Ashes to ashes-- out with the old!

Have been wanting to permanently rid the world of some of my earlier paintings.  Tonight burned several paintings, drawings, a sculpture, and ugly frames.  Cleansing and cathartic.  Ready for new and hopefully better stuff!!!!

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. 

Final Day of Our Pastel Workshop at Stone Ridge Farm

Susan Ogilvie and Myself

Our workshop came to an end today.  It was a very good week.  I feel happy to have worked for five days with such a wonderful group of artists.  I learned a great deal, made some new friends, and even finished a couple of paintings.  We made a pact that we will try to make art everyday and continue the growth that we began at Stone Ridge Farm and Bucks County Art Workshop with Susan Ogilvie. 

This is almost everyone from our group.  Donna had to leave early this morning and so was not in this picture.

This is Linda M. and Joyce G. having a tea party on Thursday.  We were all working so hard and we got a little silly.  It was fun.

 This is a view of the studio.  It was spacious and well equipped. 

I hope that I will be able to return for another workshop next summer.  Bucks County Art Workshops at Stone Ridge Farm has been an experience I will not forget.

Stone Ridge Farm Art Workshop

Today began with instructor, Susan Ogilvie, giving a demonstration.  Her painting is of horses beside the stable.  We watched as she described her thought process in beginning this painting.   It was tremendously helpful to follow her reasoning and choices as the painting developed.  Tomorrow we will see this painting develop further.  Every painting is a series of problems and the artist learns to solve these problems in better ways as they gain skill and experience.

This is the owner, Jackie Walker, and our chef, Micardo.  Jackie was choosing fresh flowers from the garden for the house.

 These are some lovely scenes from the garden today.  I was thinking about painting something in the garden, but instead chose an old gnarled tree in the back pasture.

 

Old Gnarled Tree

Susan Ogilvie Pastel Workshop at Stone Ridge Farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

I arrived at Stone Ridge Farm for a pastel workshop with artist, Susan Ogilvie, on Sunday afternoon.  After a delicious dinner, my classmates and I got settled into our rooms at this picturesque Bed and Breakfast. It is a working farm with a Bed and Breakfast in the converted barn.  The property was once owned by famed author, Pearl S. Buck. The studio space is fantastic as are the accommodations. 

Owner, Jackie Walker, does a great job making sure that we are all happy, comfortable, and well fed.  

 
These are some of the horses on the farm.  There is a large riding arena with a viewing area just outside the studio space. 

This is our instructor, Susan Ogilvie.  I wanted to come to this workshop because I really like Susan's use of bold, bright color and her unusual compositions. 

I have not been disappointed.  Susan has already given me lots of new ideas and things to consider in painting.  

 This is Susan's color study from today.  Notice her pastel box and the way she has it sorted by value and temperature.  Also notice the value study that she has clipped on the left.  

My plan is to get a nap and go back to the studio tonight.  Please pray for me that all of this new found knowledge starts to show in my work.  Love'n it here!!!! --- and very glad to have this opportunity!!!!  Thank you, God!!! Also--- A big thank you to my good friend Linda M. and her husband for coming to this workshop and helping me in so many ways in this adventure.

The Fulton County Art Club met today to paint en plein air at the Kelso Estate in McConnellsburg.  Linda Moseman, Linda Best, Anne Gobin, and myself had a marvelous morning strolling the grounds, photographing, and painting.  The heat and humidity were not a deterrent as these brave artists worked in oils, pastel, watercolor, and pencil.  A special "thank you" to owners, Linda and Allan Kelso.  Your hospitality was greatly appreciated!!!!

 

Environmental Ed Workshop

Paper mache tree display at Fresco

Fellow teacher, Susie Cordell, and I traveled to Lancaster today to attend a very good environmental education workshop.  This was sponsored by DEP and Fresco, a green products company from Lancaster County.  We learned about alternative energy, ways to conserve energy, lots of activities for our students, and new products.  We toured a passive solar house and got to see the DEP environmental ed trailer.  We are hoping to get the trailer for our Earth Day activities.  We received a huge folder of materials that we will sift through and process.  We are thinking that we might write a grant to get some solar car kits.  It is a classroom set of solar cells and motors to power small toy cars that the students create.  This would work into my Motion and Design science unit in 5th grade. 

Participants pedal the bike to show the energy needed to power incandescent and CFL

Display at Fresco-- recyclables and products made from them

Another Corks and Canvas Success!

Last night 8 brave women painted a wetlands scene in 3 hours!!  What a great job they did.  I had a blast and I think they did too.  If you are interested in a corks and canvas night at the Arts Council in Chambersburg, just get a group of friends together and get in touch with me or with the Arts Council.  The cost is very reasonable and all materials are provided.  You will go home with a finished work of art that you produced.  Who knows--- maybe this class would awaken your inner artist!!

Arts Express Class at Grove Library

Last week, I taught 6 art classes for Arts Express in Chambersburg.  Each day was a different group of kids in a different location.  This picture was taken on the last day at The Grove Family Library.  Other days were BPOIC, Boys and Girls Club, Migrant Program, Coyle Free Library, YMCA Camp.

It was fun for me as well as the kids.

Cops Stop Behind Me--- Lights Flashing--- Funny Now---Scared Then

Officer Brunner Driving Away

Cow Photo I Risked Life and Limb to Get

Why do these things always happen to me?  Here's the story--- it's actually kind of funny-- reveals a lot about me.  Anyway, I was on my way to Chambersburg to teach an art class to migrant workers' kids and while I was driving toward St. Thomas I happened to see cows in the stream by a lovely old spring house.  As I drove further I said to myself, " You should go back and get a picture of that bucolic scene."  So, I did exactly that.  I had to park right on the berm of a busy section of route 30.  I left my flashers on and hopped over the bank to get the photos (saw a snake too, but that's another story).  As I walked back to my car continuing to photograph, a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper had pulled in behind my car.  I glanced up from my camera to see the flashing lights and I nearly had a heart attack.  I didn't think that I had broken any law (maybe trespassing?).  A nice young trooper named Officer Brunner assured me that they were just stopping to see if I needed help.  I told him that I was an artist and I just wanted to get a picture of the cows for a painting.  Then, I boldly said that I blogged events from my life and asked if I could take his picture for my blog.  He declined, but said that I could photograph them as they left.  I think he floored it because I only got a tiny bit of the back of the state car.  I continued on to my destination very much relieved.  My art class went well with a wonderful group of creative, polite, attentive 3rd grade migrant children and my heart is now beating normally.