symmetry.

We talked about Mary Cassatt's travels to France, where she first encountered Impressionism, and then later returned to the States where she gained fame as one of the first American Impressionists.

Scary, screamy, and anxious! The Scream, painted by Edvard Munch in 1893 evoked some fairly dark "mood" words by students, though almost all of them admitted to really liking this particular work! The strong diagonal lines which seemingly cut through the central figure, the strong swirling colors, and the expression and rendering of the "screamer" all help to create and enforce the mood.

And most students quickly identified Edvard Munch's The Scream as a very famous painting. Easily half of the students also knew the title! Students: Do you remember the proper way to pronounce Munch's name? :)

Ceramics I and II students received some bisque-fired wares back this week. Right now we're in "Production Mode" in ceramics classes, so I won't be posting many photos. Near the end of the semester, though, when we've had an opportunity to glaze or paint the works, pictures will be posted!

Perspective, Vanishing Point, and Space

2010-10-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

Small format "Favorite" drawing was the theme in ATCs, ACEOs, and Art in Miniature this past week. Working in a 4" x 6" space, students created 4 different drawings during class time. Each drawing represented a favorite thing in their lives.

Space was the subject in Explorations in Art. We toured the gallery and discussed how famous artists such as Millet, Seurat, and others used perspective to create a sense of space. Students learned about both linear perspective and aerial/atmospheric perspective.

The Gleaners, 1857, by Jean-Francois Millet. Oil on Canvas.

Young artists learned the meaning of a vanishing point, and how this is used to create perspective in a work of art. We talked about how the two (vanishing point and perspective), working together, tell the brain that the artwork makes sense. For instance, objects that are closer appear larger and more detailed than those farther away.

Wheatfields, c. 1670, by Jacob van Ruisdael. Oil on Canvas.

Students took turns finding the vanishing point in each work of art. We also acknowledged that sometimes a work of art has more than one vanishing point. This is found in two-point perspective, three-point perspective, and so on!

Peasant Wedding, 1568, by Pieter Bruegel, the Elder.

Oil on Oakwood.

We talked about an "easy" way to create a picture in perspective, by deciding on a vanishing point, then drawing light lines leading to that point. This became the base, or underdrawing, for the perspective drawings we did in class. While this certainly makes the process easier, the project can still be quite tricky! Everyone did fantastic work, though, as evidenced here :)

As in every class, we took time to discuss the palette of each work, our observations about the composition, and interesting tidbits about the various artists, their influences on those around them, and those who came later.

Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884-1886.

by Georges Seurat. Oil on Canvas.

For instance, we talked about Seurat's invention of pointillism, and the painstaking technique used to create his beautiful, Neo-Impressionistic works.

Young artists learned that The Gleaners is considered a very important work in Art History, and that Millet's composition was copied by, or greatly influenced, many other artists.

The Fall of Icarus, 1555, by Pieter Bruegel, the Elder.

Oil on Canvas.

We also discussed Pieter Bruegel, the Elder's work, and how he painted works which illustrated stories, myths, fables, and also the everyday world around him in his genre paintings. Students learned that he was the father of Pieter Bruegel, the Younger, an artist we discussed in an earlier class this semester!

Chiaroscuro!

2010-10-18T13:14:00.000-07:00

In ATC class this past week we finished up our "mini mandalas," and they're absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Students titled their works, and these will be mounted and labeled for the end-of-semester Art Show.

Rembrandt's Old Woman Cutting Her Nails, c.1665-1660. Oil on canvas.

We learned all about the relationship between Light and Shadow in Explorations in Art. After a discussion about the various sources of light, both during the day and at night, we toured the gallery to discuss the works on display. Students took turns using the "portable Sun" to identify the position of the light source in each work.

James Chapin's Ruby Green Singing, 1928. Oil on canvas.

This was a little trickier than they thought it would be, but we had a lot of fun (and some coaching!) figuring out each work of art. We discussed the way artists use Light and Shadow in their works to convey a sense of volume and to create a mood.

William Harnett's The Old Violin, 1886.

We learned the meaning of Chiaroscuro, and talked about the mastery of this technique by artists such as Johannes Vermeer, Rembrant van Rijn, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.

Vermeer's The Kitchen Maid, c. 1658. Oil on canvas.

Once each student felt comfortable with their understanding of Light and Shadow, we set up a Still Life, turned on a spotlight, and then turned off the overhead light so that students could create their own chiaroscuro compositions.

Young artist who earlier declared this an "easy" project soon changed their minds! But, as you can see by just a couple of examples, their efforts were very successful . . .

Meanwhile, in Ceramics I class, students began work on clay masks, which will be finished in the coming week. With a little leftover time and bits of clay, a few young artists spent the remainder of the class period making small works, such as the animalito featured below which was created by Olivia. She combined red and white clay to create this wonderfully whimsical little creature. So creative!

Ceramics II students continue their "independent study" work, and I'll be sure to post photos of what they've been up to just as soon as the works have been bisque fired. Be sure to check back, because they've been doing some seriously cool stuff!

Mini Mandalas, Form, Artist Stamps, Etc

2010-10-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

In ATC and Art in Miniature, we began a 2-week project creating miniature mandalas. After discussing some of the qualities of the mandala's design--particularly symmetry and repetition--students created detailed drawings and, afterward, began adding color. Once these are finished, each student's work will be titled and exhibited at the end-of-semester Art Show.

Form was the subject of the past week's Explorations in Art class. We talked about form in art, and particularly form in sculpture. We learned that sculpture is displayed differently from 2-dimensional art, because sculpture is intended to be viewed in the round.

Flying Horse, One Leg Resting on a Swallow, Bronze. 2nd century CE from Wu-Wani, China

We also reviewed what we've already learned about direction (vertical, horizontal, diagonal) and identified the implied movement, or lack thereof, of the works under discussion. Students learned about the "lost wax" method of creating sculpture.

Auguste Rodin's The Thinker, 1880. Bronze.

In discussing the sculpture of ancient Greece, students learned that the "ideal" of beauty was someone who appeared calm, thoughtful, and peaceful. We studied the face of The Discobolus, noting his almost expressionless face, and talked about how this is typical for the period when it was created, over 2,000 years ago, and how we can expect to see this same expression on other sculptures from its time.

