Summer 2011 Goals

You all know how summer goes by incredibly fast so I think I need to make some goals here for my own art. Besides making sure I take the kids to swim lessons and the pool most days, a handful of playdates, the trip or two out of town,  (the ocean, Six Flags), and our annual 2 week summer trip back home to Illinois - I plan on getting the following things finished this summer:

(Insert picture of self with palm facing out)

I will get my portrait book finished by the time school gets back except for having it edited. (4 chapters are finished now).

I will make a Harry Potter themed still-life in the next two weeks (before the last movie comes out and I leave for Illinois).

I will attempt to arrange and photograph several still-life reference photographs for future use.

I will make at least 4 new still-lifes before Art in The Park in September.

Summer Expectations

The snow days have been made up and it is finally the end of the school year.

As my second year of teaching elementary and middle school art was ending, I started thinking about what projects worked well and my general curriculum. I want to fine tune it for next year, which brought me to the questions of course of goals. I have all the state goals for art to go by, but I was thinking about what my personal goals are for what I teach the kids. What specific things do I want them to walk away with and especially what ideas of art do I want to convey.

Here's what I have so far...

I want my students to be able to draw with low stress.

I want my students to feel okay about making mistakes.

I want my students to understand that the amazing realistic paintings they look at at Museums/history are not made by geniuses but are made by people, who learn to use values and tones, and how to see the simple forms of objects.

I want my students to know that there are many art forms and crafts and many reasons why artists make art.

I want my students to know they don't have to like or understand all art, or all the art that hangs in museums.

I want my students to know that if they do enjoy drawing/painting that they don't have to just paint oil paintings, they have many creative options.

I want my students to know that creativity and artistic abilities is not something that flows out of some people - that artists are also crafters and that they work hard learning techniques,  and practice their craft.

I want my students to know that art is a great way to express yourself but that practicing your art skills will only allow you to express yourself better.

 Below are some of my favorite art definitions on the web. Funny how my favorites are from wikis...

The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power

• - google difinitions

• Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, sculpture, and paintings. ...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art

• Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature; The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colours, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic ...

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/art

Oh Deer...

I have a show coming up next month at http://anthonytoepfer.com/ in Keene which is now affiliated with Monadnock Fine Art Gallery. The show opening will be June 17th. I'll post more information soon.

It is good timing too because when I am so busy with the "end of the year" stuff at my school and my own kids' school it is hard to keep making artwork. So this is pushing me to make some new pieces.

So here is the first new piece - one for the Kitsch Series.

Oh Deer!

8x10" 

Coloursofts on Fisher 400 paper mounted on Gatorboard

I can't seem to get enough of these flower pots from the 50's/60's. They are just so much fun. Thanks again to my friend Luann Udell for lending me this adorable ceramic pot. 

& thanks to Derwent for making the amazing color Lichen Green in the Coloursoft line which seems tobe  able to disguise itself as a dirty spring green and  a great shadowed yellow. 

CPSA 2011

I am happy to announce my piece Lasting Impressions got into this year's CPSA International Competition. I am really excited because it is my third to get in and will get me signature status this year.

As far as my computer issues - I am still without a real computer, but will have something to work with this week.

My past entries that got in are: 

Becca  http://www.imagekind.com/Contemplate-art?IMID=b9be6991-41a9-4b95-b0fb-999e7145d01e

& Diner Reflections http://www.imagekind.com/Diner-Reflections-art?IMID=0ebe81f7-79b2-4026-86f2-223536267c4f

The show will be at the 

Charles W. Eisemann Center

2351 Performance Drive

Richardson, TX 75082 

Jun 29-Jul 31

Publish Post

Computer Issues

Just wanted to let you all know that I am having computer issues and will be posting again shortly. I have been spending time backing things up before it dies completely and my husband is trying to piece me together a frankencomputer.