Mural: The Art of the Race

 1 Corinthians 9: 24 - 25: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize...They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."

This past weekend, to the strains of “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”, I covered up wayward paint drips and completed lettering a verse above our annual mural project.  It’s been a 3 ½ month journey, working our way through figure drawing and painting to arrive at a finished product. We grappled with hands, feet, foreshortened legs and pesky hairlines that kept looking like helmets.  Let’s just say one gets a whole new appreciation for Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Ceiling painted while he was on his back. 

You might notice the eyes of all the athletes are downcast.  You may choose from the following list for the correct interpretation:

1.       Eyes are difficult to paint;

2.       They are praying; or

3.       The locker room, on occasion gets used by the boys’ opposing teams, and the girls are modestly averting their eyes….

4.       And the answer is…

All of the above at some point or another.

For fun, embedded in the numbers on the athletes’ bibs is a secret message. 

Thanks to all my senior high art club students who worked so hard to transform this space!

Making My Day - Scholastic Arts Contest

.

Jennifer4008, Silver Key

This past Saturday, several of my advanced art students sat in a sea of  honorees at the annual Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards ceremony held at Kent State Stark Campus to receive recognition for their art. Jennifer Barber and Alex Embleton garnered silver keys for their pieces, and Kaitlin Warner and Hannah Dean earned honorable mentions for theirs.  All gold and silver key works are currently on display at Kent State Stark until this Thursday, January 30th.  Only about 20% of submitted work is awarded recognition from Scholastics, so I'm very happy that my students did so well.

Alex11869, Silver Key

Kaitlin1173, Honorable Mention

Hannah10535, Honorable Mention

Window Art to Celebrate Christmas - Bon Appetit!

Kaitlin1173

Josh4996

Jennifer4008

Emily

  A nine-thirty a.m. start time is unforgiving, especially on a Saturday.  Sleepy-eyed, about 14 senior high art club students showed up to paint the windows for Christmas.  After some emergency doses of Nutella on graham crackers, most were awake and ready to go to work.  About two hours later, energy spent, we fortified ourselves with a pizza party.  All that painting creates a powerful appetite.    

Thane or Bust

Sculpting 

Last spring, one of my senior  students wanted to sculpt a clay bust as an art enrichment activity. At first, she considered the idea of trying to make it look like someone in particular.  I assured her that based on my experience,  I was just relieved when my bust ended up looking humanoid, let alone like anyone I knew.  Truly, focusing on mastering clay construction techniques and structurally valid features gives one plenty to chew on in a first pass.  

 Things can really go south when building a bust, from collapsing heads and structural cracks to total annihilation in the kiln. A dear friend of mine experienced a sad result when her bust completely shed it's  face overnight.  Like icebergs calving baby icebergs, the face simply slid off  in it's entirety and, with some creative salvaging, became a mask.  Undaunted, my student maximized her chance of success by paying close attention to honing construction skills and techniques.  As a result, it took a little over three months for "Thane's" completion, but he came out of the kiln in one piece with only one small crack. We think he may be part Elf, but definitely humanoid!

Loaded in kiln and ready to fire

Meet "Thane" by Anna7742

The Outer Limits of Imagination - Advanced Art

Alex11869

Clinton113

Brittany5262

CJ872

From Walt Disney to Aesop's fables, either through the written page or on the silver screen, artists have long explored the idea of animating the inanimate by  gracing things with human characteristics for their own purposes.  For the past few weeks my students have used the stuff of everyday life to spur their imaginations' "outer limits."  Alarm clocks, wire whisks, plumbing fixtures, jewelry, and even nuts and bolts came to life in their anthropomorphic still life drawings.

We used a limited  colored pencil palette against a support of black charcoal paper.  Interpreting items predominately metallic in nature gave drama to the stuff one finds at the bottom of a drawer, or a shelf in the basement.   

"Toobers & Zots" and the Art of Play

Preschool toys in the hands of high school students? - Yep!  We got in touch with our inner child this week playing  Toobers and Zots.  They seem to intrinsically inspire sculptural designs with a slightly surrealistic twist.  Relatively simple shapes to draw, my students learned how to make quick drawings and thumbnail sketches using different configurations.  Picasso once said, "Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."   I think I need to raid my children's old toybox more often.

Fashionistas, Advanced Art and the Remnants of Spring 2012

 Before the great memories of last year get folded neatly away,  I wanted to share these last bits of spring semester  2012.

Advanced Art and Project Runway 

 

Taking my cue from the hit television series of the same name, and inspired by its co-host, Tim Gunn, the kids brought their creative juices to full throttle  by creating head coverings incorporating recycled materials.  Paper Mache being the method of basic construction, students developed themed hats that ranged from stunning fashion statements to well, ...not so stunning fashion statements.  Bonus points were awarded for coordinating outfits at our critique.  

Since the  proverbial picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll let you be the final judge of students’ “make it work” creations. 

Michaela1229

Laura2621

Bonus Points for coordinating outfits with hats!

Hannah10535

Entitled "The Helmet of Salvation"

__________________________________________________________________________

Art Club features Mural Unveiling May 2012

Art Club dedicated our rendition of Paul Klee's "Landscape with Yellow Birds" to the applause of a hallway full of well wishers in May.

Art Club 2011 - 2012