Myron of Athens' The Discobolus (Discus Thrower), c. 450 BCE. Marble.

After our tour of the gallery, we spent some time creating tiny works of art from paper: Origami! The twirling bird origami, in particular, was a big hit.

The Virgin and Child, c. 1150-1200. Walnut with paint, gesso, and linen. French.

Ceramics I students used the pinch and carve techniques to create animalitos, finger puppets, and their own artist stamps. Once the stamps have been fired, the young ceramic artists will use them to "mark" their work throughout the semester.

Artist stamps and Animalitos

Scratch Art, Texture, Spirit Balls, and A New Blog!

2010-10-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun in ATC class this week when young artists applied their sgraffito skills to Scratch Art ATCs! Students began by brainstorming ideas and doing practice drawings on plain paper. Once they decided on a design, each artist set to work scratching away the waxy black surface to reveal a colorful, linear work of miniature art.

Sadly, the batteries in my camera died after taking only a couple of photos, so there won't be many pictures of student art this week. But the photos I DID get are amazing! Don't you just love these beautiful little masterpieces?

Ceramics I students created "spirit balls" this past week. If you want to know what a spirit ball is, ask your little ceramic artist! Photos will be posted here after the first bisque firing.

Albrecht Durer's Hare, 1502. Watercolor and gouache on paper.

Meanwhile, in Explorations in Art class,

the week's lesson was all about:

Rough, smooth, sticky, pointy, scratchy, bumpy, soft, wet, hard, dry, silky, spikey, fluffy, scaly, slimy: These are just some of the "texture words" that students came up with.

Edgar Degas' Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen Years, c. 1879-1891.

Yellow wax, hair, clothes.

We talked about how artists use texture to convey feeling--how, through the use of visual texture, they create a mood for their work and give the viewer clues to figure out what's going on.

Jean-Baptiste Greuze's Broken Eggs, 1756. Oil on canvas.

Students compared various works, and discussed how the artists used texture to tell us about the lives of the people depicted in the works. Let me tell you: There are some very observant young artists in the Explorations in Art classes!

Thomas Gainsborough's Mary, Countess Howe, c. 1763. Oil on canvas.

We also identified that some artists put tactile texture right into their works of art. For instance, Vincent van Gogh is well known for the impasto of his oil paintings:

Vincent van Gogh's Landscape with Ploughed Fields, 1889. Oil on canvas.

Often, his works have such heavy impasto that the viewer doesn't need to get terribly close to see the texture!

Hans Holbein the Younger's Anne of Cleves, c. 1539. Parchment mounted on canvas.

After our discussion about texture, students did their own texture project. Some chose to draw their own unique texture picture. Other students browsed magazines and cut out samples of texture and then drew those textures on paper. And yet others chose to take crayon and paper, and go on a texture-hunting expedition, using the crayons to take texture rubbings.

A sneak peak at Miss Stacy's Blog reveals a jar full of buttons!

And finally, for all of the students, teachers, and parents who've salivated over the yummy smells wafting down the hall from the kitchen, I have some exciting news to share. Miss Stacy started a blog, called HSC Kitchen Classroom, to share news from Cooking & Sewing classes! There are already some recipes posted, and photos from Sewing class, so be sure to stop by her blog regularly.

By the way, those "Double Lime Coolers" really hit the spot! Yum!

The Shape of Art

2010-09-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun in our ATC class this past week. Following are some fine examples of miniature, tradable art . . .

Morgan and Anais collaborated to create the ATCs featured above. Pretty clever, huh?

Valencia made this beautifully detailed ATC featuring a woman in a long dress. It reminds me of a sari.

And the trading card below was made by Cameron. He put lots of detail into his card, which was the main assignment!

In Explorations in Art, we continued building on our knowledge of the principles and elements of art. This past week we discussed shape. Students took a tour through Miss Robin's Art Gallery to view and discuss a number of famous works. We identified the prominent shapes in each work.

For instance, we noted that Grant Wood's Stone City, Iowa (above) is mostly made up of circles and ovals! Several students also pointed out Wood's use of organic shapes.

Paul Gauguin's The Vision After the Sermon was also found to be composed of many organic shapes, which is in sharp contrast to the following, highly geometric work by Shaikh-zada of Khurasan, titled Bahrom Gur in the Turquoise Pavilion.

In addition to shape, we discussed perspective. Students critiqued the use (and non-use!) of perspective in all the works featured in the gallery. And, for good measure, I threw in this brain-teasing work by Salvador Dali. The young artists enjoyed picking out the hidden images, and shifting their gaze between objects which appeared to change before their eyes!

Ceramics I students began work on spirit balls, while the advanced ceramics students continued work on their independent art projects.

ATCs, Color, and Pinch Pots

2010-09-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

In ATC class, students used the full class period to create one-of-a-kind Artist Trading Cards. At the end of class, the tiny masterpieces were traded with fellow artists.

Color was the lesson of the day in Explorations in Art! We discussed Primary colors, Secondary colors, and Tertiary colors. We talked about the qualities of Warm colors vs. Cool colors, and the meanings of Tone and Shade.

Pinata by Diego Rivera

And because this class is all about Exploration, we explored some very famous paintings, three of which are featured here. Our journey around the "gallery" was full of discussion about the palette of the painting, its title, and observations about the colors used by the artist. We spent some time exercising the 3 Cs of Art Class:

Compare (how are they alike?)
Contrast (how are they different?)
Critique (what do we like/dislike about the work?)

Arrangement in Black and Gray by James McNeill Whistler

(This is commonly called Whistler's Mother)

We talked about the artists and their influences. Students learned about the use of color in works characterized as: Impressionist, Minimalist, Fauvist, Cubist, Primitive, and Naive. We talked about the relationships between such artists as Picasso & Matisse, how Cezanne influenced the artists who followed him, and how many artists were heavily inspired by Japanese woodblock prints.

Tulips in Holland by Claude Monet

We looked at color from many angles, and through the eyes of a great number & variety of artists. Next week our focus will be on LINE :)

Ceramics I students learned how to make the most basic of pottery forms: The humble little Pinch Pot. Next week we're going to learn all about wedging clay, which makes it "workable and plastic."

Ceramics II students began work on their independent pieces, each using a method appropriate for the project (pinch, slab, or coil).

