Sketchbook Prompt:
Sometimes artists like to use words as their inspiration.
Make a piece based on the word: THICK
22
Jul 13
Day 32: July 22, 2013
Sketchbook Prompt:
Make a piece of art inspired by the famous painting:
The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1829-32
By: Katsushika Hokusai
21
Jul 13
Day 31: July 21, 2013
Sketchbook Prompt:
Make a piece of art using the complementary colors:
Blue & Orange
What are complementary colors?
They are two colors on opposite sides of the color wheel, when you place them next to each other they make the other color look brighter. The complementary color of a primary color (red, blue, and yellow) is the color you get by mixing the other two (red + blue = purple; blue + yellow = green; red + yellow = orange). So the complementary color for red is green, for blue it’s orange, and for yellow it’s purple.
11
Jul 13
Day 21: July 11, 2013
Sketchbook Prompt:
After listening to Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.21 make a piece of artwork about it. You may want to listen to it again while you’re working. How does it make you feel? What colors pop into your head while you’re listening to it? What is the mood of the song…happy…sad..concerned…delighted?
10
Jul 13
Day 20: July 10, 2013
Sketchbook Prompt:
Use the patterns below as inspiration.
Can you gain inspiration from these patterns? Can you create some of these patterns? Can you gain inspiration from the colors that the artist used? Do you have a personal connection with one or more of the patterns?
25
Jun 13
Artistic Stroke of Luck
Check out the article “Artistic Stroke of Luck” written by Grant Welker of the Lowell Sun. The article discusses my new studio space at Chases Garage in York Beach, ME, and the happy coincidence of two artists from Chelmsford, MA finding each other there.
“YORK, Maine — Ashley Norman thought the name sounded familiar. Giunta. Didn’t she graduate from Chelmsford High School with a Giunta?
She did, and the woman she was talking to about a new art gallery in York was Kyle Giunta’s sister, Cait. The two Chelmsford High graduates — Norman graduated in 2003, when Giunta was a freshman — had connected by coincidence in southern Maine where each had ended up for their art career.
“Both of us were joking around about what a small world it is,” said Norman, who got an art education degree from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. She then taught art at Lowell High School until 2010, when she got a job at an elementary school in York.
She now lives in Portsmouth, N.H., where she used to enjoy taking day trips from Chelmsford when she was younger.
Giunta, a 2006 Chelmsford High graduate, went to the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, N.H., where she graduated in 2011 in illustration. That’s where she met Ned Roche, a friend whose family bought an old mechanic’s garage more than 10 years ago in the center of York, a few blocks from the shore.
The building has now been renovated into a 4,500 square-foot art gallery and studio space called Chases Garage after the family who ran the garage for decades and still lives nearby. It opened Memorial Day weekend after the completion of more than a year of renovations.
“It took a lot of work,” said Giunta, who lives in York and teaches children’s printmaking classes over the summer. “We really got a chance to configure it how we wanted to because there were no (interior) walls, but a lot went into it.”
Almost none of the interior doors or windows into each studio match because they were taken from salvage yards or fairs, which both gives the gallery a unique look and cut down on costs. Because the garage was built in the 1920s, it required new siding, insulation, plumbing, heat and sprinklers. The central garage is now divided into the nine studios, the back storage rooms have been converted into instructional space and the front rooms of the building are now the gallery.
The exterior, with the sign above the front door and the old-fashioned Mobil flying horse logo above that, remains nearly exactly as it was.
The Chase family has been enthusiastic about what the young artists have done with the building, Giunta said.
“They’re all supportive of what we’re doing,” said Giunta, 24, who grew up on Prancing Road in Chelmsford near the Westford line. She now spends her time managing the gallery and creating prints, ceramics and other mediums.
Of the eight artists who rent space at Chases, three are teachers, including Norman, 29, who plans to return to MassArt for her master’s. It was a teacher who Norman works with who mentioned Chases Gallery to her and brought the two Chelmsford natives together.
Roche, who grew up across Main Street, said his family wasn’t sure what they’d do with the property but always kicked around ideas. For most of the past decade, it was used as a furniture store. It was Giunta’s encouragement for an art gallery that really got the project moving.
