We have had so many exciting things happening in my classroom that I simply haven't had the time to blog about them! We closed out First Quarter with 7th and 8th Grade discussing El Dia de los Muertos. This is a Mexican holiday which remembers and honors loved ones who have passed away. National Geographic has an amazing site with photos and history about this unique holiday.It can be found here. We also viewed a video clip from the Travel Channel that explained a little more about the holiday: El Dia de los Muertos. 7th graders worked on a printmaking project inspired by the sugar skulls that are a huge part of this holiday. 8th graders created plaster masks inspired by the same sugar skulls. They came up with some beautiful work!
My 8th graders also had the privilege of seeing a demonstration from local artist Greg Johannesen. We were given a $500 grant from the Arts Council of Calvert County to fund his visit. Mr. Johannesen works primarily in pastels and in "plein air" (outside). He discussed his career with students and gave them a detailed description of how he produces his own artwork and how he developed his style over time. We are fortunate enough to have 3 of his original pieces from the demonstration to display in our classroom as students begin their own process of working with pastels. We are also going to focus on landscapes that interest the students. They will be bringing in photos of vacations, local scenery, or anything else outdoors that inspires them. My hope is that by exposing students to multiple media and instruction, they will find at least something that they love to do in the field of art. You can see Mr. Johannesen's work here. Below are some of the photos from his visit.
My 8th graders also had the privilege of seeing a demonstration from local artist Greg Johannesen. We were given a $500 grant from the Arts Council of Calvert County to fund his visit. Mr. Johannesen works primarily in pastels and in "plein air" (outside). He discussed his career with students and gave them a detailed description of how he produces his own artwork and how he developed his style over time. We are fortunate enough to have 3 of his original pieces from the demonstration to display in our classroom as students begin their own process of working with pastels. We are also going to focus on landscapes that interest the students. They will be bringing in photos of vacations, local scenery, or anything else outdoors that inspires them. My hope is that by exposing students to multiple media and instruction, they will find at least something that they love to do in the field of art. You can see Mr. Johannesen's work here. Below are some of the photos from his visit.