Reminder to ALL Ceramics Students:

If you haven't already brought in your work shirt, please remember to bring it with you next week. Clay can and DOES permanently stain clothing.

First Week of School

2010-09-01T16:45:00.000-07:00

We had a very successful first week of school. It was nice to see so many familiar faces from last year, and meet quite a few new ones!

This week, in recap:

ATCs, ACEOs, and Art in Miniature

Students made mini-portfolios to store this semester's artwork. Afterward, we had time to make a few ATCs and then trade them at the end of class. Remember: ATCs & ACEOs are ALWAYS 2-1/2" x 3-1/2". It's the law :)

Explorations in Art (6-9 and 9+)

Our first project this week was creating portfolios (medium size!) to store the semester's artwork. Once this was done, each student completed a Color Wheel by filling in the Primary Colors, Secondary Colors, and Teritary Colors.

Afterward, students used color paddles to experiment with some good old fashioned Color Theory!

This was all in preparation for next week's lesson on COLOR. We'll be discussing (critiquing, comparing, contrasting) several famous works of art, with the focus being on color.

Ceramics I

In the beginning Ceramics class, we took a field trip to check out the clay traps in the bathroom, learned all about the tools we'll be using, and assigned work boards and board storage for each student.

Remember kids: Bring your work shirt to school next week. You'll need it to protect your clothes!

Ceramics II

In Ceramics II, students helped to organize our materials, were assigned work boards & storage, and then we spent some time talking about our goals for this semester.

Students in Ceramics II have a weekend assignment:

Do some serious thinking about what you want to create. Find or sketch a picture of your idea, and bring it to class with you next week for our first "wet clay day."
Bring your work shirt to school next week. You'll need it to protect your clothes!

Welcome Back to School!

2010-08-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone! I hope you've had a fun and interesting summer, and have fully recharged your creative batteries. Summer went by incredibly fast!

I was traveling last week, and look forward to seeing everyone the first day of school.

To get us started, here are a few things that you should know:

ATCs, ACEOs, and Art in Miniature is all about creating small scale works. We will have "trading time" built into each class.

Explorations in Art (6-9 and 9+) will follow the Core Knowledge program. The focus will be on learning:

Elements and Principles of Art
Studying the works of Masters
Comparing & Contrasting great works
Creating art inspired by the works discussed

Ceramics I and II require far fewer things from home. This year you need only bring:

An old shirt to protect your clothes (adult size shirts make great art smocks!). Clay WILL stain your clothes!

All Ceramics classes are "hand building" classes, which means that we will be working in the traditional methods of pinch, slab, and coil. A "clay calendar" will be posted later on in the semester, so be sure to check back for important dates!

Don't want to miss anything from our Virtual Classroom? Be sure to subscribe (link to the right)!

A Note About Web Challenges

Last year I posted weekly web challenges and gave away prizes. This was a lot of fun for me as well as the students. While this year's schedule won't allow for a challenge every week, I will do my best to offer as many as I can. More about this later!

The Great Power Race!

2010-07-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

"The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly."

- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

I love that quote, which I found when searching for thoughts about competition. A little healthy competition can be a good thing. And the competition I'm going to tell you about is a very good thing. It's called

The Great Power Race

and is sponsored by one of my favorite groups, 350.org.

The really great thing about this particular competition is that, in the long run, there are no real losers. :)

That said, it looks like the U.S. is already in last place:

India has registered 214 schools!

China brings in 2nd place with 173 schools,

and the USA currently has 98 schools signed up.

The race has begun . . . :)

Happy Summer!

2010-07-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

Hey, Kids! I hope you're enjoying your summer and finding some creative time! If you work on any special projects over the summer, be sure to bring them in to share with the class when school starts up again.

In the meantime,

Stay Cool!

Operation: Art Show, and the Art of Jim Rowe

2010-05-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

For the next 3 weeks, we'll be in

Operation: Art Show

mode, which means that most of the work being created in class will be shown in the Open House/Art Show during the last week of this month. Hence, I won't be posting a lot of photos here. Instead, let's take some time to review what we'll be doing for the next 3 weeks . . .

Lily, Age 6, has been working on her bookmark for many, many weeks! Didn't she do a fantastic job? (above)

During May 4th through 6th:

All Classes: Continue with/finish current work . . .

Fiber Arts (Tues): We'll start weaving with different materials (cane, reed, sea grass). There will be 2 different projects. Younger students will create a simple(ish) work, while older students tackle a harder project.

Fiber Arts (Wed): We will finish our large weavings over the next several weeks. Students who would like to "bead" the edges of their works will get a chance to do this. Also, anyone who would prefer to add a wooden hanger (rather than beads) should let me know before the last day of school :)

Drawing and Painting (Tues/Wed): We will continue work on our Gestalt piece. The goal for this week is to finish whatever medium you need to finish (oil pastel, watercolor, acrylic).

Portraits (Tues/Wed): We will continue to refine our portrait drawing skills. Students should put their work into chronological order (in your portfolios). Each artist has been asked to identify their "first" portrait and their "best" portrait to display, diptych-style, in the art show. The best may be yet to come, so art show entries won't be put together until later.

Ceramics I and II (Tues/Wed): Over the next 3 weeks, our wares will be bisque fired and returned to HSC. We'll spend our class time glazing and painting our creations.

Drawing and Printmaking I and II (Thurs): We will continue finishing work in our portfolios, and picking entries for the art show. If you've come up with a title for your work, please let me know!

Explorations in Art I and II: No class this week! Enjoy your field trip to My Art Workshop!

After finishing some Art Show entries, Nathan M. and Morgan F. had some fun during the last few minutes of class (above)

May 11th through 13th:

All Classes to Continue with Present Work in Progress!

See above for details! Otherwise:

Drawing and Painting (Tues/Wed): We will continue work on our Gestalt piece. The goal for this week is to finish whatever medium you need to finish (oil pastel, watercolor, acrylic), and to start thinking about a title for your work. Miss Heather and I will help you to re-attach your pieces. Those who are ready will use one medium (probably acrylics) to "tie" the three pieces together.

Explorations in Art I and II: This week we will discuss, compare and contrast, and critique a number of Abstract works, then create our own!

May 12th (Wed): Field trip to Pump It Up! Classes dismiss at 11:55 (immediately following Portraits class).

