<--- try this

http://mrdoob.com/projects/harmony/#shaded

totally tangled - no im not talking about my HAIR!

http://www.amazon.com/Totally-Tangled-Sandy-Steen-Bartholomew/dp/1574216716/ref=pd_sim_b_7

love this book!

handmade paper & bound books

I am impressed these turned out so well!

.display case.

The hs. kiddos have been working on paper making and Japanese book binding in arts and crafts. The art 1 students have been painting color wheels and proving and disproving color theory. The design class made 3-d letter forms from paper. Very cool stuff!

All is colorful in happyville :0)

paper making

The HS is learning the process of hand made paper. We shredded recycled paper, blended it in a blender to make pulp, and then used a screen to form the fibers into a square paper. This was very messy and used tons of paper towels. It didn't stink like the other art teacher expected. ha! They had 8-10 papers each and made covers for their paper, did a Japanese binding process and have decorated the individual papers. They turned out way cool! Much better than what I was hoping for! :o) I'm glad I didn't not do the project because it was 'too messy' -per some people.

All is messy but fun in Happyville!

http://www.meganwhitmarsh.com/

Mrs. or Ms. ?

The elementary kids always confuse my name with Mrs. instead of Ms. I am immune to this after it happening all last year. A few days ago, a boy kept saying Mrs. over and over to get my attention. He is pretty loud and apparently annoyed another little girl to the point of her asking, "are you married?" When I said no, she told the boy to use the correct suffix Ms. (One smart fist grade girl!) The boy looked at me with a strange look on his face and said, "if you not married, do you live alone?" I kinda giggled and responded "yes." He thought for a moment and said, "well then, can I live with you?!" Ha! How silly of a thought process! He is inching his way up my 'cute list'! :o)

More time for this blog!

I have to keep a journal for an education class I am taking so I will be posting more on this blog as a way to journal. Finally I am making time to keep this up!

{ art show }

The All School Art Show was a great success!! (Most of) The art teachers got along well, and the show was hung in 2 days!!- during these days I had a sub for 1 day, and then the 2nd day I just brought my high school students over to help me. This was also during the end of course exams so I had about 8 students in my classes. So each class I walked over to the elem to help hang the elem students artwork, sort ribbons, hide boxes, and even rebuild a artwork holding rack. My 3 boys in the class - wanted to escape to the shop building- but I had them go get a drill and hammer - they were perfect for fixing these broken wood racks. I promised them candy for all their hard work. That weekend was the art show! The newspapers were there, and everything looked great. Students won ribbons, certificates, and 25$ savings bonds.



After the show was over at 1 pm we started tearing down. It was almost bittersweet.
I spent so much energy this whole year getting ready for and talking about this show and now we were destroying the displays. I was definitely relieved to have this huge task completed- a weight lifted off my shoulders, but what took so long to prepare for was tore down and forgotten. In 3 hours we were packed up and cleared out.
I am excited for the art show next year, and there are many things I will do differently - to save time. I learned a lot and working with 2 of my teachers when I was in school was great! but-neither of them will be there next year, and I think this added to my sadness when cleaning up. Next year will be different.
Much different.


All was well in Happyville, blue, red, white ribbons and all :)

White Ribbon !

I took 10 pieces from HS to the Four Rivers conference art show, and one of my girls placed third! This showing was great overall for STJ- several other students in the adv. classes placed too.

The whole experience of hanging the show brought back memories from helping my art teacher- Barb hang in high school.

Sometimes I feel fairly old, and mature -and then times I feel really young. The other school districts had 'older' teachers. I felt like a child amongst them, it was strange. I think that with my students being young is a great thing- I can relate to them, and with the 'more experienced' teachers they act as my age hinders me.

I went again to the show for the reception, with Barb, it was great. We both noted we didn't think we would be back there again! Ha! Recalling the great times we had was very nostalgic, and now I can honestly say- everything happens for a reason.

Wow. How true is that?

Great day at the gallery - as happyville travels! :o)

wind socks

Project: Wind socks - Klimt inspired
Materials:tons and tons of rolls of crate paper cut to 15 inches for perfect dancing/twirling in the wind :o)

Final outcome: Apparently cute enough to be decorations in the kindergarten class. The teacher said I could hang them from the ceiling to show off for the spring fling- parent teacher conferences. At first the kiddos didn't want it hung because they wanted to take them home, but once I started climbing up and hanging some, they all wanted theirs hung (in specific spots!)

envelope

A 5 yr old had finished up his Klimt inspired wind sock and was coloring a free draw. I looked over to see him licking the paper. I watched him for a few more seconds and he was running the edge of the folded paper across his tongue - this was really strange to me so I had to ask what he was doing. He said he was making an envelope, I told him to just use a glue stick that licking it wouldn't make it stick. He then told me " it works with mail!" HeHe

new energy

So the spring break was much needed!