“Why not?” said Roche, 25, who is also one of the gallery’s artists.
York, a seaside town of about 13,000, has embraced the gallery, the artists said. Eight of the nine studio spaces rented almost immediately, and classes will begin later this summer in ceramics and printmaking. Others who sign up as members can use the gallery’s equipment if they want to try something out without the investment.
“I think there’s a call for it” in the community, Giunta said of something like Chases Garage.
“There are more artists in the community than you realize until you open something like this,” said Norman, who lived in various places in Chelmsford while growing up, including Billerica Road and Pine Hill Road.”
Follow Grant Welker at Twitter.com/SunGrantWelker.
07
Jun 13
4th Grade Masterpiece Self-Portraits
After our “Grand Opening” of the Drawing Center at the beginning of the year, all students at CRES were asked to create a self-portrait to the best of their ability.
At the end of 4th grade students learned about the proportions of the human face and were asked to look at the negative space around their facial features to create their final elementary school masterpiece. Here are some of the first students who finished. The drawings on the left were done the second week of school and the drawings on the right were done the second to last week of school. 
Nice work everyone!
28
May 13
3rd Grade Clay Creatures & Animals
Sage paints her greenware pig with engobes before bisque firing it.
24
May 13
4th Grade Final Masterpiece Self-Portraits
During the first week of school all students in grades 2-4 were asked to create a self-portrait to the best of their ability. This is a great way to see where the students are technically, as well as a way to see how they’re able to express an idea visually.
At the end of the year, the 4th graders are asked to complete a final elementary school masterpiece in the form of a self-portrait. This exercise is a great boost to their self confidence when they see all they’ve learned over the course of the year. The images below are from the very talented Gemma.
I can’t wait to see how she finishes her second self-portrait!
22
May 13
4th Grade Stop Motion Animation
These stop motion films were created through a collaboration between Coastal Ridge Elementary School’s (CRES) art teacher Ms. Norman, and their technology integration teacher Mr. Charltray. These films were written and created by three teams of students in Mrs. Peterson’s 4th grade class. The subject matter of each short was inspired by our “Be Yourself” campaign at CRES. Thank you Mr. Charltray for making this magic happen!
21
May 13
Architecture with Blocks
After finishing his clay sculpture Anthony spent the remainder of class creating a village out of blocks.
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- The class posses for a photo with the artist.
Inspired by their studies of Japan, students in Mrs. Foster’s second grade class created this “Japanese Restaurant”. Like what you see? Check out their Japanese tea cups.
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- Japanese Restaurant (Top View)
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- Japanese Restaurant (Side View)
21
May 13
Artist Spotlight: Darcy
Darcy
“Crazy Darcy”, Wire and Pipe Cleaners, 10″ x 10″
“My Little Pony”, Crayon and Oil Pastel, 9″x12″
Rainbow dash wearing a dress.
Q: What grade are you in?
A: Fourth
Q: What is your favorite subject? What is your favorite thing to make artwork about?
A: My Little Ponies
Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Blue
Q: How do you feel when you’re making work?
A: Very Happy
Q: How do you want people to feel when they see your work?
A: Happy
Q: What are your favorite mediums to use? What are your favorite materials in the CRES studio?
A: Crayons, Paint, Magic Markers, and Wire.
21
May 13
Japanese Tea Cups
Second grade students at CRES have been studying Japan. To go along with their unit we have been exploring pinch pot tea cups and origami.
Here was our schedule for making these beautiful works of art.
Week 1: Build Pinch Pots.
When students were finished they had a choice of working with blocks or working in their sketchbooks.
Week 2: Decorating Their Greenware
The greenware pinch pots were able to dry slightly durning the week so students were able to decorate them with engobes. When students were finished they had a choice of working with blocks or working in their sketchbooks.
Week 3: Origami and Bisque Fire.