Several students in Tuesday's Fiber Arts class found time to do a second weaving! (above)

May 18th through 20th:

All Classes to Continue with Present Work in Progress!

See above for details! Otherwise:

Explorations in Art I and II: We will discuss American Indian Art, and then create a woven piece (Navajo inspired!) with paper. I have some beautiful papers to choose from, so this will be loads of fun!

All work in every class will (hopefully!) be complete at this point. We will decide which pieces to put into the Art Show (1 per student per class), and students will choose a title for their work.

This week's van Gogh award goes to Nathan in Evergreen! Nathan's "untitled" work reminds me of a fence:

Great work, Nathan!

May 25th through 27th:

There will be lots going on this week! The most important thing is that we will be setting up the Art Show! All work will be mounted, labeled, and hung for the show. Once this is done, we'll spend our time cleaning out and organizing the art cabinets, cleaning up the clay tools and work boards, playing Art Games, and doing "free draw." :)

Cow in Leather, by Jim Rowe

This week's featured artist is

Jim Rowe, a Canadian artist and illustrator.

The Fisherman, by Jim Rowe

Jim is entirely a self-taught artist, whose work falls into the category of "Outsider Art."

Care-Giver, by Jim Rowe

Jim states that, "The subject matter of my work is a study of myself and my interaction with my environment. I am able to uncover and symbolically sort out what is happening and how it affects me, through doodling. It is a form of automatic writing, only it is automatic drawing."

The Goaltender, by Jim Rowe

Farewell, Earth Day, Special Visitors, and the Art of Donna Sakamoto Crispin

2010-04-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

The past week was significant for a number of reasons. First, we said farewell to a couple of great kids, and fantastic artists: Avalon and River.

They're moving to North Carolina, and we will miss them dearly. They've promised to stay in touch, though, so hopefully I'll be able to update their travels and adventures in the future.

We all celebrated Earth Day this past week, which fell on a Thursday. Hence, all of the photos from this post are "Thursday" photos, which I took in Evergreen. To honor our beautiful planet, students created Earth Day posters . . .

Each young artist worked very hard to depict a scene that depicted the significance of this 40th annual celebration . . .

. . . students also made ATCs to share . . .

. . . and bookmarks, too! What made this day even more special is that Thursday also happened to be

Take Your Child to Work Day!

so we got a chance to meet (and make art with!)

Talia and Jake!

Jake came to HSC with his mom, Miss Jen, and

Talia came with her mom, Miss Elona.

What's more is that Thursday afternoon, we all enjoyed the HSC Science Fair!

The theme, or goal, for this year's science fair was to make something that either:

1. Makes our lives easier, or

2. Helps our environment

Let me tell you: There were some AMAZING entries!

In Explorations in Art, we discussed the portraits and self-portraits of Vincent van Gogh and Frida Kahlo. Students successfully identified van Gogh's early works as being strikingly different from his later ones, and critiqued the variety of Kahlo's self-portraits. Afterward, students created portraits that either used Impressionist colors, or depicted a Surreal image . . .

. . . Check out these very expressive eyes!

And finally, our featured artist of the week:

Donna Sakamoto Crispin

Lotus teapot made of red cedar bark, NW sedge,
sweetgrass, curly filbert branch by Donna Sakamoto Crispin

Donna is a fiber artist, who lives and works in Eugene, Oregon.

Copper Cascade made of sheet
metal copper, copper wire by Donna Sakamoto Crispin

She often gathers her own weaving materials . . .

Bird Transformation, made of face bead,
assorted threads, beads by Donna Sakamoto Crispin

And uses her skill as a basket maker and fiber artist to create a variety of art.

tiny coiled wire basket with turquoise button

by Donna Sakamoto Crispin

Art, Lookout Mountain, and the Work of Erica Smith

2010-04-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

Before we look at photos from last week’s classes, I’d like to take moment to remind students of a few things. First, there are only 6 more weeks of school, which means that any “works-in-progress” will need to be completed before we break for summer. Second, we will have only 2 more “wet clay” classes in ceramics. The reason for this is that our works will need time to become “bone dry” before they are bisque fired. After the initial firing, some wares will need to be glazed and returned to Woodrow for an additional firing. Also, a number of works will be painted (with acrylics) during class once we run out of “wet clay” time. Finally, because our last official day of class is also the last day of the semester, students in each class will be assisting with the Art Show setup! This means that there are really only 5 weeks of actual art making!

Students in Fiber Arts have been working on a variety of projects. Tuesday students have been working on a “student choice” project. Some are making bookmarks, some are working on slightly larger weavings, and a few are making friendship bracelets. Photos will be published here when the works are done, but in the meantime one artist, Natalie (an experienced bracelet maker!), finished her friendship bracelet in record time.

Portrait students (Tues) spent the class time exercising their eye muscles by doing “blind contour line” drawings of fellow classmates. By looking ONLY at their subject (not at the paper!), students concentrated on shape, silhouette, position, etc.

Thursday Drawing and Printmaking students continued work with oil pastels. Clearly, the theme of the day was Rainbows! Aren’t these beautiful?

We had a short day on Thursday, because Evergreen students enjoyed a field trip to Lookout Mountain. We learned all about native flora and fauna, took photos, hiked, and enjoyed one of the most beautiful days we’ve seen in a very long time! The 1st - 3rd grade students took turns using 4 very nice digital cameras (compliments of our tour guide, Jim), and shot some incredible photos!

It Looks Deep, Self-Portrait by Erica Smith

Which inspires the featured artist for this week,

Erica R. Smith.

Great-Grandma Laughing, by Erica Smith

Erica is a photographer who grew up in Washington DC, but now lives in Denver, CO.

Stanley Mines, by Erica Smith

Erica always strives to find a unique angle when shooting a photo. She likes to give the viewer an "unexpected" image.

Four Flies on the Window Sill, by Erica Smith

Erica considers no subject to be insignificant (as above).

Four Generations, by Erica Smith

And when shooting a portrait, or self-portrait, she endeavors to make the finished photo a work of art.

Classic, by Erica Smith

Erica's formal eduction in photography focused on traditional darkroom work. She doesn't use a digital camera . . .

Down the Stairs, Self-Portrait by Erica Smith

. . . and prides herself on using the camera to "crop" the image, rather than a computer.

