Is art your thing?

When the K5 boys were finishing up art class for the day on Thursday, one of my students asked me if art was my "thing". I replied that I love art and yes, you could call it my "thing". He then went on to ask me if art had always been my thing. I replied, "Yes, I have done art with my mom and grandma since I was little and I have always enjoyed it." I told him that music was also my thing, that I can play several different instruments. He then looked at me, thought for a moment, and said "well singin' is my thing". I am glad that he shared this with the class and me. It lead to a very interesting discussion about the different things that everyone enjoyed.

The art room was busy again this week. The K4/K5 students are still working on their Texture Pizzas. This week, we added the cheese using pieces of felt.

The 1st grade students are beginning their Art/Science projects. Similar to what I discussed with the 3rd grade students, the 1st grade students learned that scientists and artists both use observation to learn. Students put their observation skills to the test by carefully observing a leaf. Students then practiced drawing their leaf. I was very proud! None of the 1st grade students complained that they "couldn't do it" or that it was "too hard". Everyone tried their best and did a fantastic job!

The 4th grade students also ventured into new territory this week. For the second part of their Felt Food project, students will be creating advertisements for their food. This week, I asked students to critique a few advertisements that I found in magazines. I asked students to tell me who the advertisements were for, what the advertisement is trying to sell, what is unique about the advertisement, and their opinion of the advertisement. They gave so many great answers! I can't wait to see how they will apply this to their own advertisement!

Lastly, I took the 5th and 6th grade to the art museum this week to check out some of the artworks in their permanent exhibit, as well as some of the artworks in the new traveling exhibit. I was so glad to see everyone having a great time!

Finished Projects!!!

It is once again time for me to share with you some amazing finished artworks :) In order the slide shows are the 1st grade Fall Portraits, the 1st grade Jasper Johns inspired Number Paintings, the 3rd grade Animal Observation Paintings, the 4th grade Felt Food Sculptures, and the 6th grade Architecture/Interior Design artworks. Hope you enjoy!

A Very Oak Ridge Week

This week, I took a little break from school to join my husband in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He was there this week for research at the National Laboratory. As for me, I spent some much needed time catching up on several paper assignments from my master's classes and doing a little bit of reading for my Chinese Art History class. I did take some picture to share with you of my trip :)

Coming into Oak ridge we were surrounded with great views!

We ate at some incredible places. If you are ever in the Oak Ridge area, 15 minutes outside of Knoxville, some places to try are The Soup Kitchen, Mediterranean Delight, El Cantarito, and the Riverside Grill (pictured above). Yum yum!!!

One afternoon while I was working, I looked at the window and felt like I had suddenly appeared in a snow globe. It only lasted a few minutes, but was very pretty while it lasted.

We came home this afternoon. We usually travel through the Smoky Mountains going home to western Kentucky, but it seems like the last several times we passed through it was dark. When we went through today, most of the mountains were covered with snow and the sky was soooo blue. It was wonderful!!

 Although I got a lot of work done this week, I did miss being in my art room. I can't wait to see everyone next week! 

I love art!

It makes me so happy to hear a student tell me that they love art. This week, I have heard it so many times! I am so glad that everyone is really enjoying making their projects and that they are interested in the things that we are talking about :)

This week, the art room has seemed like a mini museum with all of the projects being worked on and completed. Each grade is working with a different medium and I am quickly running out of room for all of the projects (which makes me very happy to see!) So, here is what everyone is working on...

The K4 and K5 students just started their Texture Pizzas! After reading the book "Little Nino's Pizzeria" (Karen Barbour) for inspiration, students began talking about what the different elements of a pizza would feel like, including the rough crust, the gooey cheese, and the soft mushrooms. After our discussion, students began creating their crust and sauce. It made me laugh a little to see all of the "pizzas" on my drying rack. I felt like I was running a pizzeria :)

The 1st graders finished up their Jasper Johns inspired number artworks (pictures coming soon). As students were finishing, I had them work on a "journal entry" in their sketchbooks to get them thinking about our next project. Hmm...I wonder what our next project is about?

The 2nd grade are almost finished painting their fictional clay animals. This week, many students started painting their fictional animal's habitat using acrylic paints.

The 3rd graders are also painting, however they are using watercolors. They have been busy working on their animal observation paintings. Most of them finished this week, but due to several people being absent (hope they feel better!), I will not be posting the completed artworks' pictures for a couple of weeks.

 The 4th grade is also finishing up the first part of their art/science project. This week, they added details to the felt food using acrylic paints.

Sadly, I didn't get a chance this week to take pictures during the 5th grade class. We were super busy! Some of the students worked on finishing their collages, some students worked on making stamps, while other students practiced printing with their stamps. I can tell you, their projects are looking fantastic! They have really explored each of the mediums and are doing some really creative things with them :)

The 6th grade students will be hosting and participating in a talent show this next weekend to raise money for their trip to Washington D.C. next month. This week, the 6th grade students and I created artworks that will be for sale during the talent show. All of the proceeds will help fund their trip. Students picked an inspirational quote, most of them coming from past US presidents. Next, students created their quote on canvas using scrapbook stickers. Students then covered their entire canvas with a patriotic design created with acrylic paints. Students will be removing the scrapbook letters on Monday. The stickers acted as a resist and once students remove the stickers, they will uncover the white letters underneath.

Lastly, the Art Club (both Littles and Bigs) are finishing their wire sculptures. They are looking sooo cool!

So, you may have noticed a trend while reading this post. I think I mentioned the word "finish" numerous times :) That means I will be posting all of the finished artworks very soon. Sadly, I will not be at school next week, but as soon as I return I will be taking pictures of everyone's awesome creations to share!

Hello February!

It is hard to believe that it is already February! This week has been fantastic for all of the students during art. We have gotten a lot of work accomplished. In fact, throughout this coming week and next weekend I will be posting some pictures of not only all of our progress, but also some of the finished artworks. As for today's post, I have two wonderful things to share...

First,  the Art Club just started their new project. While we are assembling last month's project, students are beginning the drawing portion of their new project. We are going to be using both drawings and photographs to create large-scale portraits. Here are the results from yesterday...

We also had a small vistor to the art room yesterday :)

Secondly, the K5 just finished up their Mondrian inspired artworks. Finding inspiration in the colors, lines, and shapes found in his artworks, the K5 students created banjos using these same elements. Also, sorry for the quality of the pictures. Some of them have a small view of my kitchen floor :)