To see far is one thing: going there is another."  -Brancusi

Truth.

This week has been a very busy one - less time for painting, running, and the like but still managing to stay on top of things and make some yummy suppers.  I've been putting in orders for school art supplies, matting and hanging large amounts of work in the hallways, and lesson planning like a madwoman.  It is such an interesting flux between artist, teacher, and the overlap between the two...  They go hand in hand yet getting them to exist simultaneously is sometimes a challenge...

Anyway, here are some highlights of student work from the past few weeks:

1st grade - Charley Harper birds in Autumn

5th Grade - chalk pastel pumpkin patch at night

3rd Grade - mixed media fall birch trees

5th Grade - pointillism trees inspired by Angela Vandenbogaard

4th Grade - Gustav Klimt inspired trees

It is amazing how much love animals can add to your life...

So, yesterday David and I went to Lunafest at the Midland Center for the Arts where a series of 9 short films made by, for, and about women were shown.  It was such a great night and the films were very interesting.  I found that I really enjoy short films - maybe even more so than a regular length movie.  Even though the shorter ones don't allow you to go into as much depth, I love the idea of a snapshot and the way it leaves so much to think about and discover on your own.  The two films that were 15 minutes long even had much more depth to them - still only about an eighth of a feature film and half a TV show.  It is an art form I truly appreciate and hope to expose myself to more of in the future.


Here is the official trailer for 'Lunafest':

Here is what I decided was my favorite film of the night:

Another busy day making art with the kiddos!  I had an especially fun time making 3-D "Line Design Theme Parks" with my first graders.  We talked about straight, wavy, zig-zag, and curly lines and I showed them how to make each in 3-D with paper strips.  It was a great opportunity to cover one of the elements of art and to work on fine motor skills and gluing (Just a dot, not a lot!).

This is what the back counter looked like today - hectic, colorful, and fun!

This one went off the page a bit!

I like them from this perspective.

I've been looking at Charley Harper's birds a bit tonight as inspiration for a future project...  His work is just so beautiful to me.  Maybe it is the order that captures such a busy and perfectly imperfect subject (nature).  Here are a few images of his work if you are unfamiliar:

Just a quick post to say "hi" and a few photos.  I've been working all night on school stuff and I finally feel caught up!  Well, I take that back.  I feel caught up with some of the paperwork and such that was necessary and with e-mails - psh, I really am having a tough time staying on top of my e-mail for some reason.  I think it is because I get all kinds of things from four different schools and then there is HR and more... It can be tricky to keep track of!  Tomorrow I have to finalize (ahem - start) my SMART goals for the year and a lesson plan for my observation (which, apparently may or may not happen because of MEAP - but I need to be prepared).   Other than all of that, not much new news here...  I am itching to keep going on my recent painting (for more info on art visit my other blog) but have to finish school stuff first.  Plus, we have a huge weekend ahead of us with a trip to Brighton, checking out the coffee shop in Detroit where I will have my art show this spring, Smashing Pumpkins concert, and cheering my Mom on at the Detroit Marathon!  She is amazing.  Also, I've launched into another new project which will be in the works (art-related).  I'm going to keep it a secret for now : )  I'm doing it again people... too much too fast... but I (obviously) love it and just can't help myself.  Anyway, here are a few photos (didn't I open this post with, just a quick post to say "hi"??? LIES. Bahha!).  

fourth grade watercolor leaves

fifth grade "pointilism treescape" inspired by Angela Vandenbogard

first grade pumpkin patch

I love getting little drawings from my students!  That is me, Mrs. A.  I am a heart.  I am painting hearts.  ...and I also paint other things as pictured above!

Basil and Corgan are finally feeling more relaxed - or I should say Corgan finally is, Basil has been pretty outgoing from the beginning.  Corgan is still a bit skittish, but is hanging out more around us and near Basil which is a step-up from hiding in the bedroom or under the bed. 

FIERCE. 