Giraffa Camelopardalis, by Erica Smith

Winding Down, and the Work of Roxanne Swentzell

2010-04-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome back from spring break everyone! There are only 7 more weeks left in this semester, and so we'll spend the remainder of our class days finishing works in progress, and creating projects that can be started and finished in a relatively short span of time.

This past week, River (Evergreen) finished a piece that he's been working on for the past several weeks (above). The artwork is a mixed media piece, watercolor and marker on watercolor paper, and is titled Graffiti. River created the "graffiti" image from the letters in his name. If you look closely, you'll find them.

Great work, River!

Ceramics I student works were recently glaze fired, and were returned this past week. These are just a few photos of the works that were returned to our class following the firing. There is, clearly, some very nice sgraffito work here! What amazing artists!

Thanks to all the students who chose to do the spring break web challenges! The following artists did ALL THREE challenges, and each added 3 more ATCs to their collection:

Ivy, Parker, Tavia, Hunter, Morgan, and John-Luc!

Great work, everyone!

The previous challenge was to learn about "altered book" art, and to find an artist's work which appealed to the student. Several students stepped up to the challenge. They are . . .

. . . Joel, Dillon, Keith, Delaney, Morgan, Hunter, John-Luc, Tavia, Parker, and Ivy! Again, fantastic work everyone! If you get the chance to see any of these jewels in person (altered books), be sure to take advantage of the opportunity. Pictures rarely do them justice :)

Tribal Mask by Roxanne Swentzell

I have some personal commitments that will occupy much of my time in the coming weeks, so rather than offer up new web challenges, I will feature works from artists that I often mention in class, but whose work you may not be familiar with. This week, I'm sharing the work of one of my very favorite contemporary artists, Roxanne Swentzell, who is a well known ceramic artist from the Santa Clara pueblo in New Mexico.

Steps Through Time by Roxanne Swentzell.

Roxanne has a beautiful gallery--The Tower Gallery--that is filled with her work. You can visit her gallery, which is located less than 1/2 hour north of Santa Fe, NM, in the pueblo of Pojoaque. It's well worth the trip, and is free to the public.

Babies at Indian Market by Roxanne Swentzell

Please note that, while there won't be any further web challenges this semester, I will continue to post photos of the work we're doing in class, along with each week's featured artist, so be sure to check back here each week! Also, over the next few weeks, I will count up the total number of challenges done by each student, and anyone who has done 5 or more is eligible for an ART PRIZE!
Good luck, Everyone!

Signs of Spring

2010-03-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Spring has Sprung . . .

. . . and hopefully you're enjoying your Spring Break! We got one last blast of snow from Ol' Man Winter, and school was closed on Wednesday as a result. Surely, though, all you kids made the most of it, and built snow people, or spent some quality time Making Art! This week's photo contributions start with Drawing and Printmaking (4th - 6th) in Evergreen. The works featured below were created by Morgan and Nathan, and represent the current projects from both printmaking classes. We started with blocks of styrofoam, which were then altered to make printing blocks. After the initial altering, students made practice prints, and then "tweaked" the blocks several times until they were able to make a print that suited their artistic aesthetic. This was quite a learning process!

Can you believe that the "Artist's Proofs" (A/P) you see above started out with pieces of styrofoam that look like this:

In the 1st - 3rd class, the focus this week was on Drawing, and more specifically, drawing Signs of Spring! We started with a brainstorming session, where students came up with key words that represented Spring. Once the board was covered with descriptive words, young artists set about creating their own visions of Spring . . .

Blue skies, sunshine, rainbows, butterflies . . .

. . . flowers blooming, signs of growth and renewal . . . very happy pictures, indeed!

In Westminster, the Tuesday Fiber Arts class finished their Ojo de Dios weavings, and did a fantastic job! Each one is unique. Students started with two 12" dowels, tied together to make an "X" shape . . .

. . . then they started the weavings from the center and continued weaving toward the ends of the dowels . . .

. . . once the dowels were fully covered, we tied a length of yarn across the back so that they could be hung at home. Arent' they GORGEOUS?!

Before we learn about your Spring Break web challenges (that's right, there's more than one!), let's take a moment to recognize this week's van Gogh award recipient!

For creating art above and beyond the call of duty, the award goes to Nathan in Evergreen, for his beautifully articulated picture of a turtle, and his work on an ATC that he did at home! Great work, Nathan!

During Spring Break, you'll have a chance to win THREE ATCs! You can choose to do one, two, or all three--it's up to you. Remember that whoever has the most ATCs by the end of the semester will have a chance to win a really cool art prize! To be eligible, though, a student MUST have completed a minimum of FIVE WEB CHALLENGES (that's 5 ATCs from me). You can win THREE by doing all of the challenges below:

1. In lieu of "pajama day" this past week, pick your favorite ILLUSTRATED bedtime story. Find the name of the person who illustrated the book, and do a search* to find out about their art training or background. Bring me the name of the person, the name of the story they illustrated, and a small paragraph about their art training/background. I'd REALLY LOVE it if you also brought in the book, but that's up to you (entirely optional). Remember: this challenge requires 3 bits of information, as outlined above.

2. Ask your parents about your heritage. Where did your ancestors originate? What country? Many of us have mixed heritages, so you can pick just one. Next, do a search* to find an artist who represents that country. Print out a picture of their work, and also a small paragraph about the artist. This paragraph might include their current country of residence (or origin!), a bit about their training, their chosen medium, and/or where a person might go to see their work in person. Remember: this challenge requires 3 bits of information, as outlined above.

3. What is your favorite art class? Fiber Arts? Drawing and Painting? Drawing and Printmaking? Portraits? Perhaps it's a class that you took last year at HSC, or have taken privately. Whatever your answer, here's the challenge: Create something in that medium (drawing, painting, weaving, etc). Be sure to do your best work, and give it a title. Write a paragraph describing the work you created: the medium you used, what inspired you, why you like the particular class that you've chosen as your favorite, etc. Be sure to bring both your art, and your written assignment to class. Remember: this challenge requires 2 bits of information, as outlined above.

You may do one, two, or all three of these challenges to win one, two, or three ATCs. It's up to you! Be sure to follow the directions for each one, and keep in mind that each challenge has several things that you must do! Bring your challenge(s) to me on the first day of school after Spring Break:

April 6, 7, or 8

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

When I receive your completed challenge(s)**,
you'll receive your ATC(s)!

