End of School Year

This school year went by so fast! I was lucky to be able to have the experience of substitute teaching in so many classrooms. I began and ended the year in long term positions. The beginning of the year I was in an Elementary Art classroom and the end of the year I was in a High School Art classroom. No matter the age of the student, I have learned that they all want (and need) respect and encouragement. I learned a lot about classroom management this year and ultimately adopted a pro-active approach that worked well. Keeping students engaged and motivated was especially tricky at the end of the school year, but I found that as I continued to provided the students with feedback on their art and point out their strengths, they in turn continued to produce top quality art!

I also volunteered my time to assist the hanging of student art murals in the ViBe district. I am very proud that Virginia Beach City has recognized the need to support local artists and extends that support to the local schools. The artwork these young artists created is outstanding and I was glad to help install it at the "green fence" in the ViBe district! (It was really amazing to see the finished products and I had been subbing in that school and helped the kids on the mural project!)

The highlight for the end of this school year was an art show I was able to attend. I was asked to create the award plaques for the students. I love wood working and made six plaques that were then adorned with mermaids to recognize the artwork of the young artists. Attending the awards reception and seeing how much the students loved their awards was very satisfying. I even had a parent personally thank me for taking the time to create the plaques.

Ultimately this year I learned that you get out what you put in. I plan on continuing to put forth 110% in my commitment to becoming a strong art teacher. I am grateful for the opportunities I had to learn and grow this year and look forward to seeing what comes next!

The Courage to Create!

Recently I had the amazing opportunity to substitute for a middle school art teacher for one week. During that week the students were working on creating a work of art based on the concept of courage as inspired by learning about the Holocaust.

 In the above photo I am sharing my personal etchings of scenes from the Holocaust with the students. My paternal grandparents fled Germany during the war to escape persecution. As an artist I was moved to create artwork inspired by this historical event. As I shared my artwork with the students they asked many questions that allowed us to have an in-depth discussion about the project. Asking questions is such an important part of understanding art. It is so rewarding to be able to have a dialogue with young artists about art. Asking questions is the root of investigation. Investigation is the key to inspiration. I was very impressed by what these young artists started this week and look forward to seeing the finished products!

Wood working

I have learned so much from my father. Growing up, he was always fixing things around the house. I loved to work on projects with him and now that I have a house of my own, I find myself being the "handy man" of the house. My father lives close by and we still work on projects together.

In the past few years I have been fascinated with wood working. The mathematics behind planning and assembling functional works of art really puts my brain to work! Below are a few examples of pieces I have made over the last two years.

The original bench was rotten.  I took apart the old one, saved the side iron pieces, and designed a new, fresh bench with treated wood for a garden piece.

I designed a king size bed frame with a beachy and modern feel to it.  The headboard and foot board are attached with bolts and nuts so it is easy to disassemble.  

I designed an entertainment stand with cabinets so I could store my son's toys.  I added puck lights to illuminate decoys and pictures on the shelves.