When Picasso met Mona, then Matisse

What happens when you take several lower grade elementary students

and try and introduce the idea of cubism and Picasso

while you are recreating the Mona Lisa?

Well here are some examples.

I just love them - 

They are humorous and fun.

Check out the bling on them too.

For the record, the kids didn't see their pictures quite like I did.

They hated them to be honest.

Most wanted to rip them up on the spot even though I insisted they take them home.

Drat I won't be doing this lesson again.

I still think they are wonderful

 We also made Mona - iPad style.

Now they loved creating these.

And for the record - 

I thought they would think paint by number was lame,

but they sat silently for an hour and filled in each section.

Just goes to show you that you can never tell which lessons will be awesome

and which will flop.

Ahh such is life.

I read this fun book before we launched in to our version of Matisse's GoldFish.

We made them with tissue and glue and...

we drew them on the iPad too.

I love creating the same lesson on the iPads and in mixed media.

It works all the parts of the kiddos' brains and really stretches how they see the world.

Just love these guys!

Benny and Jet

The label says,
I kept a close rein on Benny,
for I knew that just the lightest encouragement
would spark him into a burst of speed.

I wish I could fly on the back of a crow,

up above the trees,

through some wispy clouds,

and feel the warmth of the sun on my back...

just once.

A Starry Night in iPad and Mixed Media

One of my favorite paintings,

The Starry Night

by Vincent Van Gogh

was replicated by my mixed media and iPad students.

I love teaching both methods as they have similarities and differences

that stretch and are well suited for elementary age creative minds.

First we got messy...

 and then we tried to recreate the same feeling on the iPads.

Enjoy some photos from the challenge.

And here are the iPad versions.

Aren't these guys the best?

Wish I had learned about famous artists this way.

Our next lesson is a combo Picasso and Mona Lisa.  

They turned out pretty funny :)

Is it possible to create the Eric Carle look on the iPad and with Finger Painting?

I adore Eric Carle and the look he achieves.  

So the iPad/Mixed Media class attempted to achieve his look on the iPad

by first painting lots of design and texture,

then painting over most of that design for a simple background.

Fish and houses seemed to be the best subject matter to achieve the look.

 Then we got messy.

I love this class because we balance the controlled iPad technique

(where the delete button instantly takes away an unwanted mark)

with messy mixed media.

 Our Eric Carle finger painted fish were created with the same technique as on the iPad.

We scribbled and made marks all over the paper,

then finger painted the ocean around the fish.

It's a great lesson that seemed like play to the kiddos,

but really gave them lots of different ways to create that they aren't used to.

They weren't big on using their fingers to paint,

or painting over lots of marks they had already made.

But their minds were expanded and they all smiled in the end.

A Spring Garden Party

 I taught a mixed media, joint compound class at artEAST yesterday.

It was so much fun.

I had three talented students whose work appears below.

 I set up and brought what felt like everything from my studio.

It takes a lot of supplies to do mixed media 

if you really want to do it right :)

 I laid out the stations with supplies 

like buttons and paper and tissue and glitter 

and - well you get the idea.

 So we stenciled,

 and joint compounded,

 and etched into it

and stamped, 

and crayoned,

and glued,

and played,

and made a mess,

and laughed,

and enjoyed ourselves,

and created some beautiful pieces of art.

A Great Day

My newest piece...

 Makes me laugh which is a good thing

as I made it for a show on 'humor".

 Even the fish doesn't seem to mind too much.

 A bear learning to fish 'the human way'

and doing some plein-air painting too -

it could happen...

at least in my mind.

Hope you try something new this weekend!

Hello Sophia Grace

Finally got to meet this six week old granddaughter.

What a little bundle of joy!

 And just look at that precious face.

And of course we have the sweetest grand puppy too.

 And I can't forget these other two.

 We also got to be there for our son's ordination.

It's been a long haul for them and joy of joys he is finally a pastor.

So very proud and happy for these three.

 The best caramel latte ever at Aussie and the Fox in Lancaster.

And a parting shot of a collage of the space needle at the Philadelphia airport.

Wish we could visit more often.