I re-organized my lesson plans, came up with new ones, and stayed at my favorite 5 star resort all the while. This resort I am speaking of -is quite the deal, I stay there for a week ( house sit) and it's all inclusive! -food, clay, paint, great views, and no disruptions- ahh-mazing!
-oh! did I mention free!!!

I went back to school today with:
-a hand full of papers to copy- check
-a tub of pre cut wire for sculptures- check
-a new seating chart (for the darling class who needs it) - check!
-several bag fulls of pre cut streamers- check
- and a spring in my purple shoes - check :o)

The hs is now working on wire sculptures, they finished paper sculptures right before break.
The elem. is finishing up a Klimt inspired wind sock . They glued the streamers on and danced around the room. cute. and loud. very loud!


The art show is coming up- soon! April 21-24- I have to matte every piece entered. - one from each student. I have 400 students!!



All is well in the art room- aka Happyville :o)

So I wanted and needed something new-something different-

New hair color- of course! This would do the trick- a box a red - my favorite color would be just the thing :0)

This hair color happened during the week and I loved the result- so much I decided to leave my hair down and straighten it (this never happens). The kiddos on Wednesday definitely noticed!! High school was much more observant about my hair color than about their color wheels!

At the elementary the babies were saying things like: "wow- you look pretty," "did you cut your hair?" and "your hair is red like mine!"
The free draw images of me now had red straight hair - how darling!

The funniest comment was after school when Ms. Danetra (my sister and cadet) and I were walking- and a 1st grade boy called out from his yard "you look a lot like my art teacher!"

Hehe



-this red straightened hair caused quite the confusion and gained a lot of attention in the art rooms!.

guess what character !?

hint: a kindergarten boy who plays too much Nintendo !

Elem drawings!

( I am on the back of the train & this is by a 5 yr old boy !)

At the end of the project they can have a 'free-draw' paper and a lot of the time I get it given back to me as love notes- I love my babies!

artist: Ann Preston

http://www.artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=36393



My hs students will be working on embossing next. I am enjoying looking up examples and playing with the metals.

Tomorrow I will take a trip to the cob house to inhale the smell of creativity, throw on the wheel, and emboss with the master - Barbie!


EXCITED :o)

pockets

At the elementary I work with 2 other art teachers, a male who works the first semester and a female who works this semester both who were my teachers in grade school. the female is out for a new grandbaby and the male is subbing for her.

a month or so ago-one day a first grade boy noticed we both share the art room and saw me in the hallway and informed me that my husband was waiting for me in my room. I am not married, dating some one - no...who could this boy be talking about? WAIT! Mr. Male Art Teacher who is 65+? oh geez ! thanks!

today: same male art teacher- we are chatting in the hallway as his third grade students are filing into the room. since he was subbing the students were really excited he was back- this one girl said "yay look at my new pants!"- who then turned around and semi bent over to show the butt pockets of the jeans! -they were pink and purple rhinestones in the shape of a butterfly! The male art teacher blushes band I start hysterically laughing! He says "oh yes, just want I wanted to see" :o)

Funny day in Happyville !

American Gothic, The Scream !

**notice the superbowl art with the arrow pointing out the score :o)

fairy tale

Once upon a time there was a boy who told a girl that cardigans were for 65 yr old women. This girl always wore cardigans over her short sleeve shirts. This boy always made her feel frumphy by pointing out she had over one million cardigans. Then one day came a huge bundle of flowers with a note to the girl who wore cardigans all the time. Attached to the flowers was a card that said:



The artroom had flowers. The girl was happy. The end.

sharks

5 yr old boy: "Sharks are very dangerous,(in my picture) they are going to eat all these people who will fall off of a roller coaster!"

Me: "Oh no! I'm scared of sharks!"

5 yr old boy: "No, don't worry Miss Nelson, sharks eat all sorts of people but sharks don't eat art teachers."


- Thank goodness sharks have a distaste for art teachers ! I will survive after all :)

hair and earrings

My elementary students occasionally decide to draw me in their pictures and I always have a bun or dangling earrings ! Quite darling if you ask me :o)

-artwork by a kindergardener- impressive!

first projects of (semester 2) finished !

The hs classes finished the doodle drawing, and initial sculptures- they are displayed in the case right outside my room.

It is a treat for the students to help decorate the display, they love being inside the glass case for passer-bys to see.

The next project- Arts & Crafts : African masks. Art 1 : famous artwork parodies.
Elem : balance designs (symmetrical and asymmetrical)

All is displayed nice and cute in the art room aka Happyville.

sweet

A boy brought me a hot pink flower that he was growing in the green house! This made my day :o)

All is great on this Thursday in the artroom - aka Happyville.

Too Old?

One of my 1st graders told me that my painted shoes were 'high schooler' shoes...


What are high school shoes?

Am I too old for certain things?