Welcome Back!

Phew, it's been a while!  The holidays are a crazy busy and FUN time.  I hope all you Rockland Woods families out there had a safe and fun winter break.  Now for an art update!

 First off, we have the work of a few very skilled fourth graders who just completed a lesson in creating depth within a landscape.  We talked about perspective and all the elements of a landscape: horizon line, background, foreground and middle ground and how to create the illusion of depth by varying the sizes of those elements.  (We also tried to go in rainbow order from top to bottom!)

Before winter break, 2nd grade learned a little bit about Native American culture and cranked out these awesome dreamcatchers.  They learned about what Native Americans ate, how they got their food, what types of houses they lived in and the legend of the dreamcatcher.

Fifth Grade has also been learning about Native Americans, and have been given the challenge to create totem poles out of recycled materials.  The students are working hard to cooperate within their 

groups, manage and delegate responsibilities, creatively repurpose materials and problem solve if things don't quite turn out right the first or second time.  This has been an excellent exercise for in a myriad of areas and I can't wait to see the finished result.  This is a sneak peak of two of the cutest recycled critters so far.

Embracing the winter weather, I had to include some snow-related projects - it's on everybody's mind anyway!  Second Grade learned about using shape and shading to create perspective in this arial view of a snowman (or woman!).

And first grade made snow families.

Before winter break, 3rd grade learned about contrasting colors and made woven textiles inspired by colorful Mexican blankets. We even attached them to a loop of yarn so the students had a wearable piece of art by the end of the project.

I leave you with a drawing out of one of our talented 5th grader's sketchbooks.  If this is what my students are doing in their spare time, I'm a happy camper!  So awesome when a student shares something like this with me.

Stay tuned - I'll share the totem poles as soon as they are done being constructed.  Otherwise - brace yourselves - February is supposed to bring us another heap of snow.  Stay warm and make some soup!

Huichol Yarn Paintings

Traditional Huichol bead art.

Most recently, 5th grade finished up these Huichol inspired yarn paintings.  The Huichol are native Americans who live in western central Mexico.  They have a rich, spiritual culture in which art-making plays an integral role.  Many Huichol artisans make beaded works or yarn paintings that take painstaking hours to create.

A traditional Huichol yarn painting.

The students viewed and discussed symbolism within the traditional yarn paintings, and tried to describe what was meaningful to the Huichol people.  They then created a composition of their own using symbols to communicate what is important in their own lives.  Although this project was frustrating at times, the students exhibited great patience in creating their pieces (with the occasional freak out and re-group, of course!) All in all, the results were amazing.  Here are a few examples…

I also wanted to include some photos of kindergarten's pinch pot fish because they are so cute and creative.

Also, I'd been waiting until after I submitted these PS Aeropostle contest entries before I shared them.  These fifth graders real brought their A game with their clever designs.  Future graphic designers perhaps?

And lastly, a few weeks ago we studied Piet Mondrian in kindergarten and I challenged the students to create their own abstract representations of an object.  As a Star Wars fan, this particular composition fell very near and dear to my heart…

That's all for now - have a great weekend!!

Chugging Right Along

The seasons do seem to be chugging right along - I can't believe there are already Christmas decorations out in some stores and that 2013 is coming to a close.  Crazy!  I have been photographing lots of work and I wanted to share...

We finished our Dia De Los Meurtos unit in 4th grade a couple weeks ago and I was able to hang the sugar skull designs in the hallway.  

Gorgeous symmetrical sugar skull.

2nd Grade finished their ceramic suns inspired by Mexican folk art.

3rd Grade's Myan Glyphs with textured metallic frames are now on display in the hallway as well.  I love how these turned out!

And of course, a twist on the old classic: Kindergarten practiced their fine motor skills while tracing and cutting out these adorable hand and feet turkeys.  'Tis the season!

I also just finished hanging 5th grade's amazing yarn paintings inspired by our study of the native Huichol people of western-central Mexico.  They are truly a joy to look at, especially after watching the students toil away diligently over the last few weeks.  It was a frustrating and trying task at times but I think the students really felt that their hard work paid off.  I will post photos of those soon!


I thought I'd also include that the dance company I perform with is having a children's show on December 8th.  Here's a little blurb about the event, and a sneak peek at our set (made by us dancers!!)

