The best rewards

...are in those great smiles and the chance I get to be part of a young life.

two art shows

We put together two shows of student work at the school this year. One for the grammar school, grades K-5 on the night of the end-of-the-year musical concert. And a second one, a week later for the upper school, to accompany the music and drama night.
I was proud to show all my student work, and enjoyed conversations with the parents and families.

Second graders made these dragons after we talked about the Chinese New Year.

Third graders painted these frescos of Bible stories on real plaster that we spread with real dry wall tools. We studied the frescoes of Giotto and the early Renaissance.

Ninth graders, my oldest student class painted these watercolor designs after a study of stained glass windows in medieval architecture. We looked at the windows in Chartres Cathedral, and discussed the great Rose Windows.

painting demonstration

Only a half-hour demonstration. I was attempting to show a group of young students how I go about making a contour line drawing from a live plant that I brought into class. I then showed how I would take some watercolor washes to make a loose study. I talked about how a lot of information can be suggested with just a selected amount of detail.

demos, and working fast in front of a crowd

Another half-hour demonstration painting for a sixth grade class. I worked from a photo that I once took in  Colorado Springs at the Garden of the Gods park. I was showing watercolor wash technique, wet-into-wet, smooth transitions, shapes and color. I enjoy working in front of a crowd of kids. It is fascinating to hear their comments and find out what makes sense to them.

Getting artwork to successfully turn out in front of an audience is like performing on stage. You really don't know if it will look good at any moment or completely flop. Talking about what you are doing at the same time, explaining (and being interrupted by kids) takes high energy.

Yet, I often really like how these fast sketches turn out. I am forced to make lightning fast decisions, edit shapes, observe and compose, using all my skills and confidence without over-thinking the process. 

a year of teaching art to young artists

This  year of teaching at the private classical school went well. We ended the school year this past week. I put together two art shows, one for the grammar school and one for the upper school. The pleased exclamations from all the parents and grandparents made my hours of work so much worth it.
I am also proud of  the projects that I came up with for the kids.
Well, first a disclaimer, I used many sources for the teaching curriculum this year. Of course, some good  books are out there, I like what Usborne publishes, and "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards.  I owe a lot to some great elementary art teachers who blog about the lessons they use and share generously on the internet.
And, I have a few projects that are my very own ideas; a fourth grade project studying ancient Mayan pyramids, Guatemala,  the rain forest and jungle animals; second grade Greek warships after reading the "Odyssey"; third grade fresco paintings on real plaster while studying Giotto.

And how about these paintings that my first graders made after lessons on Egypt, and drawing camels?
I wanted to get across the idea that we could draw anything if we started with basic shapes. Drawing a camel with palm trees and pyramids is quite an advanced illustration assignment and they did amazingly well.
Notice that they also got the idea of foreground, middle ground, and background? Amazing!

sketching demonstration

A student from my middle school art class posed for a 10 minute demonstration.
I really enjoy doing these quick demonstration drawings with the kids watching.

where oh where

Has an entire month gone?
I have been putting most all of my energy into my part-time teaching job lately. The rewards are so much fun, immediate, and gratifying.
One of the best rewards are all the sweet hand drawn notes that I get from my students.
Besides the artwork, I also get presents, goodies to eat, flowers or plants. It is all much appreciated.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen

He is risen indeed!
My banners were part of the Saturday night Easter Vigil service again. They were raised during a dramatic series of choral anthems which accompanied the traditional scripture readings of the story of creation.
It was a wonderful occasion of worship and rejoicing.

The service was moved to a different worship space this year in order to accommodate more people, but as my banners were designed for a smaller stage they didn't come off as well. At least I felt that way, but when all the ribbons and flowers and Alleluia were layered on at the end, it was a joyful time.

no more sad stuff

Oh I am so tired of my last sad post. I must get back to the good stuff.
I will have a busy week ahead, it is Holy Week, and I am involved in the big banner project again.
I posted about it last year. It was an epic process, here, and here, and here.
I have all the banners in my studio right now (very crowded) and I want to repaint some parts. These will be used again as part of the Saturday night Easter Vigil service at the Church of the Resurrection. Also for the Sunday morning service.
Does every artist long to re-do the image immediately after it is first displayed? Or, is it just me?

the sad ending of the girl from the sky

Again, our hero has to find his friend, the Condor, to fly back to his home. He knows he will never be able to live with his love from the stars. But he can never forget the beautiful girl who stole both his father's potatoes and his heart.Along with the research about Bolivia and the Andes, I had to figure out how to portray a condor.

Although a magnificent bird in flight, up close, not too attractive.

The bird was a charming character in the story so I illustrated him with that personality and some spark. I had to work around the homely face and wrinkles.

All of these illustrations were painted with acrylic and colored pencil.