Fine Art Friday: Andy Goldsworthy

Posted in blog

As with all my work, whether it’s a leaf on a rock or ice on a rock, I’m trying to get beneath the surface appearance of things. Working the surface of a stone is an attempt to understand the internal energy of the stone.   Andy Goldsworthy   My brother, who teaches elementary physical edu, […]

Do You Know What You’re Doing?

There are a lot of elementary kids… there are a lot kids…. there are a lot people that live in my neighborhood, and they actually come outside. Something very different from when my husband and I lived in Mechanicsburg.   Peca, our Shiba Inu, loves to go outside when all of the kids are walking […]

There’s so much to do … and then you need to teach

There’s so much to do … and then you need to teach

Sometimes life is complicated, because we make it that way. And sometimes it’s complicated just because it’s life. Most weeks your to do list is longer than humanly possible, and somehow you forget, that every week that passes, without you crossing everything off of the list, somehow you don’t die, your kids don’t starve ,and […]

17 Emotions of being an Art Teacher

Overwhelmed at the  teetering pile of projects waiting to be graded.   Heartbroken at the sight of cracked, melted ceramics pieces as you open the lid to the kiln, now to break the news to the students.   Tired from explaining why art matters, and because you never get enough sleep….. Because…. All those projects, […]

What kind of Loom is Best for You

Posted in blog

  click. click. click. I watched her move those needles rapidly and with precise rhythm, and with even more amazement I watched that ball of beautifully soft yarn transform from a ball into a sweater, blanket, scarf, a mini sweater for my doll named Allison. I had to learn how to do it, and so […]

Inside the classroom: How to get your students talking about art

You spend hours writing lessons plans. You work to challenge your students, to teach them to love art, to understand and use new techniques and to have a love for art history, but some days you feel like you’re drilling them, and it seems that the rigor of lesson leaves them lacking confidence swimming a […]

One Step to end the Marking Period with Ease

One Step to end the Marking Period with Ease

When I first started teaching I would dread the end of each marking period. Suddenly student after student would be asking for extra credit, and wanting to know what I gave them a ” C”, never wanting to claim that they may have played a role in the grade  that they earned. Then reports cards […]

Who is the best artist ever?

Who is the best artist ever?

Who is the best artist ever? That’s not an easy question to answer, and if you asked 10 people you would likely get 10 different answers. It’s a hard question, but it’a question that students in my AP Art History class are currently trying to tackle. ( it’s more a lesson in learning how to […]

Part 2: Finding your Voice as a Photographer

Part 2: Finding your Voice as a Photographer

Posted in blog

If you haven’t already, go back read and do part 1. Last week you should have collected a series of images in a variety of categories. Today you’re going to use those images to begin to uncover your personal aesthetic, aka, how you like things to look. Look at all of your images and answer […]

How to tell your story through a photo

How to tell your story through a photo

“ Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” Dorthea Lange   You see people making money from taking photographs of the things that they love, and you dream of doing the same thing, but fear that it’s going to have remain, just that, a dream. You think that you […]