For our second week of summer classes we took a look at the bizarre and the dreamlike art of the surrealists. We focused on the element value and the principal balance. We also looked at Rene Margritte (My favorite surrealist) and a later surrealist Leonora Carrington. Leonora Carrignton has an interesting story that includes leaving home... Continue Reading →
As we continue to examine Pop Art, we look at Andy Warhol's fascination with pop icons and his beautiful and well known Marilyn Monroe Series. “What's great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see... Continue Reading →
Last week we began our second to last project for the year: Frank Stella Inspired Word Art for the Wall we are creating a mixed media work of art that breaks the confines of our usual squares and rectangles. Inspired by the art of Frank Stella, a conceptual "painter", each student is creating a wall hanging,... Continue Reading →
Two weekends ago, when we had our first taste of Spring, I had the honor of attending our Junior Retreat. Even though I do not teach many juniors I knew a few through various school activities, and social action days. I can't say much about the retreat, because it is meant to be a very... Continue Reading →
It has been a long time since I have been a high school student, and an even longer time since I have read a high schoolers personal essay. I have read plenty of artist statements, and reflections on growth as an artist, but none of these give me a real and tangible glimpse at the... Continue Reading →
If you've known me for a while then you know I've worked at Glen Echo Park in Maryland for eight of the past nine summers now, and about nine weeks each summer. I took off one summer to travel to Salamanca Spain, where my father re-married and I studied Spanish at the Universidad de Salamanca.... Continue Reading →
So here are some action shots of my students working on their gesture drawings. These drawings were done using two of the elements of art, line and shape, to build a figure that was proportionate and captured the figure’s pose. Students started (last week) with pencil drawings of small mannequins in their sketchbooks. Next, each... Continue Reading →
We have been working on studies of the human figure. Something most of my students are familiar with, but not comfortable. I wanted to encourage and create confidence in my young artists who have expressed interest in drawing people. I even have a few students who are interested in fashion design and have expressed a... Continue Reading →
To begin our second semester, my Foundations of Studio Art 9th grade class began by continuing their work with the basic elements and principles of art and design. This time is was through a series of four landscapes inspired by four very Important artists: Leonora Carrington, Lilla Cabot Perry, Georgia O'Keeffe, and finally Grant Wood.... Continue Reading →
Before we left for our Christmas break we finished up our interior design inspired project. Along with looking at many examples of interior design, from books, we also made a real world connection by looking at the work of my good friend Maggie O'Neill and her company Swatchroom DC. This was also our first experimentation... Continue Reading →
