Angels in August

I was commissioned to paint some angels in an outdoor grotto at one of the Catholic churches in my town. Two weeks before I headed back to the classroom I got the go ahead to begin painting.  Even though I had to spend my days painting instead of putting up bulletin boards, which is my normal routine for the last couple of weeks in August, it was a wonderful opportunity and I knew that once I dove headfirst into the project, I would be hooked and anxious to return each day, which is exactly what happened.

Day 1....
I figured out the logistics, materials, the right height stepladder, realized I needed another few colors of paint, discovered that Walmart opened at 7:00 AM which I also discovered is the best time to shop there, and I began early in the morning with the sketch.  I made a drawing ahead of time and turned it into a stencil of sorts so I could mark off the lines within the shapes.  I would be making 2 facing angels holding a swag of flowers above a white stone statue of the Blessed Mother, so I needed the angels to be as similar as possible. I sketched out the angels and the swag, and painted the skin of the angels. I cleaned up around noon to have my weekly lunch with Mom.

       

Day 2...
Other than the sound of passing cars, the train whistle and the occasional visitor passing in front of the parish center near the grotto, I was alone with my thoughts and a paintbrush.  Although the grotto itself offered me automatic shade, the weather has been absolutely beautiful for August, or even September for that matter! It has been sunny, but breezy and mild, perfect weather to be outdoors.

 


Climbing up and down the step ladder and switching from one side of the statue to the other is sort of a hassle, but all in all, the experience so far has been good. I worked on the angels' dresses today, complete with shading. I worked for 5 hours and packed up around 2:00 PM.  I am very happy in my own company, so I think that's one of the reasons I love to paint.  Being surrounded by my own thoughts, planning, shading, comparing, evaluating.  My favorite time is time spent creating.

Day 3...
Today I spent doing faces and flowers, but I have to admit, I wasn't really in the mood for detail today, so I tried to block out where the flowers would go on the ribbon swag held by the 2 angels. I knew it was a day I should only attempt broad areas, so  I packed up around noontime and headed home.

                

Day 4...
I was definitely in the painting groove today.  I was in the mood for detail, so I added some depth to the flowers, modified the shade of green I used for the leaves to tone it down a bit and added the feathers to the angel wings.

Day 5...
I think I'm done!  I made a stencil that read Ave Maria to be added above the swag the day before,so after tracing the letters, I painted them, touched up a few things and added my initials.  I feel happy with the painting and hope the parishioners feel the same way! The past few days, people passing on their way to the parish office offered some very positive comments which made me feel good.
It was a big undertaking for me, but a job well worth all the planning, painting and climbing up and down the ladder.  I got the opportunity to work outdoors, in a beautiful friendly atmosphere on some lovely August days.  What a perfect way to end the summer- with some angels in August!

Day 6...
Just when I thought I was done, I was asked to darken the lettering so it would be visible from the street.
So I painted the letters a shade of violet.  I also added some clouds.  Now I am finished.

I feel very good about the results and I'm actually glad I changed the color of the lettering and added the clouds which finished it off.  Now it's time to head back to the classroom with a sense of accomplishment.  It's been a very busy and productive summer!

See You in September!

I made my annual August trip to the art room last Friday to unpack and check in our art supplies for the year. The school offices are closed on Fridays during the summer, so other than the tech staff and a few random workmen, the campus was essentially deserted.  The sun was streaming in the classroom and the fact that I could open the window wide on this unusually comfortable late summer day and work in my casual clothes and flip flops, just made the trip that much better.
The covers I drape over the bookcases to keep the dust off the books and knick knacks were half hanging and although some of my trash cans and furniture have made their way into other classrooms during summer cleaning,  the room is sparkling  and I am very happy to see a new work table and 2 new computers.
I quickly opened the boxes with the energy of a child opening her Christmas gifts. There is something intoxicating about the look and smell of brand new art supplies! There is so much promise of the many ways they will be used during the course of the year. The thought of all the magical images those supplies will produce, never ceases to excite even a veteran teacher like me.  The day I hang up my teacher's smock for the last time, is going to be a very sad day indeed, but that won't be for quite a few years, hopefully, so for now, I will enjoy checking in the dozens of pencils, tubes of paint, and stacks of paper.

The 2 weeks I spent at my daughter's babysitting my grandson this summer, allowed lots of time to work on my curriculum, sprucing up the courses I have been teaching, and developing one I haven't taught in a while.

