First Nine Weeks Happenings...and not so Happening

Tons of interesting and random things have happened throughout the first nine weeks here in the West Oak High School Visual Art Department. All of us have created some interesting art pieces (including myself) and we have also participated in some activities that are kind of just for the sake of being a little silly.

We have been wondering for a couple of years now why we had a little girls bike hanging from the ceiling in the storage room and although we have never actually figured out a logical answer to that question, we decided that we could at least put the bike to some use. So we pulled it down, wiped off the cobwebs and took it for a couple of joy rides.

Despite the silly games and the fun we have had, students in all levels of the Visual Art Program at West Oak High School are continuing to develop their artistic skills and their ability to think creatively.

Megan Nelson completed a three part series based on her own interpretive photographs. She used her sister as the subject of the three paintings and focused on the elements of light and color when recreating the images. Acrylic paint was her chosen media.

Skeleton Drawings...Part 2

Students drew the large scale skeleton again this year and the drawings were even more successful than in years past.

The drawings are larger and more expressive than ever and the views of the skeleton students chose to represent are very interesting and unique.

The Year in Full Swing!

We are well on our way to progress report time. The football team plays Walhalla tonight at 7:30 and in art class........we played twister.

No, but, really. Art 2 students created gesture drawings based on poses created during a game of twister. It was a wonderful way to spend a rainy friday morning.

As students change from position to position according to the game, we create drawings based on their active poses. Drawings are timed and poses can be held for twenty five seconds, one minute, or up to a minute and a half. It was quite a work out as well since students had to maintain difficult positions in some cases for varying amounts of time.

Gesture drawings are created using one long continuous line and students are asked to first draw the head of the individual they are drawing and then find the central axis of the figure. This axis could be compared with the spine in most cases as it usually follows the line of the spine.

Glass Fusing

I am having an interesting time this summer experimenting with something that I really have had little experience with in my own art making career and that is glass fusing. I have been creating jewelry this summer using fusable glass and have learned a lot through experimentation and a lot of research. First of all, if you are a student of mine, you know that I am not one for tedious tasks and that craftsmanship is often a struggle for me. I am, primarily, a painter and a very messy one at that so creating jewelry is very different for me.
First of all, when you create a painting, you can make a mess if you'd like. You can create huge gestural brush strokes, fix a mistake by slapping on a new layer of paint, and stepping for hours at a time if you'd like in order to get a fresh perspective.
With glass fusing, it's a one time deal. You assemble your piece by layering layers of fusable glass, adding crushed pieces of glass called frit for additional detail and color, pop it in the kiln and fire it. When it comes out of the kiln, you have what you have and there is no turning back and no room for error or adjustments. The element of surprise is wonderful but frightening at the same time.

I suppose that I had my own views of jewelry making and saw the art form as more of a craft than , well, an art form! I am, however, learning that there is a great amount of skill and logical thinking involved in fusing glass and creating jewelry and my mind is working in a whole new way.
I look forward to sharing my mistakes and successes with all of my students when they come back to school!

Gifted and Talented Exhibition

Gifted and Talented Students at West Oak High had their first annual exhibition on May 28th. Each student exhibited a body of their favorite pieces and graduating seniors displayed work that spanned over their entire time at West Oak High.
Two dimensional and three dimensional work was displayed in the main lobby of the school and refreshments were served to parents and friends who attended the show.
These students worked INCREDIBLY HARD to get all the work displayed and ready for viewers. It was quite a worthwhile but difficult ordeal.
Viewers (including me) were amazed with the variation and depth of the work shown. These students are truly gifted and very talented.

The End of the Road....For Now.

We've had prom, our end of the year Gifted and Talented Art Exhibition, the final field trip and finally.....GRADUATION! The year flew by for most of us and with the ups and downs of my first year in a new school, I have learned so many things about what I will change next year and am firm about continuing those things that worked wonderfully.
To seniors, congratulations on your success and good luck in all that you do, although I believe that luck has nothing to do with it. What carries us along the way in life is our own shoulders and the shoulders of those we depend on. Please remember that I am always here to carry your weight.
Now, let's look to the future! Have a wonderful summer.

The Great Shoe Show

Well, we are almost to that point in the year where we look back and examine how much we've grown and changed since August. All these months have been wonderful and, if Art 1 students can recall, it all began with contour drawings of our shoes. We are going to end our year using the same subject matter for our final 3-D project. That's right, we will be creating sculptural shoes by altering our old shoes in ways that are personally relevant.
Students in all sections will be asked to bring in one shoe that can be changed and altered in ways that will relay to viewers something personal about the artist.
We will examine the history of found object or "Assemblage" art and will discuss and formulate ideas which will change our perception of shoes as related to the human condition for ever.
Have you ever heard the phrase, "Try walking a mile in my shoes,"? What does this phrase mean? Think about the ways in which we may categorize individuals, unintentionally, based on a simple glance at their footwear. Have you ever considered the fact that the individual sitting next to you may wear worn out shoes everyday simply because that is all they have? These are all questions we will discuss during our opening lecture in late April.