Painting Miniatures

I found some time to do artwork today after church.  This is a miniature I am working on for the juried show next month in Chambersburg.  Artists are permitted to submit 4 works.  They are then "juried".  Artwork comes in from all over the USA but only a fraction gets into this prestigious show.  Deadline for submission to the 27th Annual Miniature Art Exhibition is Sept. 23.  If you are interested in entering the show, contact:  Council for the Arts, 159 South Main Street, Chambersburg, PA  717-264-6883 www.councilforthearts.net

Monarch Caterpillar!!!!!!

I've been waiting all summer to see a monarch caterpillar and here is a nice big one!!  As one of my former students pointed out, "They are Steelers' colors".  Maybe this is why I love them so much?? Though I've seen adult butterflies off and on, this is the first caterpillar on my milkweed.  I sure hope I see lots more.  I have some type of red beetle and an invasive looking yellow jacket on much of my milkweed.  I believe these invasives have hurt the monarch population by interfering with their food supply.

Steeler Nation!!

Today Sarah and I traveled to Steelers training camp on the campus of St. Vincent College near Ligonier.  We had a wonderful time.  Our beloved Steelers travel to Washington for their first preseason game on Friday night.  Have a great season team!!!  Thank you for the great time today!!!

Sarah with Steely

Troy 

Hines on the Right

Ben on the left

Bulletin Boards for my Reading, Science, Homeroom Room

Literary Genres Tree

Scientific Method

If you shoot for the moon and miss at least you'll land among the Stars---- students' names are on the small stars.

Thirst for Knowledge and Science in the News Poster

The Cat's "Friend"

This is my cat, Sesame.  I found her curled up beside the felted wool hat I made.  It was as if the hat was her furry friend : )

 

Classroom---- Before and After

This is the "before" picture of my science classroom----bare, unappealing, junky, disorganized.  

The next picture shows it after 4 and a half hours of work. 

I went through all of my cabinets and brought out things that I had stored away.  I put out some books for my student library that I bought this summer and I organized the furniture in the room.  Now I'm going to make some materials on my computer here at home and then I'll be ready for another trip to school either late tonight or tomorrow after church.  This will be when I decorate and really make it sparkle.  
 That will pave the way for a "photocopying, laminating, and booklet creating" session early next week.  Then, lesson plans for the first couple of weeks will get finalized.   After that, the elementary art room will get my attention.  Maybe some bulletin board displays for the main hallway before I'm done??  I love being a teacher!!  I am excited to meet my new kids.  I have an inservice on Monday to re-learn CPR.

Art Camp is Fun!!!!

Today we painted "Royal Self- Portraits".  We looked at art reproductions of royal portraits and then painted ourselves with royal clothes, jewels, and hairstyles.  Yesterday we made Roman mosaics with colored mat board and learned about Greek and Roman architecture by making a pop-up building.  

Tomorrow is our last day :(  

We are going to make small frescoes. 

It has been a great week for me!!!  

More Stuff I'm Up To

This week I am teaching art camp at the Arts Council in Chambersburg.  The lessons are about art of different time periods and cultures.  We began with cave paintings on Monday and today we made Egyptian Cartouches.  The students wrote their names in hieroglyphs.  I think they turned out beautifully.

Stuff I'm Up To

I like to knit.  It is a great way to productively fill the little snatches of time in life that would otherwise escape.  I hate to waste time.  Knitting is relaxing.  I don't worry if it takes me a year to finish something (though I would like to complete my new great niece's knitted item while she is still a baby).  The hat you see me modeling in this picture is a wool hat before I felted it.  "Felting" is when you wash a wool item to purposely shrink and mat the fibers.

This is the same item after I felted it and rolled the brim!! I have enough yarn to make a second one.