Finally found the time to finish some new jewelry to take to my gallery.  My inventory was getting pretty thin.  Now I need to get refocused and finish up my collages.  It's hard to find time while I'm teaching.  Thankfully I'm enjoying the new school.  The teachers and office staff are very accommodating and seem to be happy to have me there.

Well my week long break is over and I have less to show for it than I had hoped.  Made progress on several art projects home projects (otherwise known as cleaning and yard work) but there is still so much to do.  I did enjoy taking some time to read and relax a bit.

This week will be a busy one.  I start teaching at a new school and I have two art shows I need to get finish art for.  I should get off the computer and back to work.

Look at what's up at the  High Hand Gallery   

I am a member of the  High Hand Gallery, a cooperative artists gallery in Loomis California which consists of 30 artists who live and work in the greater Sacramento area.  We enjoy working and creating together in the historic High-Hand fruit shed.  If you're ever in the area come by and check us out.

Making Progress

Finally getting down to business.  I only have a week break before I need to focus on teaching again.  Spent all day yesterday trying to get my house in order so I wouldn't get distracted.  Unfortunately my art studio is also my dining room.  I guess we won't be having anyone over for dinner for awhile!

I don't work on one project at a time.  I get my inspiration from spreading everything out and moving things around until I see something I like.  Then hopefully something magical happens and I know where to go from there.  Now I need to get off this computer and go get something done.

Do School's Kill Creativity?

Saw this and just had to post it.  It's a bit long but worth the time.  I love the comment "If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never  come up with anything original."  I've seen it so many times with the students I work with.  It's a tradgedy when kindergarteners are afraid to experiment and use their imaginations because they're already afraid of making a mistake.  Sadly this is from 2006 and I think things have gotten worse instead of better.   All the schools I've worked in have to teach to the test.  Hopefully change will come.

Last Day

I'm a contracted teaching artist which means I don't have a school that I am attached to.  I'm kind of a gypsy art teacher going from residency to residency and grant to grant, not knowing when or if I'll be employed once a residency is over.  I had a long stretch in a single district a few years back and was able to teach a pool of students four years in a row (what a treat).  But that was before the economy tanked. Unfortunately art is almost always one of the first things to go so that was the end of that.


For the past several months I have had an art residency at a K-3 elementary school where I worked in conjunction with a drama teacher.  She taught drama to half of the school for 8 weeks while I taught visual arts to the other half and then we swapped. We were fortunate to be able to teach at the school for 2 years in a row.   Eight weeks is not a lot of time to build a foundation in any discipline but being able to return each year at least reinforces whatever learning occurred.  Next year due to the uncertainty of school funding the grant will probably not be renewed.   Today will likely be my last day at Kemble,  not just for the this year but probably ever.  Sadly this will likely be the end of any real art exposure these kids will have.


So another teaching phase is over with and I have mixed emotions.  Because the schools that are eligible to receive grants are usually the ones that need the most help, teaching can sometimes be difficult.  Some days were really frustrating and it was hard to keep a positive attitude but other days were rewarding enough to make it all worth it. I was gratified to see that most of the kids seemed genuinely sad that art was over with.....even some of the ones that were the most difficult to work with.   I get a week off to catch up on my own stuff and then it's off to a new school. With school funding the way it is now my job is like a series of one night stands......

Fossils Part Two

 


The second graders finished the fossil unit this week.  Last week we made black glue outlines of fossils and this week they used pastels to finish them.  They look fabulous.  Who knew fossils could be so beautiful!

Next they channeled their inner paleontologist by "excavating" their fossils.  It was a fun way to tie into their fossil unit and learn a little about casting and three dimensional art at the same time.