Super Bat Weller???

Some students were confused thinking that I dressed up as Batman today, on "Super Hero Friday"...but they were wrong...

...I just dressed up as myself...just a normal day in the art room.  :)

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

Drying Time

Ceramic Gargoyles from Mrs. Hall's class...in the drying process...

Gargoyles are widely believed to have been sculpted and placed on 14th and 15th Century monuments, churches and cathedrals to ward off evil spirits.  However, this isn't the case.  Originally, gargoyles (derived from the French word gargouille...'from the throat') were sculpted by stone masons and used by architects as gutters.  Yep...gutters.  A series of gargoyles would be strategically placed to divert water away from the foundations of these large architectural monuments, thus ensuring that the foundations would not erode and wear down.

Today, most gargoyles are created and used as decoration and ornamentation, usually a nod to their art historical roots.  My 5th graders spent a few weeks learning about the history of gargoyles and then created their own 'water spitter' utilizing slabs, pinch pots, coils, and hand building techniques with ceramic clay.  These wonderful creations will take a few weeks to dry completely and then it is my plan to have them glaze them once they've been fired in the kiln.

Art to Remember

Late last week personalized Art to Remember envelopes and order forms were sent home with students from the following homerooms:

6-Orr-Orange Team

6-Cotner-Yellow Team

6-Latham-Red Team

6-McChesney-Red Team

All of the 5th Grade Blue Team

All of the 5th Grade Orange Team

These envelopes allow you the opportunity to purchase an artwork that your child made in art class on a variety of 'stuff', like t-shirts, coffee mugs, iPhone cases, and much, much more.  Should you wish to order something with your child's art on it, please follow one of the following steps:

1. Place an order online (using the web address and personalized ID located on the back of your form) 

2. Fill out the order form and return it to me, with money, by Friday, October 31st.
It is important that orders are turned in by the 31st so that they can be processed, created and shipped to me prior to winter break.  So please make sure you take some time to order, if you wish to do so.

If you do not wish to order anything from Art to Remember this year, simply discard the envelope and return nothing.

The Art to Remember fundraiser is an important way to earn money for the Creekview Intermediate Art room.  In the past, I have purchased a Smart Board, paint brushes, clay, misc. art materials...and iPads for the art room with the money raised through Art to Remember.  So, while ordering is not mandatory, I certainly do appreciate your help in earning funds for the CIS art room!!!

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me when you get a chance.  Hope to see those orders coming in this week!  Thanks!!!

A Closer Look

Here's a closer look at some of the fantastic 5th Grade Monochromatic Self Portrait projects currently on display in the Creekview Commons!

Have a great weekend!!!

Self Portrait Displays

5th Grade "Monochromatic Self Portraits" and 6th Grade "Text Me" projects share some space on the display board in the commons!

5th Grade "Monochromatic Self Portraits" and 6th Grade "Text Me" projects share some space on the display board in the commons!

I just love displaying student work around the school.  The latest displays showcases some great self-portrait projects from both 5th and 6th Grade.  The details are a little hard to see in these pictures, but I'll get some detailed close ups of them and post them tomorrow and all of next week...just so you can see the intricacies of these amazing works of art!!!  

Converse Day!

Yesterday was "Converse Day" during our CIS musical rehearsal for The Jungle Book.  This turned out to be such a cool picture...I just felt I had to share it!

Shenanigans!

There are lots of words you could use to describe my classroom...one of which being spontaneous!  The art room is a tad more 'relaxed' than your standard school classroom, mainly because art should be an expression of ideas and..at times...spontaneity.  I cherish this part of my job...not knowing what each day, and often each moment, will bring.  I'm sure others might peek in the art room and see chaos.  But...it's just the art room.  I welcome this chaos...I just happen to call it spontaneous awesomeness!  :)

Have a happy Thursday!  Sorry for the lack of posts these past few weeks.  Ultra busy!

Monochromatic Self-Portraits

Monochromatic Self Portraits in the drying rack from C-Day; Mrs. McDaniel's class...

I tend to try out a variety of new projects each and every year...but there are some projects I just cannot bring myself to give up simply because they turn out so amazing.  For example...my fifth grade monochromatic self-portrait projects.  I just love this project, and love how each individual project turns out.  I think it's mainly due to the fact that the kids get to interpret their own black and white image to add the color scheme.  Projects are now for the most part fully painted, and we can begin the background/collage portion this week.  Finished projects should be done by Friday.  And you can bet I'll be putting some examples here on the blog later this week!

More Kandinsky Abstracts

Kandinsky Abstracts from C-Day Classes
Top Row: Carmen Tarango, Katie Spitznagel and Leanna Patton
Middle Row: Emma Swart, Jordan Pitz and Amber Hutter
Bottom Row: Taylor Favors, Megan Rizo and Ellie Friley

Kandinsky Abstracts!

