Spring ceramics 2022!

Does it get any better than a beautiful glaze kiln opening like this one?!  My students this semester have created some of the most beautiful pieces of pottery that I've ever had the opportunity to fire.  I am so proud of how these turned out!

 

Spring succulent paintings

We finished up these amazing succulent paintings this week!  I love these so much I may leave them up for the rest of the semester!  Although the portraits they are working on now will have to replace these soon.  I can't wait to share them!

 

Avocados, watermelons, and pineapples!

I am so happy to be back in my classroom and creating art!  We started the year with a bang on these POP art inspired projects!  6th grade created the watermelons, 7th grade created avocados, and 8th grade did the pineapples.  Students learned about the pop art movement and a few of the artists responsible for pioneering this amazing art technique. They also practiced creating value and form with color while blending paint.  Some of them even added a little splash of color with some splatter painting at the end. They all turned out so well and I am so glad to have art hanging in our halls again at NSMS!

 

Giraffe paintings

Despite the challenges with remote learning this year, my students have really shined in art and I am so proud of them!  Our Starry Night video was recently featured on the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's website! 

Since I had students purchase supplies for the Starry Night Snowmen project, I wanted them to be able to get as much use out of those supplies as possible, so we created another painting.  I supplied them with an optional printable template to help them get the lines in the correct places, and then walked them through the painting step by step.  They were allowed to create their giraffes in any colors they wished. Some students went with "traditional giraffe colors" while others went wild with color! 

Click here for a video of artwork on display

Starry Night Snowmen Paintings!

 

Stacking and firing the first load of pottery!

 

Virtual Pottery and Ceramics!

The one thing students were most excited about when they began art this year was clay.  I was determined to figure out a way to make this work.  While we won't be able to work with a large amount of clay, I did send students home with enough clay to get creative!  We will be making pinch pots.  Here is the video that they are following to learn how to create a pinch pot.

Making Pinch Pots!

 I can't wait to see what they come up with!

Digital Art!

 We spent the first quarter of this crazy year studying the elements of art, which are the building blocks for creating art. Students are completing assignments every 2 weeks, so the timeline is a little longer than usual, which is why I haven't posted much this year.  Now we can begin getting into the fun stuff, like digital art!  This year is the perfect time to do some digital art since I'm teaching everything remotely. Here is the first assignment for this quarter!

This is another tutorial on a different photograph, and a few more reminders for submitting this assignment:

I'm enjoying seeing all the digital drawings that are coming in, and I can't wait to share them with you!

Welcome Back! Kind of...

 Welcome Back! Kind of... because we’re not really sure how all this is going to work! COVID-19 has really thrown us for a loop this year! We are doing virtual open house this year, so here’s my tour of the art room!

https://youtu.be/mBNWdMbRwuI

Clay, the most wonderful time of the school year!

Everyone's favorite project is clay!  These students did not disappoint, their projects are turning out amazing!  Although we've had to stop working on them since Covid-19 has closed our schools here in NC, but I was able to get everything bisque fired last week so they'll be ready to glaze as soon as we return (hopefully) in May!