The search for the Holy Grail.........

As summer approaches and I begin to disect the school year, I think about the lessons I have learned, the ones I have taught, and what to do with them.  I begin to fill the Holy Grail with ideas and adjustments for the following year. My Holy Grail is my journal. It is filled with lesson ideas, inspirations, images, and techniques that I either want to try, think I need to look at again, or want to share. I always create a new holy grail starting about mid April. I usually look at my old grails to see what I have missed from previous years, but this year I will only have one that I am able to review.

I was asked by a colleague and friend what my plans for summer were this year. I said I didn't know and I really didn't! I had been contemplating(barely) getting a second job, looking into graduate coursework and just working in the studio. After thinking about this for a little bit, I realize that for many of us who teach, summer is almost like like our second chance at "New Year's resolutions" So I am dubbing them Summer resolutions...I  know really creative title.

So here are a few of my summer resoltions.:

1. Finish the army of Pot and Pan people....they deserve it.
2. Clean the couch in the studio. No explanation needed.
3. Finish the revisions for the Crafts Curriculum.
4. Work on the portraits I need to finish.
5. Finish the Ceramic Monsters series...they rattle, they roll, they look like little trolls
6. Enjoy the morning sun since the afternoon sun hates me.
7. Finish the Holy Grail samples

I am sure I will add more to this list soon, but since that f word keeps popping up often, I think I will need to accomplish those first.

Finally October!!!

I didn't forget about the blog but I have been so swamped that I just haven't had time. SO today I am making some. I am so excited that 3 of my students had work shown in the Ohio High School show sponsored by OAEA last month. The take down and awards reception was a nice surprise because while one student was awarded 3rd place and had his work chosen to be used on the Show Catalogue CD, YAY !!!another of my three, had their work chosen to be showcased on the awards certificates!!!Ahh So Proud!!!!

I am in the process of rehearsing for "Dracula: The Comedy" right now. Soon to be performed at the Mansfield Playhouse on October 22, 23, 29, 30, and 31! I play Gypsy Rosa Lee....I like the fact that it is so fun and humorous. Great cast, great director, great all around! It should be a very amusing show!! We are off book tomorrow so I can't be on here too long.:)

My students are working on a variety of projects right now. Intro students have been working on value studies and they are coming along nicely. we will focus a little more on drawing skills in a few weeks when we start working with charcoal. VERY excited to do that! Sculpture has been working on abstract sculptures. Very open with a few requirements. I think that they have done a fantastic job and now they are in the finishing stages. They have been inspired and are creating a wall of color samples inspired by the artist Michael Demeng. I can't wait to see them all finished and hung up. Printmaking has taken off like wildfire with monotypes and are just doing some gorgeous pieces!! we start collographs in less than a week.

And myself....my artistic endeavors at the moment revolve around Halloween of course!!! Last year was the crazy CAROL from where the wild things are costume...........and this year well for that you will just have to wait and see...........

The little Blue Moosebug was finally finished.....not a bad little specimen ........and is in it's new home now. More stuff to follow as I finish. However.......Birdboy needs a proper name. Since he may be a part of a series, I am entertaining ideas. Feel free to suggest. I have re-attached his head and it is supported fully now so it shouldn't have any more stress cracks. I have the perfect "place" for him. I will be taking him tomorrow... finished or not ....to the Artist's luncheon to share for a little feedback. So this afternoon will be spent working on him....and cleaning during breaks...and making it to the pool.

Birdboy et al............

This weekend I took a workshop in Avon Lake with Michael deMeng.......It was FABULOUS! The people were FANTASTIC, the Instructor was AMAZING, and the artwork was DIVERSE. I can't say enough about Ginny and John from Small Studios who hosted the two day event. They are wonderful people! Now on to some specifics. ....

The workshop -Island Of Demented toys.......The first day covered the deconstruction and reassemblage of toys. All kinds! Demos included using a dremel, sanding, and how to assemble the pieces using Aves apoxie clay. Great stuff.....not cheap, but excellent. I worked with it some but mainly I used Pearl paperclay. For my classroom and budget, it is cost prohibitive, but without a doubt the better option. It was harder and dried much faster than the paperclay. We also had demo's over Golden Acrylic paints and their uses. Gorgeous, vibrant, colors..fantastic combinations with colors called jelly brains, barnacle blue and gothish black. Day two continued with more demos over the paints and finished with a class critique. DeMeng discussed every single piece that was created. Giving a full review and suggestions for each artist and their work.

I enjoyed his workshop more than any other I have gone to recently and look forward to attending more from DeMeng and from Small Studios in the future! I came away with a lot to use in in my classroom and in my studio.  I highly suggest that if the chance arises, you should go to one and take me  with you:) Now on to the pics! Be warned they are not finished and a little creepy, and as I often tell my students, A little creepy can be a good thing! I think that with this workshop, the summer crow series is going to go in a slightly different direction......

Spring Break has started with snow! What a great way to start off the weekend! I have several projects about to be underway. I found this great old high chair at a local antique store. A little pricier than what I would have wanted to normally spend for an assemblage piece-cause I am cheap-but it really spoke to me. It is going to become a a political response work, but you can derive your own meaning when it is posted. Also have a series of prints that the sketches have been started but the plates are still nonexistant. I am debating betweeen 2 different plate series and don't know which one to start. I will be working on those eventually hopefully tonight!

School has been swamped!! Big classes, big ideas, not enough time it seems and a ton of new obstacles this year. Overall FANTASTIC kids! I Am always so impressed and inspired with what they can do.

But anyways.......................they finally released the name of this years 2010 Musical and it is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!!! YEAH!!!!!! I hate keeping secrets and that one was hard to keep. We made silk screened shirts for the unveiling and they turned out pretty well!

Hand stenciled screen, just used a word program to get the font and manipulated the letters, took about 6 hours to paint the screen, and then a card stock stencil for the foiled silhouette. Speedball inks worked well, they are metallic but it wasn't that noticeable on the t-shirt. The foil is from Laura Murray Designs. Not difficult to do, but we used Alenes Flexible Fabric Glue for the foiling because it eas clear and the Murray adhesive was a dark Gray.

I can't wait until February :)

(sorry for the pic quality)

School is getting ready to start and I am very excited!! Lots of neat ideas, looking forward to meeting new students and seeing the old too! Just wish I had everything in the house done already. Redoing both bedrooms is time consuming. I am refinishing a bedroom set that I bought last month and It isnt finished yet adn I already have the table and chairs for the kitchen in to start the processs on too!

Where did the summer go?