Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Square 1 Art Projects

I participate in the Square 1 Art program each year to raise money.  This year I have made almost $1800! I have tried to pick dynamic projects that not only fit my curriculum, but are big sellers for parents.  Here are some student samples of this years projects.
4th grade Loup Garou Paintings in tempera based on the Blue Dog series by George Rodrigue.

3rd grade cityscapes with intermediate colors in tempera.

5th grade- Background watercolor based on color field painters with a styrofoam print over the top made to appear to be Op art, printed in rotation.
1st grade owl drawings with simple patterns to create texture with construction paper crayons and marker.

Kindergarten tissue flowers painted on with watered down glue, outlined in permanent marker and finished with liquid watercolor.
2nd grade cats in permanent marker based on a study of ancient Egyptian cat art.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

My MAEA Presentation and new adventure

The MAEA Spring Conference was held in St. Charles Missouri this weekend, and I presented for the first time.  I was talked into the presentation by a wonderful professor at UMSL.  So what was the presentation about, well art on a cart, of course.  I shared all of my tips and tricks for making art on cart successful.  My philosophy... master the cart so it doesn't master you.  In other words get organized, plan for pitfalls and get control of the situation or else the cart will drag you down and leave tracks on your back. I really enjoyed the presentation, talked to some very nice teachers, got a few new ideas myself and hopefully inspired someone else to try a new technique to make their cart experience more pleasant. If you would like to see my presentation just follow this link: http://prezi.com/qsnvkqeozo-n/mastering-art-on-a-cart/

On another note, I was recently elected (uncontested) as the District 8 representative on the MAEA Council.  I attended my first meeting this week and ran my first district meeting today.  Hopefully the deer in the headlights look I walk around with most of the day didn't leave the wrong impression with my fellow council members.  This looks to be an exciting venture with lots of rewards and plenty of work.  Once I gain my bearings, I hope to do some fun things with my fellow District 8 art teachers!  More to come later...