Once the pots were no longer cool to the touch they were bisque fired. During this week we took a little time to learn about origami. I started off the class by reading them a Japanese folktale about two frogs and then we worked together as a class to create this simple origami jumping frog. When students finished they were able to embellish their frogs, play with blocks, or work in their sketchbooks.
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- Mrs. Harrod’s Frogs
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- Best Frog Faces
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- Adding some finishing touches to the frogs.
Week 4 (A): Glazing
Students put three coats of clear glaze onto their tea cups. We did each layer as a group. When students had time in between layers they had a choice of working with blocks or working in their sketchbooks.
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- Glazing their pinch pot tea cups.
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- Audrey working on a pattern.
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- Cheyenne creating a gazebo.
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- Collaborating together on a sculpture.
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- Lexi
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- Working in their sketchbooks.
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- After I complemented Lexi on her awesome design she decided she wanted to make one for me.
Week 4(B): Glaze Fire
All the pots made it!!!
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- Before
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- After
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- Anticipating their tea cups!
Week 5: Tea Ceremony
To celebrate the end of their unit we had a mini tea ceremony. Students gathered in the second grade pod, where they were given their finished tea cups with a little lemonade. We then watched a 6 minute tea ceremony video and had a group “cheers” to their hard work.
Here is a link to the tea ceremony video on Vimeo.
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- Pouring the lemonade into their new tea cups.
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- Students watching the tea ceremony video.
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- A cheers to their hard work.
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- Enjoying their hard work.
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- Dr. Dunn our superintendent joined us for this special event. Thanks Dr. Dunn!
A special thank you to Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Harrod, Mrs. Peterson, Mrs. Buckless, Ms. Harris, Mrs. Donnell, Mrs. Rose, and Dr. Dunn for joining us.
20
May 13
35th Annual Student Art Show at the Barn Gallery, Ogunquit, ME
For the past 35 years, Southern Coastal Maine art educators have been participating in a showcase of student work each year at the Barn Gallery in Ogunquit, ME. The following gallery is a quick taste of some of the amazing work in this year’s 2012-2013 show.
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- Paper Bag Puppets and Stand
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- York High School Jewelry
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- York High School Jewelry
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- CRES Wall
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- CRES Wire Self-Portraits, Foam Prints, and Weaving
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- Maine Night 2013 Drawings
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- Village Elementary School, York, ME
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- Village Elementary School, York, ME
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- Coastal Ridge Elementary School, York, ME
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- Coastal Ridge Elementary School, York, ME
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- Coastal Ridge Elementary School, York, ME
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- Coastal Ridge Elementary School, York, ME
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- Coastal Ridge Elementary School, York, ME
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- Liam’s Weaving, Coastal Ridge Elementary School, York, ME
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- Charlie, Parker, and Ava’s Foam Prints
20
May 13
Fibers Center: Weaving
This year students in the CRES Studio have been working in centers using the TAB model of art education. Here are some of their finished weavings.
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- Connor
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- Jake
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- Madison
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- Liam
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- Sydney
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- Ella
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- Daphne
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- Cavin decided to try circle weaving after finishing his first piece.
26
Apr 13
Boston Strong!
After the tragic events on April 15 our school decided to have a “Boston Pride Day” to show our love and support. These two boys wanted to create matching “Boston Strong T-Shirts”.
20
Apr 13
Maine Night 2013
Third graders in Maine spend much of their year learning about their beloved state. Each year Mrs. Littlefield, who is the music teacher at Coastal Ridge Elementary School, York, ME put on a wonderful “Maine Night” performance as part of this unit.
This year we decided to work collaboratively on part of that performance. The pieces in the following video and gallery were inspired by the song “Coast of Maine” by Mike Nobel. For this project all third graders at CRES were asked to create a piece of artwork based on the lyrics of that song. Students then planned out their artwork in their sketchbooks using thumbnail sketches. Students were then free to use any of the centers in the CRES Studio to create their masterpiece. Some of the media the students chose to work in was mixed-media, embroidery, watercolor, colored pencil, and oil pastels.