Teaching art is sometimes a hit or miss proposition.  Sometimes things just don't work as well as they are supposed to, and sometimes the projects that seem questionable come out much better than expected.  Then there are the somewhat happy accidents.  Those are my favorites.  The projects that somehow undergo a metamorphosis along the way often come out the best. But that's what art is all about.  You have to let it take its own direction, and let the artist just enjoy the journey.

Some of my favorite projects from last year were some I tried for the first time, like branch

weaving, 

 mixed media composition with a black construction paper overly, 

    a "zentangle- esque" collage composition

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and digital composition in thirds.

I had taught Drawing every one of my many years as an art teacher, until about 5 years ago when we started our Graphic Art program.  Because of its popularity, I had to give up my Painting and Drawing classes to the other member of the art department, so I could concentrate on the Graphic Art classes.  But this year, I have the opportunity to pick up 2 Drawing classes, so I had to develop a new curriculum, sifting through projects I had done previously deciding which ones to keep, and adding some new ideas.

Great idea I found here

I found a great idea to try with my Mixed Media class which uses a children's puzzle as a base to create individual mixed media images.  I have lots of fun projects on tap for my students this year. I never tire of the planning process, and always look forward to putting those plans into action.  It's hard to believe the summer is almost over and pretty soon August will be in the the rear view mirror,with the promise of a brand new school year on the horizon! See you in September!

Woodland Adventure

What's that old saying....what are the 3 best things about being a teacher?  June, July and August! Although I am the first to admit I love being a teacher, I also love the fact that those 3 months off certainly sweeten the pot. Those 3 months allow me quite a bit of scheduling freedom!

So when my daughter and son-in-law invited me to their home for two weeks to visit, I jumped at the chance!
The first week was spent celebrating my daughter's last week of maternity leave.  While my son-in-law traveled a few days for work, my daughter, my baby grandson and I went shopping and out to lunch, went for a very short stroll in a nearby park and generally enjoyed each other's company.  My daughter rented a movie for us one night and proceeded to fall asleep about 3/4 of the way through.  I smiled because that's usually me!  Ah, young mothers!  She and I even snuck away Saturday morning to scope out baby bargains at some local yard sales.  It's very rare that I get to spend so much time with my daughter, and I totally loved it!

The second week she went back to work, very teary-eyed, and I got to spend this week of my visit babysitting my sweet grandson. I sent my daughter texts, photos and videos throughout the day, reassuring her that her little man was just fine.  It's been a long time since I was home all day with a baby, and I have to admit, I am not exactly used to entertaining a 3 month old, but my love for my grandson, far outweighs my desire to do just about anything else, so I played kids' songs for him on my computer, and, believe it or not, I still knew the words to almost every one!  My grandson smiled the widest when I sang them for him and made funny animal sounds!  

My visit is at its bittersweet end.  They will drive me back home to return to my son and husband who have been fending for themselves for 2 weeks. Although the time away from the house was a nice change, I missed them both and will be happy to see them.  I can only hope there is some semblance of order in the house when I return!

Two weeks back, when I arrived at my daughter's house, she had the guest room neatly arranged with a sweet little note tacked to a small bulletin board hanging over the bed, welcoming me and letting me know how happy they were to have me there.  I immediately started thinking of some little thing I could do to return the sentiment.
My grandson's room is sweetly decorated, in a woodland sort of theme, with little animal pillows I made, a turquoise ceramic owl, a white ceramic snail, and bunny, and  white ceramic deer head on the wall.  A bear printed tea towel is framed and hanging over his crib and a imitation birch stump holds some knickknacks and photos and a tiny felt rabbit on a detailed colored pencil background in a shadowbox frame I made to accompany a book I made for him.  A rocking chair I painted with his name sets in the corner of the room.  

So in keeping with the woodland theme, I returned the lovely gesture of the welcome note, and I left a few little handmade gifts of my own on the bulletin board in the guest bedroom. I made an ink drawing of a little squirrel which I left in the baby's room, and a tiny fox painting on burlap paper I purchased on one of our shopping trips with a little thank you sign over it tacked to the bulletin board.
I hope my grandson still remembers the Grammy who lives 4 hours away as he grows, since our visits will be limited by logistics.  I know he won't remember this very special visit, but maybe when he hears some of those silly songs, my face will flash through his little mind.

My beautiful summer adventure is coming to a close, but many others lie ahead, as I look forward to spending many more happy times with my little Cole.
                                                               

Crafty Imitations

Now that school is out for the summer, it's time to gear up for camp season! Parents are always on the look out for some stimulating and fun activities for their children to keep them mentally and physically active during those long, hot summer days.
Our school offers a 2 week summer program during the months of June and July.  It's my feeling that you can't offer a summer program without having something artsy/craftsy involved, so I am always one of the first teachers to sign up for our summer academy.
Two years ago when we ran the program, I offered "Fashion Runway", which was based very loosely on the show "Project Runway".  I had the middle school aged students start off the week with a t-shirt and with the embellishments and sewing techniques they learned throughout the week, they created their own designs and modeled them for their families at a mini fashion show in the school cafeteria at the end of the week.

