In cased you missed it...

The GPHS art teachers spent time talking to our art students about the wonderful opportunities at the Grand Prairie High School Fine Arts Academy...

Of course a month later we find out after this year there is no longer a Grand Prairie High School Fine Arts Academy but will now be a 6-12 Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy magnet school! We will open August 2013 and we are THRILLED. Here's a pic of the day we presented it to the middle school academy students! 

We went to Seussical at GPHS and were amazed not only with the performance but the incredible set by Jordan Fetter and his technical theatre students! Art is everywhere!

Last but not least, I finally put up my WORD WALL! Thanks to Mr. Whitaker, my awesome assistant principal and evaluator who encouraged me to do it. I also learned that I have a panoramic option on my iPhone camera, oooooh :)

Teapots

The 7/8 Academy Students are working on Alice in Wonderland inspired teapots. It's been a challenge to say the least but so far so good! Thank goodness for the clay experience of our wonderful student teacher Mr. Matney. We sure will miss him when he's gone!

The Beauty of Fruit

Through out the school year in the Academy 6th grade class, we have focused on the beauty of art; the varieties of color, style and approach. Many times we seek out inspiration through photos and other references but it was time to make our way back to the basics, and what's more basic in art than a simple still life? We picked natures own beautiful resources and selected a variety fruits with interesting color and interiors. Students brought their fruit and after some slicing and arranging, we had our very own fruit photo shoot.

Once printed the students have begun to sketch, and color in the variety of color and value with oil pastel and baby oil (yes, baby oil, it blends the pastel similar to paint!) So far the pieces are simple, yet impressive.

 Of course eating the fruit afterwards was fun too :)

Stay tuned for the completed works.

MLK Entries

It took quite some time but the MLK entries to represent both Reagan M.S. and Reagan F.A.A. have been completed and ready for judging! Students were directed to create a portrait of a person who they feel have lived or are living out the dream of Dr. King. The variety and skill of work is outstanding and I couldn't be more proud. Great job Knights!

Jackie Robinson by Noah L.

Ghandi by Raul O.

Martin Luther King Jr. by Grace T.

Ms. Q by Donovan C.

Abraham Lincoln by Edward G.

John F. Kennedy Jr. by Tyler J.

Ray Charles by Giorgi W.

Martin Luther King Jr. by Mark L

February Hearts

February is a great opportunity to introduce the HEART in ART, but not the heart we're use to seeing. Art students worked on a watercolor resist painting that turned into a great opportunity for students to learn about the functions of the parts of the heart. Here's the step by step:

First, hearts were traced from the light box with one coat of Richeson Liquid Masque. I used a heart I found online that showed the major parts of the heart we were going to study. Students started by labeling a worksheet with their color plan.

The first step in the painting process included students putting down a simple, one color wash. We then began to paint each part after we discussed it's function (i.e. the differences between the Inferior and Superior Vena Cava)

Once all parts were painted, students were then able to "treat" the background by overlapping/layering their watercolors. Once the painting was complete and dry, students could then peel the dried liquid masque to reveal the bright white lines from the paper it protected.

The last step was to label the major parts we painted and studied. Students were encouraged to use a variety of methods for labeling which included stamps, ink, vintage book page letters and phone book letters.

Ceramics Fired!

Thanks to Mr. Hall from Grand Prairie High for loading the kiln so I could fire it on Friday! Time has been a precious commodity lately and I was running low (thus the 8 blog posts in one hour!) Well, the firing was successful and I'm happy to report pieces will be available to take home today for the holiday break! This was our first clay project and I cannot wait to see how next semester's clay work goes now that we have gotten our feet wet.

Jeff Rogers FaceTime

Last Wednesday we had the honor of having a FaceTime lecture/interview with NYC illustrator, letterist, and designer Jeff Rogers.  Jeff has an impressive list of clients as well as a striking portfolio of work, many of which can be seen at his website here. You can also find a link to other interviews and bio information on his website (www.howdyjeff.com) You may remember him from a McDonald's commercial that aired over the Summer during the Olympics promoting their new Spicy Chicken McBites. Jeff painted a mural during the commercial which was then used in parts for their print campaign and signage. You can view an extended version of this at: https://vimeo.com/55461045. Students were able to ask questions relevant to his current and past experiences as an artist as well as information that may help our students begin their journey in an art career. After the talk, Jeff then assigned our students with their next major project involving lettering.

Here are some of the key points I noted from the talk:

You must establish and build relationships.

When you love something devote yourself entirely to it, indulging in something else will take time away from the thing you love.

Practice equals improvement.

Keep getting better. 

Do what you truly want to do until someone starts paying you to do it. 

Sometimes work will be free.

Be nice, no one wants to work with a jerk. 

Sketch several ideas.

Start with a pencil.

Thank you Jeff for taking the time to talk to us and share your experiences with us!