My 8th grade accelerated Studio in Art students created these clay face masks (with Miller #10 clay purchased from Clayscapes). We used the slab technique over a plastic face form then added clay to shape the features. I poked holes at the sides to secure a Twisteezwire to the back. They can hang on a wall – I love that!
The glaze is called Mayco Jungle Gems. It contains glass bits! So cool.
I wore turtlenecks this week. I have four and there were four days of school, but I didn’t feel like wearing one on Friday. Sticking to a theme is the plan but plans don’t always seem to go as planned.
I’m in the process of planning an event and I spent half the day crying because it doesn’t feel like things will work out. Things are always working out, lol, but not necessarily the way you want them to work out. I’m waiting for the universe to surprise and delight me. I mean, I am allowing the universe to do that because I know how it works – no buts about it. I’ll stop crying now. Thanks, Bobbi. <3 🙂
My 8th grade accelerated Studio in Art students completed an intense nine weeks of creating these peace posters for the Chittenango Lions Club. The Lions sponsor an international peace poster competition for middle school aged children with a grand prize of $5,000.
It is an illustration lesson/editorial design project with some limitations – no words or characters of any kind, no trademarked items or advertisements. We used 16″ x 20″ white tagboard and Prismacolor colored pencils. The Lions Club generously donated enough sets so that my students could each have their own 48 color set. Thirty-eight students competed this year.
Students spent additional hours on these posters at home on the weekends to complete them in time for the contest deadline. The winning poster will go on to the regional competition and possibly the state one as well. The theme for this year is “We Are All Connected”. Now that we are all back in school full-time, this sentiment is truly apropos. <3
I dressed for comfort last week. Separates featuring leather and T-shirts. Four classes finished a clay project, two are using colored pencil and two are painting. I found my denim apron in the big cupboard by my desk while looking for something else. Yessssssss – because things are about to start getting messy.
Most of the boxes on the back counter are filled with the new glazes I’d ordered. Many of the items I purchased for this year are on back order though. I can’t remember what I have planned for tomorrow, lol. When I planned ahead, like, you know, in August, it was with the notion that the supplies would be available – but no biggie. It will all work itself out.
P.S. My clothes reflect the art – Sugar Skulls are a theme. Also: Butterflies. <3
There is still time to visit the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The Keith Haring exhibit will be on display until October 11, 2021. Meanwhile, on the walls of Chittenango Middle School, my students’ artwork is currently on display. It took a lot of heavy-duty stickies to get them to stay up – the tile was not particularly cooperative.
So, I was trying out a thing – theme weeks for my work attire. Last week it was black. This week I wore silk every day. Themes are challenging because they limit what you can and cannot wear. This can be a good thing when you have so many clothes in your closet that it makes you focus only on a few key items. And on the flip side, the limitations are frustrating because sometimes you just want to reach for a cotton T–shirt or whatever. I know that when they tell us we are having a jeans day on a Friday – I don’t always feel like wearing jeans.
It really all depends on the weather. And with teaching art, it also depends on what materials we are using – how messy they are. It was very warm in the classroom. I had several moments of overheating, which looked like a menopausal freak show, but was really just a lot of people in a room with no air conditioning wearing masks that make your face sweat and then whoooosh – your whole body, lol. It was happening to the thirteen-year-old boys and girls too.
Wearing silk helped with that. Thank you, Rachel Zoe for your beautiful light weight creations. I cut off the off-shoulder top’s sleeves on the embroidered silk/cotton top (above) and tried it as a layered tube top thingy, which I loved.
A thank you also goes out to Ulla Johnson for this magnificent lightweight slip and dress combo, all silk, that I wore for the first time backwards. When I bought the dress, it was featured as a high neck tunic with a bow at the back of the neck, but I wore it with the bow in front as more of a V-neck and loved it. The other way, the neckline sort of flopped in a funny way, like it was too big and so, this dress had been relegated to the back of my closet. Now you may see it in a heavier rotation.
I know it isn’t as flattering to go with the moo-moo look, as my colleague Katy calls it, but we both love the comfort of dresses like this for work. The dress isn’t particularly editorial but in real life, it is really beautiful with a delicate embroidery throughout the sheer fabric.
I completed silk week with this Halston one-shouldered top that I wore with an Allsaints T-shirt underneath. I paid full price when I bought this top from Neiman Marcus. It has this fabulous drape that I love so muchy-much. I am wearing it in my Facebook profile picture. It’s one of my favorite pieces!
Because I blog my outfits, I feel like I need to wear everything in my closet and have something different on all the time, like the characters do on the new incarnation of Dynasty on the CW. And I guess that has to be fine with me. Clothes are an obsession. Clothes? Fashion, really, and knowing my own style. I will spend every penny on my wardrobe. Eating and paying bills – that stuff is overrated, lol. #whatwillshewearnext? <3
This is the state of my classroom. Last year, the teachers traveled from room to room instead of the students moving about the building. We are somewhat back to normal this year. It’s good to be back.
So far, I checked in some supplies and pulled a bunch of posters out of the back room. I’m in the process of creating new lessons and deciding which classes will do which lessons.
School starts for students on September 7th.
I have a lot of work to do and there is no air conditioning in the classroom. Other challenges will include the social distancing stuff and the masks. I’ll try to find a way to make it fun.
Keith Haring – Radiant Vision is a must-see. It is a complete immersion into the history and legacy of artist Keith Haring (1958-1990). The Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York did a phenomenal job presenting this traveling exhibition of artwork from the Cassenelli Preston Collection organized by PAN Art Connections, Inc.
Haring was an advocate for healthcare, happiness and children. His work lives on courtesy of The Keith Haring Foundation. If you have never heard of him, you will have seen his imagery in magazines, on billboards and in coloring books.
This is a life history of an artist’s trajectory, tragically shortened by an Aids related death. His career spanned only ten years but it left an indelible mark. The exhibition resonates with emotion. It is incredibly beautiful and powerful.
There is a participation section, as well as an activity book for children to enjoy. Merchandise in the gift shop includes a Haring diary, which I will read this summer.
The exhibition continues through September 6, 2021.
The Fenimore Art Museum –
5798 STATE HIGHWAY 80 (P.O.BOX 800)
COOPERSTOWN, NY 13326
607-547-1400
INFO@FENIMOREART.ORG
Hours of operation –
| MONDAY | 10am–5pm |
| TUESDAY | 10am–5pm |
| WEDNESDAY | 10am–5pm |
| THURSDAY | 10am–5pm |
| FRIDAY | 10am–5pm |
| SATURDAY | 10am–5pm |
| SUNDAY | 10am–5pm |
| ________________ | |
| Fenimore Cafe | 11am–3pm |
Related Programs
The Public Has a Right to Art: Keith Haring’s Art & Activism
Tuesday, July 27, 7:00–8:00pm EST
A live Zoom lecture about Keith Haring’s art and activism, led by Dr. Leesa Rittelmann. More info…
Keith Haring 3-Day ‘Funshop’ for Kids (ages 6-8)
Mon-Wed, July 19-21, 9:30–11:30am
Young artists will explore the colorful and expressive art of Keith Haring. More info…
Keith Haring 3-Day Illustration Workshop for Kids (ages 9-12)
Mon-Wed, July 19-21, 1:30–4:00pm
A series of projects inspired by the bold, expressive artwork of Keith Haring and the artists and illustrators who inspired him. More info…
