Nature Works- Inspiration from the work of Andy Goldsworthy and Georgia O'Keffee!

 The week of July 7-11th, 2014, students at the Corvallis Arts Center explored the wonderful world of nature through various art projects. In my class, we looked at the work of Andy Goldsworthy, an artist working with only natural materials to create unique and fantastic art. Students created sculptures using natural objects inspired by his art. Students brought found materials from home and gathered materials on site then worked together to come up with a group sketch of what the project would look like and what materials we would need. We then chose a site on the west side of the arts center to create our installations.

 In the second part of the class, we looked at the art work of Georgia O'Keffee, a painter also inspired by nature. The natural art of Andy Goldsworthy is shared with the world through photographs as many of the installations are made in remote areas or are fleeting due to the materials used. Instead of taking this route I decided to have students document their project by creating paintings that captured the feeling of the sculpture. Students did still life sketches of their project using charcoal, oil pastels and chalk pastels and then took the sketches in the painting room where palettes were mixed and larger paintings evolved. The following pictures show the process of building the sculptures as well as the final paintings that result.  Enjoy!

Animation Nation- Claymation Videos!

The following videos were created by students at the Corvallis Arts Center (with my help) for "Animation Nation" Summer Camp! Students had a ton of fun creating characters, props and imaginative stories and worked in teams to create short claymation films using basic stop motion animation. I edited them using iMovie and students were able to choose their own sound effects as well as do voice overs. Enjoy!

The Life Force Chronicles from The Arts Center on Vimeo.

The Sea Battle from The Arts Center on Vimeo.

3 wishes from The Arts Center on Vimeo.

How not to train your Dragon from The Arts Center on Vimeo.

Battle of Isenguard from The Arts Center on Vimeo.

The Day the Lightning Struck from The Arts Center on Vimeo.

Boxing Match from The Arts Center on Vimeo.

Alien Attack from The Arts Center on Vimeo.

Cartoon Afternoons

Here is some of the wonderful Cover Art and Comic Strips that my cartooning class created this Spring (some photos taken in progress):

"Pokemon Red Versus" by Sydney Upton

 "Vigilant"by Holden Garner

Sidewalk Chalk Art!!

In the spirit of summer sidewalk doodling I thought I'd post a project from 2011 that I did with a group of students during a summer program at the Arts Center. We gained inspiration from one of the worlds most talented sidewalk chalk artists Edgar Mueller  and used basic principles of perspective to create our own 3D sidewalk landscapes. Enjoy!

How-to, A Teacher's Guide to Firing a Manual Kiln

Firing a manual kiln, A Teacher's Guide:

 Preparing the kiln: Load desired cone into kiln sitter by lifting up the metal plate above the power button….

Tessellation's, Zentangles and more!

I have compiled some photos from different projects that focus on using pattern and rhythm to create wonderful artwork. Enjoy!

Community Zentangle Detail

Tessellations: A tessellation is one or more geometric shapes that cover an area, with no spaces or gaps in between shapes. They fit together like tiles. Some of my personal favorite tessellations are works by Mc Escher. Here is a pretty cool website about tessellations and making your own tessellations.  I taught a tessellation class during "Patterns" week at an Art Center summer camp during 2013 and here are a few unique tessellations my students created:

Open Studio; A creative space for Home Schooled families!

Open Studio starts up Thursday February 6th at the Corvallis Arts Center from 10am-1pm! This program is designed to provide home schooled students ages 6-17 a creative space and supplies to make art during the day. Participants have access to a full clay room, painting studio and play space. Drop- in fee is $15 per 3 hour class or you may purchase a punch card for 2 or more classes for a discounted rate. Parents/ Caregivers free! Visit Arts Center website for more details!

Homeschooler Josie Neely and fellow artists fold a giant origami crane!