**Because this is a completely optional, the information for each challenge must be presented to me the week it is due. This keeps things fair for those who work hard to find the answers and turn them in on time. Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs by the end of the semester will win a REALLY COOL ART PRIZE. A 2nd place prize will also be awarded. There will be a first and second prize for each school day, so get busy! To be eligible for any prize, you MUST have completed a minimum of FIVE (5) web challenges.

Have a fun break! I'll see you in April! :)

One More Week Until Spring Break!

2010-03-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hey, Kids--
I've been a bit "under the weather" since Thursday, so I won't be posting photos or a web challenge until after the coming week's classes. To make up for this, I'll be sure to give you the opportunity to win more than one ATC during your spring break.

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend, and doing something fun with all that snow!
See you in ART CLASS!
Miss Robin :)

Wood Sculpture, Oil Pastels, and Bookmarks!

2010-03-13T22:17:00.000-08:00

Quite a few students chose to do the web challenge last week! Congratulations go out to Ivy, Hunter,

Tavia, Parker, Morgan H.,

John-Luc, Joel, and Dillon!

Thanks, as always, for your dedication to Art Education!

Last week I promised you photos of a wonderful wood sculpture by one of our Evergreen students, River. This took several weeks to finish, and River worked on it during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Do you see the influence?

Great work, River!

Drawing and Painting students experimented with oil pastels this past week, and learned how much fun it is to blend colors. Anyone with "dirty" fingers was identified as a hard-working artist during class. Sometimes you've got to get a little messy, though, to create great art!

. . . And, is this GREAT ART, or what?

It's fun to see the various styles and color choices . . .

Fiber Arts students are working on projects that are a bit more time-consuming. After several weeks' work, the Tuesday students finished their first loom weaving project: Bookmarks!

Each young fiber artist was excited about taking their bookmark home to use. I got a chance to interview each student to find out what book they were currently reading, and to find out the name of the current (if only temporary!) home for each of these gorgeous new creations.

Some of the answers:

Rio: Secrets of Droon: Pirates of the Purple Dawn

Natalie: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Tabitha: Mystery of New York

Ike: Club Penguin Star Reporter

Sedona: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Faeya: The Bible

Karina: Junie B. Jones

Acacia: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief

Valencia: The Princess Diaries

There are only two more weeks of classes before Spring Break, and I KNOW these bookmarks will be put to good use during our week away from school!

In fact, these amazing bookmarks make me think of BOOK ART! To be specific, ALTERED BOOKS, which is the subject of the coming week's web challenge!

For the week of March 16th through 18th:

1. Do a search* and learn what Altered Book Art is all about.

2. Look at images and find your favorite.

3. Print out a picture of your favorite Altered Book.

4. Make sure the artist's name is included on the page.

5. Put YOUR name on the copy.

6. Be prepared to tell me what you like about it!

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

When I receive your completed challenge**,
you'll receive your ATC!

**Because this is a WEEKLY (and completely optional!) assignment, the information must be presented to me the week it is due. This keeps things fair for those who work hard to find the answers and turn them in on time. Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs by the end of the semester will win a REALLY COOL ART PRIZE. A 2nd place prize will also be awarded. There will be a first and second prize for each school day, so get busy!

Portraits, Wood Sculpture, and Experimenting with Oil Pastels!

2010-03-06T21:01:00.000-08:00

I'd like to thank all the students who chose to learn about one of my favorite potters, Maria Martinez!

Great work, and "high five" to:

Morgan (Evergreen), Ivy, Hunter, Joel, Dillon, Morgan (Westminster), John-Luc, Tavia, and Parker!

Things are really ramping up in Portraits class! This past week, we opened up our fresh new boxes of "multicultural" crayons, and set to work on practicing shadows and highlights on the face . . .

. . . clearly, we have a number of very talented portrait artists in our class! One great thing about doing portraits is that, as long as you have a mirror, you have a subject to draw! With this kind of talent at HSC, I strongly encourage all the portrait students to practice self-portraits in their spare time!

Fantastic work, Everyone!

Students in Explorations in Art (both I and II) spent the past two weeks discovering wood sculpture. After discussing several famous sculptural works, the artists set about making their own sculptures out of wood. There was one caveat, though: They had to work with existing materials! This is sometimes easier said than done . . .

. . . but not for this group! River (Exp. in Art II) put together the above Dragonfly very quickly, after putting the finishing touches on his current work in progress (photos of THAT next week, I promise!) . . .

. . . And while a number of (Exp. in Art I) students were out sick, the ones who did come to class wasted no time putting together a variety of works!

KloeAnna, Kaylyn, and Chole,

you did an amazing job! Great work!

In Drawing and Printmaking class (I and II), students explored the use of oil pastels to create vibrant, colorful works. Above are a couple of

gorgeous pastoral scenes by

Morgan and Nathan.

And in Drawing and Painting class, we used the class time to play "catch up," and finish up works in progress. Students who were already done with their works picked the medium of their choice to do new work. For instance, Stefan made the very whimsical mixed media drawing (above) of an underwater snowman! What a great imagination!

This week's van Gogh award is shared by

Kaylyn (Evergreen,below left) and Parker (Westminster, below right), for doing art above and beyond the call of duty! Each artist brought in artwork to share with the class. Thanks so much to both of you for your dedication!

And speaking of van Gogh . . . this week's web challenge is all about the artist, himself! Do a search on

Vincent van Gogh* and look for a picture that really appeals to you. He was one of the most prolific artists in art history, so this search will be incredibly easy! During the week of March 9th through 11th,

if you want to earn an ATC, bring in:

1. The title of the work you like best

2. a print out (it doesn't have to be in color), or YOUR drawn version of the work (this does require color!)

3. Your name MUST be on the assignment, please!

4. Be prepared to tell me what you like about it!

Vincent van Gogh's works almost always have a very heavy impasto, so try to search for large images to see the wonderful, delicious texture of his work!

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

When I receive your completed challenge**,
you'll receive your ATC!

