This March we spent the entire month exploring the art of a self portrait and the value technique called grisaille. The Oxford Dictionary defines as, "Grisaille (/ɡrᵻˈzaɪ/ or /ɡrᵻˈzeɪl/; French: gris [ɡʁizaj] 'grey') is a term for a painting executed entirely in shades of grey or of another neutral greyish colour." I think we all know... Continue Reading →
In Foundations of Studio art we are beginning the year with a unit on Light and color, as you've seen the past two years. This year I would like to do something different and break down my units by day. Please feel free to use the comments section and let me know what you think.... Continue Reading →
What drives me crazy every year is the conflict between my compulsion to document and the impossible task of doing so. It is not feasible for me to record, and keep track of, every single wonderful thing that happens at my wonderful school. But I try. To fill in some of the gaps here is a quick... Continue Reading →
What would you do if you were asked to make something 3D and amazing using at least 100 pieces of recycled materials? My students were asked this question, and as usual they blew me away with their amazing ideas. As part of our bi-weekly social action program the students have learned about what it means to be... Continue Reading →
This is an example of why it is important to spend time teaching 5 and 6 year olds how to clean up. When I said, "put the scraps on this chair" I didn't realize how may scraps we actually had... Oops. At least they were following my directions, and it is OK for teachers to... Continue Reading →
Printmaking is inherently messy. Especially when you are conducting a printmaking lesson with young children. Young children are inherently messy even when there is no paint involved. This week, in my “Art Around the World” class, we embarked on a journey to Canada to make colligraphs. All I have to say about clean-up is that... Continue Reading →
This project involves measuring out a pound of clay and then creating an animal without ever detaching any piece. The objective for the student is to learn more about the possibilities of the clay and its physical properties and limitation. So what I did for this lesson was disguise the objective as a challenge to... Continue Reading →
I am enjoying my day off this Veterans Day, and taking time to reflect on lat week's project: Pueblo Indian Pinch Pots from New Mexico. This was the first time my "Art Around the World" after-school class has made it back to the United States since we started our imaginary journey. (We've come close with... Continue Reading →
Cleaning up can be a pain, for both the teacher and the students. Still, cleaning up is just as important to understanding the material as using it during work time. I recently made the mistake of not having the 4-5 year old students in my "Art Around the World" class clean up after they had... Continue Reading →
Emma Teaches Art! 