#pumpkinaday25

 

It's that time again! Pumpkin fun!!  Join in the fun as much or as little as you can. Paint, draw, color, sew...whatever you want!! Post it on your page/social media, or share it in the comments of mine. Just a no stress way to be creative!! 

Monster Collage: 3rd Grade

 I'm at a new school and my students had very little experience with things other than paper & pencil.  I'm trying to provide as many "experiences" as possible.  I felt like they did such an amazing job, and they truly seemed to enjoy creating these works.  

Cheekwood Harvest Scarecrow

This year's theme for the Cheekwood Harvest Scarecrows was Creepy Cute. Several of my students and I created Vincent Van Gogh-st.  I found a sheet & hat at Goodwill,  solar lights at Dollar General, and sunflowers at Dollar Tree (Cheekwood asked if would include a solar light feature with our scarecrows.) 

He is front and center as you first get on the scarecrow trail!! 

I'm pretty proud of him.  I think he turned out super cute. 

Dear New Art Teachers....

 I wanted speak directly to the new art teachers(or newer).  

PLEASE KNOW YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!  

WHAT YOU DO IS IMPORTANT! 

YOU CHANGE LIVES!

I am an old art teacher...been doing this job for almost three decades.  I know that you can't have enough cheerleaders around you.  Our job can be hard.  We can feel undervalued. We can feel unappreciated. We can feel the questions rolling around our mind....CAN I DO THIS/CAN I STAY IN THIS PROFESSION. 

Please know you are so very important to students. I have had so many wonderful encounters with former students who have shared how much my class meant to them.  Some I was surprised by!! ha ha  Some I knew in the moment...the art room was their safe place. I'm a dad of three school age kids.  I so appreciate the teacher in the arts spending time with my children.  Encouraging them.  Building in to them.  Someday you could be my kids art teacher.  I want you to know you matter to ME!!!

Keep going.  Keep being your amazing self.  You matter!!  ART MATTERS! 

Frida's Watermelon: 1st Grade

 It is Hispanic Heritage Month, and I'm trying to feature a different artist each week.  For week one, we learned about the life and work of Frida Kahlo.  We looked at the still life paintings of Frida, and noticed watermelon in most of them. I had students each make a slice of watermelon with a "bite" out of it.  They also added flowers around the watermelon as a nod to Frida's iconic look.   We used construction paper, construction paper crayons, and liquid glue(trying to give them more experiences with it to master how much & where to put it).  

I really like this video for my young artists. 

 It is honest without oversharing details of her suffering & related work.  

https://youtu.be/9bFuvtIVy08?si=_8WEP4-LGD9NFddd

What Happened Crayola?!?

I posted on TikTok the other day about my experience with Crayola as of late.  It popped off big time!! Currently has 19,500 views, almost 1000 likes, and close to 400 comments. So obviously it struck a nerve with art teachers, teachers, and parents!!!  

Have you noticed how easily they snap, crumble, and the wrappers fall off?!?! 

WHAT IN THE WORLD??

Crayola has always been the best in crayon, marker, and colored pencil, but seem to be cutting corners & embracing shrinkflation!!! The crayons are my main issue at the moment, but many others expressed the markers are drying out & the colored pencils are losing their lead and challenging to sharpen. 

I just switched schools this year, and had to buy all new crayons at the back to school sales.  At my old school I was still living off of crayons I had purchased several years back.  I had not noticed a change till this year, but many had said they've noticed it the past couple years.  

Where do we go if not to Crayola?  What brand will rise up and do better?

Black Swamp Arts Festival Blessing

This year the Black Swamp Arts Festival adopted me & my classroom! They blessed us with some amazing art supplies, and I cannot begin to express how thankful I am!  If you have never been or heard of this event...please check out https://www.blackswampfest.org .  It is located in Bowling Green, Ohio (home of BGSU...where I received my Art Ed degree) in North West Ohio.  

THANK YOU BSAF TEAM!!!!!

  

Mid-Week Repost Devo: STAND

 

(This is a repost from several years ago from my Sunday Devotional With Mr.E series. I was feeling this, and thought I share it again if anyone else needed the message. If this isn't your thing...that's cool...scroll on!!) 

During my freshman year of college I had a real make it or break it moment.  I was wrestling with an assignment from my 2-D Foundations class.  It seemed like I could not figure out what to do, how to do it, or even why I was doing it. I truly felt like giving up.  It was the only time an art project made me cry.  I even contemplated quitting college and moving back home (Yes, I know that is dramatic!)  I thought that if a project in my very first studio class, my very first semester stressed me out so badly... that there would be no way I'd ever make it through four(+) years of college. Somewhere in the midst of the struggle, I decided that I'd not let this assignment get the best of me.  I pressed onward and completed the project to the best of my ability.  I would love to tell you it was an A+ work, that my professor praised my efforts, and that my fellow students were in awe of its beauty.  However, I can not. Though it wasn't my greatest work of art...it still holds a special place in my heart.  It showed me that I could push through frustration, insecurities, lack of understanding, lack of skill, and exhaustion to complete whatever task I found myself facing.  

Therefore my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not the vain.  

1 Corinthians 15:58

There have been times in most of our lives where we have cried out to God and told Him we're done...we're through...we quit.  Whatever we're facing seems to have gotten the better of us, and we feel that we just can't do it any more.  Work, family, friends, health, or even things going on in the church(An imperfect place with imperfect people...you better believe the struggle is real in the church as well!).  God wants to hear from His children!  Even when we are crying out in frustration He wants to hear our heart!  We don't need to hold back.  God wants to us to come to him with it all. However, he doesn't want our two weeks notice.  He wants us to press on.  He knows the ending, and He knows it is for our good & His glory that we continue through the pain, through the frustration, and see it through till the end.  We must stand firm & let nothing get in the way of God's plan & direction for our lives.  We must remember that nothing we do for the Lord will be in vain, but will reveal to us & those around us the goodness of God & His glory.

10th Annual Art With Mr. E Summer Workshop

Are you looking for some fun & useful professional development?!?  Come to the 10th Annual Art With Mr. E Summer Workshop!!  We have teachers there that teach Pr-K - 12th grade!!  

Contact me for more information. 

 

1st Grade: Strawberry Pinch Pots

I found shallow paper strawberry containers at a reduce/reuse art materials place.  I thought they might be the perfect thing to inspire small strawberry clay pinch pots.  I had the students break their clay in half, and then break each of those halves in half (bringing in the idea of fractions Whole,  1/2, and 1/4).  We did not write names on them, but created them "factory" style...where everyone was making strawberry pinch pots, and you knew you would get four back to paint & take home.  We started by creating small pinch pots, and then pinched the outside to make it into a strawberry shape(I had picture references up on the board).  After firing, students painted them with tempera & took them home the same day!  The kids loved the project, and I heard from many teachers & parents that they too loved the project. 

The Cryptid Collection Art Show

 WELCOME TO 

THE CRYPTID COLLECTION 

ALL SCHOOL ART SHOW

I could not get these photos to load in any kind of order for the life of me!?!?!  

The show was a huge success, and everyone really seemed to enjoy walking through, participating in the activities(kids and parents), and as always...the cookie table was a hit!

I purchased a book from Amazon that was the Cryptids of the United States.  Each class learned about a different state and the cryptids found there. (Pretty much every state has a Big Foot & Locke Ness type creature.)  They all seemed to love the theme.  They created about 4 pictures total in that theme, and were able to select their favorite.  You will see a lot of classes went for the same project to put in the show because they loved the media/style we were working. 

Students working at one of the activity areas! 

Former Student (no mid 20's)    Former Student Teacher