...loving...my...job. New daily routine that I look forward to everyday, drawing with my 5th graders after lunch. We are all seriously almost running to get back to the art room and start drawing together, they are working in their art notebooks...I am working at my desk and projecting via the document camera....just the sound of pencil on paper, marker caps...papers rustling...pages in the drawing books turning...pencils sharpening...whispers, 'what do you think if this?'...'which one do you like better?'...pencils sharpening. I stop every 5-7 minutes to circulate, offering suggestions, asking questions. A busy little art studio.
This is our time, and I look forward to it every day. Love it. I will mention this a little more in my Teachin' Blog later for my art teacher friends...but I just wanted to share this feeling of...just...awesome.
0 Comments
...still catching up with the whole sleep thing...should be somewhat back to normal by mid week...I hope. Where to start? Ahh yes, Chicago. What a great, albeit short, trip it was. I never mind having to enterain myself, especially in a big city, so while John was at his conference I arrived in Chicago, dropped off my bags and took off. Wait...better back up. There was some artin' at the airport and on the plane en route to Chicago. CED #231. Turned out pretty cool...gal in profile with hair made of butterfly wings...kind of looks a little like some kind of helmet to me...my students said it looked like a wave of butterflies in her hair, too. Back to the arrival. Literally, dropped my bags and made a mad dash for the The Art Institute of Chicago with the primary concern of seeing the Roy Lichtenstein Retrospective. On my way out I noticed a gallery next to the hotel....this painting just made me stop in my tracks. Two female figures, almost peering out from the large canvas from an impossible textural surface. But I made myself move on, making a mental note. I would return. (and I did) Roy Lichtenstein...awesome. It was amazing to see his work up close. Whaam! is such a huge painting. And I guess I didn't realize that the permanent collection was as extensive as it was...I had fun taking super-silly pics of myself expressing my excitement for the art...gave me an idea for a teaching idea...will post later this week in my Teachin' Blog... (Above) ...partial view from the 94th floor of the John Hancock building, pictures taken David Hockney style then uploaded to http://www.dermandar.com, a site I found last year and LOVE! I need to go in a manually add some picture to make the panoramic flow towards the ends where the water is...but it's late...so this is it for now. So...museum, random walking, deep dish pizza, 'the bean'...we fit a good amount in my portion of the trip, just over twenty-four hours...but one of the most significant parts of the trip...that gallery next to the hotel? Well, that was Hilligoss Galleries. John and I went in and really lucked out, the gallery director/president took us around the space and talked at length about the artist who painted that piece that caught my eye in the first place, Nikolai Blokhin. He talked about the artist, the work, lighting, framing, selling art, even showed us some of his own work. That seriously made the trip for me. Sigh. What an amazing experience.
...when I get back from school later...and recover from my lack of sleep I will post pics from my weekend trip to Chicago...too much awesome! Aughhhhh....I am sleepy.....zzzzzz
Okay. So two things...first, I didn't have time to sit and blog about it...and two, I needed time to really reflect on the impact of last night's events. ...let me back track. Last night I rode down to Delray for a Art Hive meeting and then to check out the galleries there on Atlantic and in the Pineapple Grove/Artist Alley area. I didn't get back til late, then had to pack for Chicago...I admit, I was in a bit of a frantic. (Two things about me...I love to travel..but I HATE packing for a trip.) And of course, today I found out my first flight was delayed, which would cause me to miss the second flight...deep breaths...the bottom line is I fly out early in the morning. It will be a very quick trip to Chicago, but I don't want to miss out on the chance to support my husband (he is there for his professional conference)...and of course to take in some art at the local museums. So now I have some time to blog. I am just so overwhelmed by the experience last night. The creative energy of not only the my colleagues at Art Hive, but in the galleries we visited and the studios. Love it. It is tough to juggle, but I plan on making it to more of these. I need this in my life. It brought me back to a class I took in undergrad...we took a trip to NYC and were exploring the gallery scene, visiting artists' studios, really having some significant dialogue about making art. I felt so energized by that experience, and Delray last night brought me back. ...a few pictures from last night, some mine some from Jess... Probably the one thing from last night that really stuck with me was the visit to Vladimir Prodanovich's studio. We walked down an alley, into a studio space that was in a garage. The first thing that hit me- the smell of paint. The wonderful smell of acylic paint. Then the colors from the pieces he was working on. He was working on multiple pieces at one time...Vladimir talked about how this kept one piece or one mark from being too precious and allowed you to really create in