Art From Scratch and More Portrait Work

2010-02-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

Last week I asked students to find their favorite

Native American artist, and four students

really came through! ATCs were given to

John-Luc, Tavia, Hunter, and Morgan, four young artists who are well on their way to winning some very cool art prizes at the end of the semester! If there was a special prize for best drawing of a kachina, it would definitely go to Morgan! She did the most amazing drawing of a kachina that I've ever seen! Great work!

Students in our Drawing and Painting and

Drawing and Printmaking classes all had fun with scratch art this past week! Just like magic, they put their wooden stylus' to the scratch art paper, and revealed wonderful artwork through the process of "taking away."

There were many more works than you see here,

but (sadly) my camera shots were mostly a little blurry.

This gives you a really good idea, though, of the

talented artists who attend HSC!

Explorations in Art (I and II) students began work on some small sculptures, which will likely be finished in the coming week. They're off to a GREAT start, so be sure to check back for a peek at the finished works!

Fiber Arts students continued with their current works in progress (a surprise to be revealed later!).

And students in all Ceramics classes spent their class time glazing pinch pots! Glazing ensures that the pots will be food and drink safe, and the kids already have plans for sipping cocoa and eating snacks out of their hand built pots. When all of the pots have been properly glazed (3 thin coats of glaze), the wares will return to Woodrow Wilson Academy to go through their final glaze firing--a temperature of

nearly 2,000 degrees! Wow, that's hot!

Artists in Portraits class continued their work on the human face. This past week, we concentrated on drawing the mouth, and there was some spectacular work to behold! Following are just a couple of examples . . .

After getting through that exercise, we drew various facial features on small bits of paper, and moved them around on the background drawing of a head. This gave the young artists a chance to see how the face looks when features are properly placed, rather than, for instance, drawing the eyes too high up on the head, or putting the mouth too close to the chin. It became a kind of "portrait game."

I absolutely love it when students continue their art studies at home! Whenever they do, and bring in a sample to share with the class, they're eligible to receive the very coveted

Vincent van Gogh Award for Dedication to the ARTS!

This week's award goes to Kaylyn in Evergreen for the stunning work featured below.

Great Work, Kaylyn!

And now for the coming week's web challenge! Inspired by last weeks' challenge to find a favorite Native American artist, I'm asking you to do a little research on one of my own faves, Maria Poveka Martinez! Please do a search* and find out:

1. The type of art that she was so famous for creating,

2. The pueblo (reservation) where she lived and worked,

3. Your own drawing that depicts a favorite work of Maria's

(I've seen your art, so I KNOW you can do this!)

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

When I receive your completed challenge**,
you'll receive your ATC!

Copying the Masters, and More Great Art!

2010-02-20T23:36:00.000-08:00

Quite a few students participated in the web challenge last week, and I'd like to take a moment to recognize them before recapping the work we did in class. Special thanks to:

Valencia, John-Luc, Hunter,

Parker, Morgan, Tavia,

Keith, Delaney, and Ivy!

Each of you found your favorite Canadian artist. Great work!

Drawing and Painting students finished their modern masterpieces this past week, and I'm sure you'll agree that these photos were worth waiting for!

We learned a lot about the artists' work we copied. Each brush stroke, each decision about placement, and each color choice opened a window on that artist's mind.

While this wasn't necessarily an easy exercise, it was very rewarding when finished!

In Explorations in Art (4th-6th), River finished a magnificent work that he's been laboring over for the past several weeks. It's a pencil on paper work which he calls Nighttime Jazz (below). He's proven that talent, patience, dedication, and time can work together to make something incredible!

Great work, River!

Students in Explorations in Art (1st - 3rd) learned all about the element of Texture, and how texture can make a work more interesting and approachable! After discussing several famous works of art, the young artists put together collages (and a drawing!) of various textures . . .

Students in Portraits class continued their work on the human face. We discussed the boney structure of the face--the nose in particular--and set to work on portraits of each other. Though we've only been in the class for a few weeks, young artists are already making great strides and improvement in their portrait work!

In Drawing and Printmaking,

we finished up our unit on stencils . . .

. . . and several students in the class brought in work that they'd done at home! And because of this special dedication to the ARTS, the van Gogh award goes to

. . . (drum roll, please!) . . .

Kelton, Nathan, and Kaylyn!

Great work!

And now for the coming week's web challenge! For the week of February 23rd through 25th, search* for the following:
Look for a Native American artist whose work you particularly enjoy. The work can be in any medium (paint, ceramics, weaving, sculpture, photography,etc). Bring me the name of the artist, the tribe and area/region where they come from (example: Hopi tribe from the four corners area), and a print out, or your own drawing (if printing isn't a possibility) of a work of their art which you like. This should include the title of the artwork.

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

When I receive your completed challenge**,
you'll receive your ATC!

There will be a first and second prize for each school day, so get busy!

Paper Baskets, Stencils, and Modern Masterpieces!

2010-02-12T17:02:00.000-08:00

Before we review last week's work, I'd like to give a hearty thank you to the students who participated in our first web challenge of this semester! They correctly identified

Pablo Picasso's The Actor

as the work of art that was recently damaged while on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Great Work,

Roman, Diego, Morgan, John-Luc, Hunter, and Parker!

In Fiber Arts class this past week, we wove beautiful paper (compliments of Miss Elona! Thanks, Miss Elona!)

into heart-shaped baskets. This particular project was really quite tricky, but each student eventually mastered the technique and walked out of class with a gorgeous work of art!

In Drawing and Printmaking class,

we used stencils to create cards and prints,

and had a whole bunch of fun in the process!

We also

used decorative-edged scissors to play with

positive vs. negative space

and got some interesting results!

Students had so much fun, in fact, that we decided (in an overwhelming vote of majority--democracy is such a good thing!) that we'd continue our work with stencils for a while.

In Explorations in Art,

we discussed the element of shape, and how

various artists might use shape for both design,

and to create a mood. We also discovered

ways that shape, combined with color,

can enhance that mood.

The works that we used for comparison were

Jacob Lawrence's Parade,

and Grant Wood's Stone City, Iowa:

One student, Kaylyn, used what she's learned, so far, about color, shape, and the direction of line to create a very calm scene that soothes the senses.

Great work, Kaylyn!

The past couple of weeks, students in

Drawing and Painting

class have been working on their own versions of some very famous paintings! While there are still many "masterpieces" to be completed, I just couldn't wait to share with you the ones that are finished. They're truly spectacular!