12.8.13: The Magic Backpack: Annual Children’s PerformanceThis narrative dance performance tells the story of Pippa, a girl who dreams of being a magician. The hour-long event includes audience participation and a children’s movement workshop following the show. EDC’s Youth Dance Project will perform the company in this hilarious original production.
Date: Sunday, December 8, 2013
Time: 1:00pm & 3:00pm
Location: Ballenger Creek Community Buillding
5420 Ballenger Crk Pk., Frederick, MD
Tickets: $10 Adults; $5 Kids 12 and Under

For more information, visit Equinox's website.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

I want to start off by saying a huge congratulations to our talented 4th grader Paige Lehman for winning 2nd Place in the Foto Week DC photo contest!  Paige entered a lovely photograph she took outside of school and will be awarded $50 and a new camera!  Way to go Paige!  Parents, if your student ever wins an art related contest, please let me know so I can feature them here on the blog!  Here is Paige's award winning work:

Good news!  Square 1 Art projects were mailed to the Square 1 company headquarters last week and I expect the stickers and order forms to be in by October 30th.  It is an exciting time and I think you will really enjoy the projects that your children completed for Square 1.  I encourage anyone interested in ordering this year to do so online, using your students' unique access code (which will come home with the order from packet).  I find that this is the quickest and easiest way for everyone involved to complete their ordering.  Here are some fantastic examples of projects from this year's round of fundraising:

3rd grade completed hot air balloon designs that showed emphasis and rhythm.  I found this one a student made commemorating his family's dog to be quite touching.

4th grade truly impressed me with their radial printmaking designs.  I hope you are as impressed as I was!!

This past month we began projects to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month which was September 15th - October 15th.  We are nearly finished with these cultural works and I hope to be able to share some with you soon here.  4th grade is creating an original sugar skull design from the Mexican holiday Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), 1st grade created colorful cut paper, "papel picado" which is used as decoration for the same holiday, 3rd Grade is illustrating their name in ancient Mayan glyphs (a civilization originating in Latin America), 2nd grade is creating ceramic suns like those seen in popular Mexican folk art, and 5th grade is studying symbols to create a design for a colorful yarn painting, inspired by the Huichol people.  In an unrelated lesson, kindergarten has been discussing and using texture in their artworks.


I wanted to remind you of the fabulous opportunity to extend your child's arts education beyond the classroom at one of the great art centers in our community:  The Washington County Museum of Art.  The WCMFA offers many great exhibitions throughout the year, which is a great way for students to see original art for themselves.  One of their current exhibits is geared towards children: "Folk Art for Children", and a visit would be a great way to spend an afternoon as a family.  Keep in mind that the museum also offers classes for children and adults of all ages taught by art education professionals, including myself.  Please contact me, or the museum, for more details.  Another fantastic opportunity to take classes is at the Creation Station in downtown Hagerstown, with WCPS teacher Andy Iverson.

Don't hesitate to email me with questions or concerns: conneemi@wcps.k12.md.us

Falling into Autumn

Where has September gone?!  Time sure does fly when you're keeping busy.  I have some photos I wanted to share of some fabulous works that caught my eye in the art room during the last week or so...

A gorgeous tissue paper collage by a second grader at RWE

I love this adorable handprint fish by one of our kindergarteners!

The fifth graders learned SO MUCH during out portraiture unit.
 This is just one example of the great work I saw from them.

1st grade was working on family portraits for square 1 and
 I thought this happy family turned out just lovely!

I've also seen some eye-catching fashions in my room lately...

(thanks Mom, these shirts make me feel AWESOME!!! :) )


And I'll leave you with this hilarious and uplifting video message from none other than Kid President:

And one for the Moms!

Have a great weekend!

Classroom Update: A Rainbow of Portraits

We kicked off the school year in the art room learning about self-portraiture.  For grades k-2, we defined "portrait" and went over basic parts of a portrait.  

 In grades 3-5 we did a preliminary sketch before the unit, then spent a lot of time learning about facial proportions and portrait guidelines.  The students were amazed at the difference between their first sketch and the one they completed after the lesson!  You can see examples in your child's sketchbook.

 This week, we are completing a final mini self portrait.  Each student in every grade level completed a mini self portrait, and each grade level had a different color in which they executed a monochromatic portrait.  Our plan is to display these in our art hallway to create a rainbow of faces.  So far, the younger grades have completed their portraits and I have the cool colors hanging up already...

Within the next week or so, grades 3-5 will complete their final drawings, and they will join the display as well.  It will be so amazing to see every student represented in one giant exhibition!  I'll be sure to post photos as soon as it is complete.

In the coming weeks, we will be working on our Square 1 art pieces, and during the month of October we will be celebrating National Heritage History month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) and learning about Dia De Los Muertos!