Art @ NJEA

There are two days built into the school calendar for the New Jersey Teacher's Convention. (Nov. 10 & 11) It is often viewed as a vacation by students, but for me it's work.

For the past three years I have organized a statewide preK - 12th grade student art exhibit called Art @ NJEA. The event is sponsored by The Art Educators of New Jersey and is located right on the exhibition floor at the NJEA Convention. The show featured 75 pieces of work from 26 teachers in 10 of the 21 counties from around the state. All members of AENJ are eligible to enter student art!

Haddon Township High School was represented by four students this year: Caitlynne C, Emily D, Emily H and Ally D (TL - BR).

I'm so proud of my students!

Self-Portrait Color Studies

Here are a few of our 9 x 12 inch color studies. Each student cropped a section from his/her large drawing and used it as practice for all of the steps involved. This step allowed the students to feel more comfortable painting and approaching the assignment. I love them and am so pleased with how they are coming out so far...I think my students are too! A few are already working on their 18 x24 inch paintings! Click here to see more.

Fantastic Faces

If you were to ask my students if they feel like they have been staring at and drawing their face for forever, they might say, "Yes!"

But the truth is, it's only been 6 class periods and some are already starting to practice their monochromatic color scheme painting.

Their 18 x 24 inch self portraits are on their way to becoming Monochromatic Tempera Batik paintings. Click here to see more portraits in progress!

Infusion of Color

This week, the students also used apples as the subject matter for these colored pencil studies. From top to bottom: Tara M (11), Olivia D (11), Joey K (12) and Patti A (11).

Fruit Still Life Drawings

Our drawings came together and took about 5 days to complete from sketching to shading. We knew from the start that the fruit wouldn't last forever, so the students took a picture of their composition with their phone or ipad - and used it like a digital cropping tool. (I consider this acceptable use of technology, even though students are technically required to have their phones off and away.) After the fruit got moldy and was taken home to my compost pile, the students drew from their pictures as reference. Visit kiickstart.com to see more student drawings.

The drawing above was created by Caitlynne C. She is a junior and a second year art student.

The Art, Miracle and Science of Drawing Fruit

Two days into our fruit still-life drawing lesson, I honestly thought we experienced a lemon juice miracle! (pictured above) However, four days later, it was quite clear that our lemon juice miracle was just science delayed. Our fruit became brown and slimy bringing with it a friendly infestation of fruit flies. (pictured below) Despite the less than perfect classroom conditions, we carried on and did our new pencils & papers proud!

Our once succulent fruit has now returned to the good earth in my compost pile! Ah, the circle of life. Fruit flies and all, it was worth it! The assignment generated a positive experience for the students, and while they might be a tad more self-critical than I am as their teacher, I’m pleased with their efforts and results. No one can learn how to do something, or how to get better at doing something…without actually doing it! Funny how that education thing works.

Of course, we aren’t the only artists who have drawn rotting fruit. Consider Caravaggio, the Italian Baroque Master (1571-1610) who painted “Basket of Fruit” in 1599.

Or in more contemporary times: here’s a video time lapse of strawberries rotting in reverse. (wild)

Images of my students’ drawings – coming soon!

Developing Responsibility

I’m trying something new this year. In an effort to provide my students with a sense of ownership and responsibility, (while also hoping to reduce the constant and never-ending output of pencils and erasers that I experienced last year) I gave all 57 of my high school students 3 of their very own drawing pencils (2H, HB, 6B), 2 markers, 2 blending stumps and 2 erasers. To hold their new supplies, the students created a personalized envelope from one of their decorative papers and received a penny folder from Staples to hold their work. These supplies are theirs forever!

The whole experience reminds me of when I was in 6th grade and received my very first art supply kit from my grandparents for Christmas. I liked how they looked, felt and smelled…even though I didn’t have the foggiest idea what to do with them! As I slowly learned how to use those materials, I felt more and more like an artist.

30+ years later, I'm extending the same ownership to my students with hopes that each one of them will feel more and more like an artist.