The Starry Night

Fourth graders just studied Vincent Van Gogh! They looked very closely at The Starry Night and created their own versions using oil pastels to blend colors!

Egyptian Portraits

Fourth graders have been learning all about Ancient Egypt in Art class. After reading The Egyptian Cinderella and looking at examples of Ancient Egyptian art, fourth graders drew their Egyptian portraits with oil pastel and created a fancy border with metallic paints.

Elmer's Day Parade

First graders just love Elmer! We read just about every "Elmer" book there could possibly be, but our favorite was Elmer's Special Day, by David McKee. We were so inspired by all of the beautiful Elmer designs that we drew and painted our own elephants. Then we used cut paper and oil pastels to create circus cars. First graders loved this project. They are displayed in trains around our school and are receiving so many compliments!

Folk Art Cities

This project was inspired by Deep Space Sparkle, and, as always, I loved the results! If you haven't checked out www.deepspacesparkle.com, check it out! My students looked at Art by Charles Wysocki, an folk artist who grew up not far from us in Detroit. Students used the handout from Deep Space Sparkle, as well as images of Wysocki's work, for inspiration. They used paint and marker to complete their beautiful projects.

The Art of Wayne Thiebaud

Wayne Thiebaud is a fun artist! His depictions of cakes, pies, ice cream, and collections of toys make his art so appealing to children. Second graders just finished some Thiebaud projects. Here are our lollipops, made from model magic and watercolor paints, and our gumball machines!

Stylish Blogger Award!

What a nice Monday surprise! One of my favorite blogs, Painted Paper, http://paintedpaperintheartroom.blogspot.com/, mentioned MY blog as one of her most inspirational sites. It was such a nice compliment and I'm honored.

Stylish Blogger Award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award. (Thank you, Painted Paper!)


2. Share 7 things about yourself.
I was the first elementary art teacher hired into our district-they never had an elementary art program before! I have also worked teaching art at the Toledo Museum of Art. I love to cook and try new foods! Last year at this time I was busy planning my summer wedding. This year, I am busy planning for our new baby to arrive at the beginning of summer! I live and work in Michigan. I love to collect and find inspiration in children's literature!

3. Award 10-15 recently discovered great bloggers.
I love http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/, http://paintedpaperintheartroom.com/, http://plbrown.blogspot.com/, http://linesdotsanddoodles.blogspot.com/, http://herdabbles.blogspot.com/, http://onecrayolashort.blogspot.com/, http://projectpaperpear.blogspot.com/, http://artprojectgirl.blogspot.com/, http://laughpaintcreate.blogspot.com/, http://artiswhatiteach.blogspot.com/

4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

Museum Inspirations

For many years I was fortunate enough to teach Saturday and summer classes at the Toledo Museum of Art. Working with so many children who had a passion for art and had chosen to take the classes was an awesome and fulfilling experience. I also met and collaborated with so many wonderful area art teachers. I truly believe that my years at the museum taught me more than any college course ever could have! Because I worked with small class sizes, we were able to do some pretty cool projects. Here are a few of my favorites.

 This first work of art was inspired by the still life collection. Second and third graders used chalk pastels dipped in white tempera paint. The results were vibrant!

Students were able to visit the African galleries and look at various examples of African textiles. In the classroom they used fabric, ribbon, raffia, and stamps to create the wall hangings.





Butterfield horse inspired by the sculpture infront of the museum





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Calder Circus: This project was made in another class by one of the most talented art teachers I know! Lisa had her students use cork, tissue, wire, etc. to recreate Calder's circus. If you look closely you can see the tiger jumping through the ring of fire and the figure on the horse!

Students used foam board and paper mache to create these Egyptian pharaoh faces!