that moment. It made sense. And as an artist, visiting another artist's studio and seeing how they work...I wondered how could I apply that to my work? Can I? Admittedly, I am a little conflicted because on one hand, I have this love for detail, intensive drawing...even on a level that I have yet to reach. Tiny, minuscule movements of the hand to create shading...I really respond to that...but then there is that part of me that really likes the freedom of blowing the paint across the paper, letting drips happen. There is talk of making art, giving art away, art storage, magazine planning, and how he lives this life. How can I apply this to my work?....How can I become better at what I do?....How can I make a go of this whole artist thing? These are the thoughts that I am a battling with right this second. Side note...here is my CED #230. I started this today at school, drawing on the document camera while the students worked on their small drawing. So quiet, everyone on task. Just the sound of pencil on paper, sorting through crayons and colored pencils...markers being capped and uncapped. Not Vladimir's studio, but I will take it, this is my classroom studio. My mind is racing. I am exhausted. Had an amazing evening with the Art Hive crew meeting artists and visiting galleries in Delray. Lot's of pics...things to write, but this will have to wait. I think that missing sleep is finally start to catch up with me...will pick back up with this topic tomorrow....oh, and here is #229 (below) drawn en route this evening...and completed on my art table. ...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...or
First day of school...amazing...Seriously...But...my coma/nap when I got home really messed my schedule, will have to wait to post to my teachin' blog...It's after 12am...got to go to bed...Gotta be up at 5:30 to get ready for school and make the drive out the Indiantown...then headed down south...lot's of exciting art happenings tomorrow after school involving Tipsy Art and Art Hive. Wow, I better get some sleep... ...the last shred of my summer break... oh well, it was good while it lasted.
Luckily, I teach art. Awesome. Now bring on the new school year! ...the realization is setting in...school really is starting in just one more day.
Wow. Where did summer go? I thought about this while I was scrubbing the counters and walls of my classroom today, hanging up art prints, updating my course outline, working on my unit plan, checking off my to-do list....yep, another summer came and went. And I spent it exactly how I wanted...some travelling with the husband, beach and pool time, artin' with my friends, nappin' with the cats...but you always think to yourself, 'just one more week'...regardless of how great of a summer it was, or the fact that you are looking forward to the new school year. For me, it is going to be all about the schedule. This week won't be a true gauge, it's a short week at school, no cheerleading practice...nope, the real test will be teaching all day, rushing back here for to coach, the gym, dinner...you know I am going to say nap, so there it is...and finally...saving the best for last...time for my art. And all these other artistic happenings that I have going on. Deep breaths. I can do this. Anyway, here is the art for the day. CED #226, worked on that while catching up on 'Breaking Bad'. Yesterday afternoon...the weather was just awful. Blah. I am not sure what today will be like later today, but when I woke up this morning and saw the sunshine, I gathered up my pink polka dotted art bag, my zebra flip flops and headed out. Perfect weather, hanging under the pier as usual so I can get the beach experience without all those pesky UVs...at times the water was almost flat. What a great morning at the beach. And...well...this is what I made, CED #225 and two more for the eye series...shown below from the beach to my art table. But if you like to see the work as it unfolds, and I sure do, and...well, let's say you like Pearl Jam...you might enjoy this here slide show:
In other art-related news...I finally made my sister-in-law's planner. Maria shares my love/obsession with planning and was just as excited as I was about the custom planner that I made last month. I bought the materials to make her cover shortly after my blog post, then, per usual, got sidetracked (probably by something sparkly) and put the task off to the side. But today, I made her planner. Printed the pages out at home, then stopped by FedEx on the way home to create the front and back covers, laminate then and then have the whole thing hole punched and spiral bound. For Maria's cover, she wanted something with purple and gold. Purple is her favorite color, and the gold- well that's for ECU. (Go Pirates!) I added some puzzle pieces that I cut out of scrapbook paper since she teachers children with Autism and then her initials to the front bottom corner. All done! Mailing that off tomorrow, Maria- promise! ...as for the rest of today...some errands to run with my husband. But one thing that I want to do? Savor the day-it's my last day before a full work week starts. My students come back on Wednesday and then it's back to the business of teaching art, coaching/judging cheerleading and finding every second I can to make my art and bedazzle things. Add my ventures with Tipsy Art and Art Hive Magazine...it's gonna be a busy year!
There will definitely be some napping first. |
AuthorArtist and Art Teacher
|