This year, I offered a class entitled "Crafty Imitations" which was based on knock off ideas from stores like Anthropologie, J.Crew, Pottery Barn, and more. I wanted to strike a balance between accessories and decorations, so we created some jewelry, containers, sharpie "tie dye" t-shirts, sharpie mugs, yarn wrapped coil pots, and patterned paper dress designs on canvas.  The beginning of each week began with a power point showing various products from various companies and their knock off versions to show the girls what they would be creating during the week. Our first project both weeks were pom pom pens.  These were a big hit, and came out very well.

One of the students I taught the first week said she didn't know how we were going to finish all of the projects in one week. I smiled the smile of a very experienced art teacher and told her that she would be surprised.  As promised, at the very last minute of the very last class the final project was completed.
I took a few photos of their projects, forgetting to capture some of them, but the results of the 6th graders were very cute and they really seemed to enjoy each project. The second week I taught 7th and 8th graders and tried and a few different ideas with equally successful results.
When the second week was over, I closed up my classroom one last time for the remainder of the summer, ready to embark on my own creative journey!

Sweet Little Monster Baby Shower

Spring is finally here, and I'm sure we can all agree that this winter was a very long and trying one.  The one saving grace to a winter like this, was an abundance of snow days!  There is something about a snow day for a teacher.  It's a  warm, fuzzy, hang out in your sweat pants kind of day.  It's a sweet little surprise during the week, right when you need it the most.  It's a day full of plans for getting caught up on all that schoolwork, or getting caught up on life in general. Either way, it's a day full of promise for wonderful activity or lack thereof.  As for myself, I'm just grateful I didn't have to drive up the hills to my house through the snow at the day's end!  For me, the best part of a snow day is just standing in my living room, looking out the window watching the snow fall.  It's amazing how snow can be a beautiful thing when you're safe and warm inside your house, and horrible when you have to drive through it.

My daughter is having her first baby in a few weeks and we just had her baby shower.   It was a very rainy day, but the up side was that it wasn't snowing! 

I spent many of those snowed in days the past few months creating a monster of a baby shower....literally.  Since we had so many snow days,  I took advantage of each one to work on the decorations for the baby shower.  Even before we found out the baby was going to be a boy, I had 2 baby shower themes in mind.  If it was a girl, I wanted to do a fairytale shower.  If it was a boy, I wanted to do a little monster baby shower.  So about a week before Christmas, I found out it would definitely be a baby monster theme.

I searched the web, Pinterest, and my brain, and came up with some fun ideas. Being a graphic designer, my daughter decided to create the invitations herself, which I initially felt bad about, but actually was glad she did.  They were amazingly adorable, complete with fuzzy monsters with varied expressions in each of our chosen colors of lime, orange and turquoise!   

 

For the tables I created some cute monsters which were paired up (one large and one small) at each table.   I made 2 tulle wreaths  I found on Pinterest which I hung above the drink table.  I made a swag of paper flags and staggered letters of the baby's name  painted in monster letters and hung it on the gift table.  I made a version of this adorable monster head sign.  I also made another sign welcoming our baby monster with more paper flags at the entrance to the venue.  I created a version of this fabulous looking cake.  My version was truly a monster ( 2 16" x 2"layers!). Besides my daughter, I think the cake was the star of the show!

 

    

      

I made some monster stuffies with a little inspiration for all the little ones who were in attendance, and made utensil holders inspired by these tissue box  monsters.

Our menu included sandwiches and wraps, fruit on skewers, and salad. Our drink menu included a punchbowl full of sangria, water bottles with monster face labels, and juice boxes for the little ones.  I made one-eyed monster cake pops, chocolate covered marshmallows, along with the monster cake for the dessert table.  Small glass containers with goldfish crackers, and a stack of bite sized brownies were perched atop handmade cake plates.  Thanks to some family and friends, we were able to set everything up in less than an hour!

My daughter is counting the days to becoming a mother, as I am counting the days to becoming a grandma! 
I am very happy that winter is in the rearview mirror, but I am secretly thankful for all those valuable days snug at home in my comfy clothes making monsters!  The shower was a huge success and although I spent almost every minute of all those snowy days making those little details that made the shower perfect, it was well worth the effort!