Kandinsky Abstracts from B-Day Classes; Conor Sgambellone, Rylie Tigner, Ryan Minor and Madison Sundquist

Kandinsky Abstracts from A-Day Classes: Alec Rodenberger, Brionna Michalak, Kassie Drumm and Danykha Backus

Finally getting to see some finished abstract art in the style of Wasily Kandinsky from my 5th graders.  Abstract art is a much harder concept to comprehend...AND implement...than you might think.  The thought process involved in creating 'nothing' is unique and an advanced level art skill.  so while it might seem as if we spent two days scribbling out of control...there was actually some very precise thinking going on!!!  

I'll have some C-Day Kandinskys tomorrow!!!  ENJOY!!!

Warhol Prints!

Warhol Prints!
Top Row: Zane White, Colin Johnson, Grant Marshall
Middle Row: Carolyn Frost, Madison Wildermuth, Caroline Imbrogno
Bottom Row: Ethan Logsdon, Kylee Travis, AJ Loftus

6th Graders completed their Warhol Pints last Friday!!!  It was a little rushed due to the time constraints of our six weeks...but they still turned out great!!!

The Hall of Fame!

My annual "HALL OF FAME" is officially open for business.  New entries are 'trickling' in slowly...but I'm sure by the end of the year it will be full as always!

MECHAnimals

MECHAnimals created by 6th Graders from Mrs. Cotner's and Mrs. Orr's homerooms
Top Row: Stella Moser, Amanda Organ and Evan Appelfeller
Middle Row: Greyson Howells, Carolyn Frost and Ethan Logsdon
Bottom Row: Jacob Silye, Micah Schultz and Leanna Wilson

Using a monochromatic painting scale, students created 'mechanical animals'...or MECHAnimals"...for their painting projects.  We were a little pressed for time, given that the end of the six weeks of art is nearly upon us, so the background was modified from the original idea.  Still...the metallic background sure does make the artwork pop from the page!  

KANDINSKY - Art History's first pure abstract artist

Bustling-Aquarelle by Wassily Kandinsky

My fifth graders on the orange and blue team this week will be working in the style of art's first true abstract artist, Wassily Kandinsky.  We'll be taking a look at Kandinsky's pure abstract forms and doing our best to create our own pure abstract works.  It's actually more challenging than most fifth graders would think, but I'm betting the end results will look marvelous!  I SHOULD have some final examples ready to show off here on the blog later this week!

Drying Time!

6th Grade Ceramic Vessels

The students in Mrs. Cotner's homeroom and Mrs. Orr's homeroom completed their ceramic coil vessels on Tuesday this week.  The projects are now in the process of drying and can hopefully be fired in the kiln next Thursday.  The kids will glaze them during their last week of art, which is rapidly approaching already!!!  How did that happen?!?

Onomatopoeia!!!

5th Grade Onomatopoeia Projects!!!
Top Row: Joena Rauck, Emma Ingle and Caitlin Johnson
Middle Row: Ashton Fulkerson, Andrew Bentz and Alissa Wilms
Third Row: Paige Gootee, Maddy Moody and Alyssa Beeching

As promised, here's a glimpse at some of the fifth grade "Onomatopoeia" Projects!!!  I have to send them to Art to Remember in October...but I think I'll hang some up down in the lunchroom for a bit before I do.

BANG! POW! ZAP! KABOOM!

Comic Book Onomatopoeia!

Fifth graders are starting the year trying to visually create noise!  We often "see" sound in the form of words, called onomatopoeia, in comic books and story books.  So the challenge of creating an artwork of where we can 'see sound' and 'hear art' is something new and exciting for many of them!  We are finishing the projects this week, so be sure to come back later in the week to see some great final pieces of onomatopoeia from the fifth grade blue and orange teams!!!

TEXT ME! Pt. 2

Student work created by:
Top Row: Andorra Blattner, Madison Wildermuth, Megan Griggs
Middle Row: Mollie Spillman, Michael Cogossi, Eliza Greer
Bottom Row: Carolyn Frost, Caroline Imbrogno, AJ Loftus

More awesome student examples of the "TEXT ME!" project!!!

TEXT ME!

Artwork created by Megan Perry, Larissa Smith and Stella Moser

Well...not quite as many kids finished today as I had hoped.  I'm thinking one more day of art to work on them is in order.  In any event, I wanted to pass along a few student examples!  REALLY digging this project!!!  Maybe I'll just tweak it a tad for the second round of sixth graders starting September 29th.  

TEXT ME! or WHO ARE YOU?!?

Sixth graders are finishing up their second project of their six weeks with a project I am calling "TEXT ME".  Not meaning 'send me a text', rather a 'text version of me'...it made sense in my head.  Using a variety of texts, the kids are filling in their silhouette with the 'stuff' that makes them who they are.  It's been a fun project, and am really looking forward to finishing them tomorrow.  Then...it's time for clay!!!

I'll have some student examples up later in the week!

HAT DAY!

Happy Weekend from the Creekview Intermediate Art Room!!!