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- Caitie
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- Lexi
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- Crab on a Rock by Robby
17
Oct 12
Trade Off Art Exhibit
Click Invitation Above to View an Enlarged Version
November 5-November 17 students from Coastal Ridge Elementary School of York, ME, Galvin Middle School of Wakefield, MA, and the Plympton & Fitzgerald Elementary Schools of Waltham, MA will be having their top Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) exhibited at the Arnheim Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA . The opening reception will be Saturday, November 10, 2012 from 11:oo a.m.-1:00 p.m.
I have attached the proposal below, as well as some helpful links to help you better understand the concept behind the exhibit, as well as ATCs in general.
Click Proposal Above to View an Enlarged Version
Not familiar with ATCs?
Here are a few helpful links:
10
Sep 12
What is an art studio?
This year students will be enjoying an approach to art education called Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) in the “CRES Studio”.
The TAB approach to teaching treats and recognizes students as artists, and allows them to make choices and create work that is meaningful to them. A main focus to this center-based approach is creating a studio culture within the artroom. To help students start to gain an understanding of what an art studio is I asked the question…
What is an art studio?
Below are just a few of their amazing answers and comments.
It is a place where…
- “…artists make their drawings.”
- “…you stay to have ideas and to make pictures.”
- “…artists make all their art.”
- “…it helps to have a good view and sunlight.”
- “…there is a bunch of art on the walls.”
- “…people can do their art.”
- “…you make art.”
- “…you paint and sketch.”
- “…you get ideas to make your art.”
- “…sometimes you share.”
- “…there are tables and you make lots of art.”
- “…artists make their art.”
- “…you can look for inspiration, possibly from other art pieces you’ve made.”
- “…you can hang pictures.”
- “…you can have fun with your art.”
- “…you can study art history to help you get ideas about making art.”
- “…you have art supplies and canvases.”
And some other comments…
- “Artists usually have their own studio.”
- “Sometimes an art studio is in your house, it is where you keep your paint and sketchbooks.”
- “I have an art studio in my basement.”
- “This room is like an art studio!”
- “An art studio is a creative place where you can be who you want to be in art and in life.”
After students shared their understanding of what makes an art studio and art studio I asked them if they would like to see some famous and emerging artists in their real studios. Click on this link to view the “Art Studio” Presentation we viewed in class.
We then watched a clip taken from a 1950 film of Jackson Pollock painting outside of his studio.
05
Sep 12
Warm Welcome
This week I started my new position as the artist educator at Coastal Ridge Elementary School (CRES) in York, ME. So far it has been an amazing experience and I’ve enjoyed the very warm welcome. I look forward to getting to know and working closely with the students, staff, families, and the York community at large.
06
Apr 12
Bringing Mindfulness Into the Classroom: Mindfulness Bell
I think this mindfulness exercise would be a great way to start your class or to help signal for cleanup.
Here is the exercise by Thich Nhat Hanh
Please pause and breathe joyfully three times before going back to what you were doing…
“Hearing the bell,
I am able to let go of all afflictions.
My heart is calm,
my sorrows ended.
I am no longer bound to anything.
I learn to listen to my suffering
and the suffering of the other person.
When understanding is born in me,
compassion is also born.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
*Post Mindfulness Bell Copyright Thich Nhat Hanh Quote Collective*
22
Mar 12
Photo Response Project: Work in Progress
The students have really been doing a great job with the “Photo Response Project.” One of my 1st Grade students explained it perfectly, “You just draw how the picture makes you feel.”
Here are some of the images we have so far:
Once all students are done I will bind them together in a book and send them off to NYC!
21
Mar 12
Art House Co-op’s “Photo Response Project”
For those of you artists and/or educators out there who have never heard of the Art House Co-op you should definately check them out. They offer various community based art projects throughout the year and are a great place to gain a little inspiration. My students and I at the Roots and Wings After-School Program at Vance Elementary School are going to be participating in their no fee exhibit “Photo Response.”
As stated on the website the Photo Response Project Asks Artists to:
“Perform a visual translation and respond to it in any visual medium — just keep the dimensions to 4″ x 6″. Write a (very) short story, draw or paint, manipulate the image itself or simply try something new.”