(Above left) Tavia, Horizontal Tree, by Piet Mondrian

(Above right) Parker, Two Peaches on a Branch, after Ko Chung-bsuan

(Below top) Kevin, Count Tommaso Inghirami, by Raphael

(Below middle) Eddie, detail from Sugar Cane, by Diego Rivera

(Below bottom) Josh, detail from George Moore, by Edouard Manet

(Below left, middle and right) Derik, Jacob, and Stefan

Still Life: Apples, Pear, and White Mug, by Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin

These are a small sampling of masterpieces from this class, so be sure to check back next week for more!

And now for the coming week's

web challenge!

In honor of the Vancouver Olympics, and our wonderful neighbors to the north, our challenge for the week of

February 16th through 18th is as follows:

Do a search* of Canadian artists, and print out a copy of a painting, or other work of art (or architecture!) that you find especially appealing. It MUST be by a Canadian citizen (born or raised in Canada). If you have problems with printing, you may write down the name of the artist and painting, and also the URL where you found it (URLs usually begin with http://). Be prepared to tell me why you like this particular work!

I value your opinions!

When I receive your completed challenge**,

you'll receive your ATC!

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

**Because this is a WEEKLY (and completely optional!) assignment, the information must be presented to me

the week it is due. This keeps things fair for those who
work hard to find the answers and turn them in on time. Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs
by the end of the semester will win a
REALLY COOL ART PRIZE.
A 2nd place prize will also be awarded.
There will be a first and second prize for each school day,
so get busy!

Kente Cloth, Pinch Pots, Portrait Basics, and The Mighty Line!

2010-02-06T18:27:00.000-08:00

In Fiber Arts class, we learned all about the history of Kente cloth, and its significance among the Asante (Ashanti) people of Ghana. For instance, we discovered that there are many different patterns of Kente, and that each pattern has its own specific meaning. Also, Kente was originally woven only for royalty, but now it's use is widespread.

Authentic Kente cloth is often named for a proverb, or story, and so each young artist was challenged to create a name for their own (unique!) Kente cloth. They were encouraged to think about the pattern and story of their "cloth" while picking the order of the "weft" (horizontal) weaving pieces. This being a particularly creative group of artists, they did not disappoint!

Though some of the students are still thinking about

how to title their Kente weavings, several young fiber artists knew immediately what titles would best fit their work.

For instance, our Tuesday weavers came up with . . .

Valencia: "He Who Walks First Shall Finish Last"

Acacia: "The No Name"

Roman: "Video Games, Video Games, How I Love Video Games"
Joe: "I Fell Off a Squirrel, and Now I Am Checker Board"

Sedona: "Each Strip is My Life"

Ike: "The Artist is Mixed Colors"

Natalie: "Color Twist"

Rio: "Legos, Legos, How I Love Legos"

And some titles from our Wednesday class include:

Cynthia: "In Every Which Way There is a Different Color, Which Doesn't Matter"

Jacob: "I Like to Climb on Trees, Trees, Trees,

and I Want to Stay in the Trees!"

Morgan: A Kente Cloth to All the World"

Lark: "Every Single Color Doesn't Matter to the World"

Ben: "Running, Running, I Like to Run!"

Kevin: "Light Snack"Ceramics students (all levels) worked on the basic and humble pinch pot. For Ceramics I students, this was their first lesson in hand building, though you certainly wouldn't guess that by looking at their finished pots! They certainly worked like experienced builders! Perhaps it was all that wedging that they did last week . . .

Ceramics II students also made pinch pots, because several were quite "rusty" from not having worked with clay for a while. It must be like riding a bike, though, because they did fine work, and by the end of class, the "drying board" was full of wares. Several young artists also used their newly made "artist stamps" that they created last week in class!

In our Portrait Drawing class, students continued their work with mapping the face according to portrait drawing "rules." To get an idea of what the rules are, check out this nice little tutorial!

(Left to Right, Artist is: Morgan, Kevin, Zoe)

Students in Drawing and Painting class began work on a very special, multi-week project. Each student picked a famous painting to copy. This week, they worked on the drawing portion of the project. Next week we'll get out the paint and see what happens! Photos will be posted here when the works are finished, so be sure to check back!

Our Thursday Explorations in Art class learned all about the line, and about various types of lines used in art. We talked about horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curvilinear, heavy vs. light lines, and how lines can convey either tranquil stillness or active movement. After looking at an analyzing a number of famous artworks, students set to work on their own, highly linear, drawings. The goal was to include as many different types of lines as they could within the time allowed. Fantastic Work!

Students who are interested in participating in the web challenge may earn their first ATC for this semester

by finding the answer to this 2-part question*:

What work by artist Pablo Picasso was recently (end of January, 2010) damaged in a NYC art museum? What period of his work is represented by this painting?

Please either write down this information, and include your name on the paper; or print out an online article that gives this information, being sure to write your name on the copy. Be prepared to talk about this painting,

and how you feel about it (like, dislike, etc).

To receive your ATC, you MUST** bring this information to class this week, February 9th through 11th.

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

**Because this is a WEEKLY (and completely optional!) assignment, the information must be presented to me
the week it is due. This keeps things fair for those who
work hard to find the answers and turn them in on time. Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs
by the end of the semester will win a
REALLY COOL ART PRIZE.
A 2nd place prize will also be awarded.
There will be a first and second prize for each school day,
so get busy!

oops!

2010-02-01T15:51:00.000-08:00

Hi, Kids! If you've come back to see the coming week's web challenge, I owe you an apology. I'm sorry! I neglected to hand out the information about our virtual classroom to the new art students. Just to keep it fair, we'll start the challenges after the coming week's classes. Okay? Great!

See you in class!
Miss Robin

Welcome to Semester 2!

2010-01-25T19:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome back, Students and Parents!

It's 2010 and we've begun our second semester at HSC.

Our first week of the semester wasn't very

art-productive.

We mainly got to know each other, and discussed guidelines for classroom behavior,

with a little bit of art-making on the side.

REAL art begins in the coming week (the final week of January), so be sure to check back here before your first February class to find out what the web challenge holds! I'll also have photos of artworks created by students between January 26th and 28th.

If you've been here before, you know the drill! If not, please go ahead and browse our virtual classroom to see what we did last semester :)