ArtPrize 2011 was an inspiring and overwhelming event to experience.  One thing that I enjoyed most was that the artwork is all work being made right now.  It is really interesting to see what dwells in the minds and hearts of a vast array of artists (not just the ones mentioned in ArtNEWS magazine) at the present time.  Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate a museum visit here and there, but there is a lot about the traditional museum experience that is a turn-off to me (a topic for another post I guess).  ArtPrize is truly an event that EVERYONE can enjoy and participate in.  I was really happy to see how many people were there, especially the abundance of young kids and families experiencing the art together.  David and I tried our best to pack in as much art as possible into one day, but we certainly didn't cover it all.  Here are a few of our highlights:

The sunlit view from our room at the CityFlats Hotel

Clouds made from regular old office paper.  This was one of our favorites.

A commentary on the state of education in Michigan.  

The red is the word "VOID" stamped over and over again.

A community-based art project involving local elementary students as well as others.

Each one decorated a stick in memory of a loved one.

There were also handwritten projections on the wall.

*Side note: a young girl and her mother walked in while we were there to see her stick.  They were so excited and the mother so proud that her daughter could be apart of something so beautiful. 

Another collaborative piece and it won second place!  It is stunning and will be a permanent work in Grand Rapids, so you could see it for yourself!  We were happy to hear this piece was a winner, but the first place award left us confused... 

A "dream home" made completely of discarded lotto tickets - part of a three-part series.

A performance/installation piece - the artist drew each one of the three forms in separate 4-hour time spans without sitting or taking a break.  It was interesting to imagine.  Also, in the middle one he bent his knees. : ) 

One of my favorite pieces, each circle was hand painted.  There were also these magnifying glasses suspended from the ceiling that visitors could look through.  It changed one's perspective.

This painting was one of a series where each piece had qualities of a sketchbook.  I really enjoyed the integration of drawn and painted elements as it is a balance I strive to achieve  in my own work.

Taking a break on a grassy hill to enjoy some folk music and the throng of "Occupy Grand Rapids" protesters. 

This one even had a light shining on the piece for effect.

This was part of a drawing that wound around an entire wall and two corners.  A very fun piece! 

This piece creeped David out, but I really like it.  I'm not sure why... I think it is the whimsy.

This painting was one of my very favorite pieces!  It is a comment on the effect of paint/the act of painting on the artist's everyday life.  

Haunting, beautiful, and lovely all at once.

A photorealistic painting of a bunch of kids toys.  I am a sucker for photorealism.

No sooner had I tested the water that first summer and inched from shore to stand knee-deep in its chill, no sooner had I felt those waves slapping at my skinny body, than I understood, even at nine years of age, that this expanse of churning, frothy lake, which spread as far as I could see, was alive, and too  magnificent to be owned by anyone.  It belonged only to itself.  That summer I learned, too, how quickly the lake's mood could change from calm and serene to jolly and wavy to thunderingly violent.  But it was already too late.  I had given my heart away forever.

I had bought this notebook at the end of summer meant to hold all of my hopes and dreams for future art lessons for my kiddos this year.  However, it didn't take long (only 5-6 pages in) before it was replaced with a green lesson plan book - which I never anticipated getting (if I would have admitted to myself that I would already have what I needed to keep track of lessons, I never would have been able to justify buying a new journal!  Anyway, today I put it to good use, writing down the highlights from my day.  The page looks something like this:

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

-"Yes, I believe you, yes, I believe you, yes, I believe you, yes, I believe you..."  ~morning ride

Aaaaaand... always do your breast... Breast? What?  Wait?  Did that just happen?  Yep.  Yep, it did.

<-- DUSK COLORED 

(Shane, grade 2)

"I can't just fit my imagination into a box.  I love it.  There are new technologies, aliens, that sort of thing." (Chris, grade 5)

"Miso" happy to make your lunch!  Love you, Your Hubby

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Yep, that about sums up my day!