They will then “exhibit each photograph together with its responses and explore the many directions that emerge from a single starting point.”
Stay tuned for our responses to the image below.
20
Mar 12
Classroom Management:
Positive Reinforcement Board Game
Being an Art Teacher brings with it it’s own set of hurdles when it comes to classroom management. After you get your students to understand your routines and procedures how do reinforce their positive behavior? There are so many great strategies out there but this seems like the best tool for the art room. I found the “Positive Reinforcement Board Game” on “Teaching Palette’s Photostream” on Flickr.
What do you need?
- “Game Board”: Some teachers use a whole bulletin board while others have made theirs out of card stock. Your board can be as plain or as creative as you want it to be. Some ideas I have seen include: various art themes, the color spectrum, patterns, famous artists, or art related places in your city.
- Board Pieces For Each Class: Some examples might be pushpins, pieces of fabric on t-pins, magnets, or velcro.
How does it work?
- The game’s rules are the rules of your classroom.
- Each time you see a class and they follow the rules they get to advance a number of spaces. The blog that I found this “tool” on suggested five spaces a class for top behavior. You may want to keep track of the amount of spaces by adding stars or smileys on the white board during the class so students know how they are doing.
- When the class reaches the end of the board game they win a big reward. Don’t forget, this is a long term goal so students will need to feel like it’s worth it. The idea that was suggested on the Teaching Palette’s website was an “Art Party” where students would be able to work in centers while watching an art related movie. It’s their reward for working hard so think of what they love the most and get creative!
19
Mar 12
The Vance Garden En Plein Air
Student got a chance to enjoy the wonderful Spring weather while working “in the open air.”
18
Mar 12
How many greens can you make?
In preparation for our plein air paintings students were challenged to create as many greens as they could. Students experimented with mixing primary and secondary colors as well as using green’s complement, red, to create neutrals. “En Plein Air” is a French expression which means “in the open air.”
16
Mar 12
Changing Education Paradigms
Click the link below to watch a great animated lecture addressing some of the major things wrong with public education today and ideas on how we can make a change.
RSA: Changing Education Paradigms Animation
15
Mar 12
African Masks
After looking at images of African masks and a quick PowerPoint on symmetrical balance students were able to explore mask making on their own. While working students enjoyed listening to the “African Radio” station on Pandora to gain further inspiration.
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Media Used: Oil Pastels on Constructions Paper
12
Mar 12
How do colors pop?
Using complementary colors in abstract art.
Students started off these pieces by making organic lines in Sharpie. We then reviewed the color wheel talking about primary, secondary, and complementary colors. Complementary colors are pairs of colors that are “opposite” or each other on the color wheel.
- Red and Green
- Yellow and Violet
- Blue and Orange
When complementary colors are placed next to each other they make each other “pop”, when mixed together they create a neutral color.
We also looked at some examples of pop artists. Pop artists such as Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and Tom Wesselmann played with complementary colors and color theory to create their works of art.
After students created their Sharpie underdrawings they were free to experiment with color by placing complements next to one and other, and by using them in a pattern within the shapes they had created.
12
Mar 12
Bubble Prints
Students experimented with bubble printing today. Some of the realizations that they came to understand through play were that you need to:
- Reverse the image before you print it.
- Add a good amount of pressure while burnishing the paper if you want to capture the whole image.
Students will be using some of their prints for textures in their Eric Carle inspired collage projects.
07
Mar 12
Totem Poles
Inspired by the totem poles of the Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest, we created ours by using animals found in our native surroundings of Western North Carolina.
Feeling inspired?
Here is the Pandora “Native American Station” we listened to while working. Enjoy!
07
Mar 12
Totem Pole Thumbnails Sketches
Before beginning their totem figures students worked on thumbnails sketches in their sketchbooks. Can you see their thoughts in action?
06
Mar 12
Asheville Through the Eyes of Van Gogh
Inspired by the work of Vincent van Gogh students blended colors using stripes, dots, and swirls to create an oil pastel drawing of their favorite view of Asheville.
Check out the Vincent van Gogh Power Point we looked at!
05
Mar 12
