For the last three years I have loved teaching art! This year we focused on learning about different influential artists and art styles and doing pieces inspired by them. After many extra hours of preparation, we held our annual art show at the local library. Here are some of my favorite pieces that we did this year.
I wanted to teach pointillism to my students this year. (Pictures made from tiny dots of color placed close together.) This mural (all done with dots of paint on the end of pencil erasers) was a team effort and a labor of love. It took well over 60 man hours to complete. I just love the way it turned out looking like a beautiful patchwork quilt. An experience the students will not soon forget!
This is Ellie pointing to her "Reflections" entry, "What Diversity Means to Me." She wrote about her paining: "I like to dance and my best friend likes to sing. Diversity is Fun." Her entry won for the first grade and went on to the district competition.
Janey and Ellie got to show off their art work at their school's "Night at the Museum." Janey's grade also gave a recital on their recorders. I have the chance to teach art lessons once a month in Ellie's class, and the penguin picture above is one of the projects I did with the first graders. The girls are both very creative and talented artists.
Saturday night the kids tried some chalk art of their own at Grandma's house. We gathered for their city's fireworks display and some yummy food. While we waited for it to get dark the kids got creative. I especially love Ellie's Rapunzel with hair flowing all the way down the sidewalk!
I got a nice set of water colors for the art classes I teach, and Whitney had fun experimenting with them. Very lovely.
hibit at the BYU Museum of art. They had many of his alter pieces from Europe and many of his etchings as well as some non-religious pieces. It was wonderful to see such masterful, original pieces, up close and in person. A trip to the creamery for ice cream after the museum topped it off just right!
An artist at heart, I wanted to teach my children drawing lessons this year. As I started designing the lessons, I decided that they would be so much better if we invited some other students to join us. And so, I started teaching art lessons in October. What a joy in my life! I love the amazing students I get to work with and I do the exercises right along with them, thus adding the art that has been missing for too many years from my life. This semester I've had 2 classes, with 5 students each - including 3 of my own children.
Last week while studying the Byzantine Empire we made our own mosaics. I love how Janey's flower turned out. I know it looks like M&Ms on a cake, but it's really glass pebbles in plaster!
This week while covering the Arabian Dessert we made our own edible oasis. Here's Daniel's before he gobbled it up. 
Daniel saved up his allowance to by a Star Wars action figure. Once he got home he realized that his commander was going to need a base and a ship. He build a base out of Legos, a hanger out of his Lego boxes and a fleet of ships after raiding our recycling drawer. I love his resourceful and creative spirit. Here a just a couple examples.
Mini cruisers out of muffin boxes.
His destroyer name Goliath.
We hope everyone (in the US anyway) enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday surrounded by family, great food, and hearts full of gratitude. I know we did!
