To start the year off, my after-school art club made paper roller coasters. Part of my new job includes running two after-school art clubs. One for grades two and three, and another for grades four and five. It is an awesome opportunity to try out projects with the kids, and see what works and what... Continue Reading →
I have recently accepted a job at the Washington Episcopal School, just outside of DC in Bethesda Maryland as their elementary art teacher. I am following my children into what I hope will be their school until 8th grade! I am going to be teaching 2nd-5th grade art classes, and I couldn't be happier! The... Continue Reading →
Marbelized paper has always been a feature of the Deco Arts Camp, and I mean always. When Sinclair Hamilton founded the Decorative and Fine Arts Camp, now Deco Arts Camp, marbleizing paper was a project that was done from the beginning. Still, it's probably one of the projects that has also changed the most. We... Continue Reading →
In my sophomore Studio I class we have been practicing different approaches to the figure. For the most part, we used vine charcoal and a little bit of black chalk pastel for extra oomph! We started this unit with sweeping gesture drawings, focusing on capturing the overall movement of the figure. Then we looked at... Continue Reading →
After four years of trial and error in finding the right sketchbooks for my students I think I may have finally cracked it! I order them these beautiful ProArt hardbound sketchbooks that are only five and a half by eight inches. They are easy to cary and somehow incredibly pleasing in their small size. The girls... Continue Reading →
Just like I have the past 4 years I am starting out the year with having my Foundations of Studio Art class explore visible light and the color wheel! In preparation for our first big project (Single Object Still Life) we spend the first two-three weeks of classes looking at color theory, color mixing and... Continue Reading →
We wrapped up this amazing school year with another round of independent art projects. Each student filled out a contract that outlined their plan of action, their research goals, and their three most important overall goals for the project. It was their three overall goals that I used as a measure for how I would... Continue Reading →
This year I revisited my theory that my foundations students should collage for paints sake. You can read more about it here. This is also my diversity piece. And this year I got some incredibly thoughtful responses to the National Geographic article that we read. Below are some quotes from their responses. "My partner is a... Continue Reading →
Any art teacher who has the opportunity to host an art show at the end of the year knows, its both a blessing and a burden. It's an amazing opportunity to display your students artwork. This way of celebrating and recognizing their efforts can give a big boost to your students self esteem. It say... Continue Reading →
When it was safe to say that spring had sprung my Studio II class so we escaped the confines of the classroom and explored a small bike path and creek by our school. Unfortunately, there was not enough time to finish our paintings, but the experience was worthwhile and something I highly recommend. *One disclaimer is... Continue Reading →
