NC Wyeth - Robin Hood and Maid Marion ... and burning brush

Robin Hood and Maid Marion, original painting by NC Wyeth

copy of original

Every autumn I work with my students and staff to create a mural for the school. I feel this is a great way to show our learning community working together to make great things happen. This year I invited parents and community members to join in. I love the colors of this year's mural (see older posts for other murals). I chose to do an illustration by NC Wyeth as a way to acknowledge the students who will be writing and illustrating their own stories over the course of the school year: 2nd, 3rd, and 6th graders. These students will illustrate in art class with me and ultimately have their creation printed as a hardcover book! All in all a very exciting project. I am anxious to share my knowledge of illustration with my students.

We finally burned the brush piles in the lower field. These piles have been building for a couple years, and it's nice to have them gone. 

... who's your llama?

A day off from school is a day in my studio. I finally got my new Epson printer hooked up. Now I can start adding prints of my artwork to my Etsy shop - wahoo!  ... Which pieces of art to choose? I always go for the slightly quirky and silly. I am currently painting a small work entitled "The Starry Knight" - see what I mean? And I  wonder if my Etsy shop 'identity' will hold together or suffer by adding artwork. Mittens, knitting patterns and art prints are sort of an odd grouping. I'll give it a go and see what happens. Happy autumn! (this llama illustration is from my collection of attempts for a local fair poster contest - it was submitted without the words...)

Carrots and Chicken Mittens

Chicken Mittens 

Carrots from my garden

I designed a new pair of mittens - CHICKENS! Using US size 9 needles and a double strand of Cascade 220, the body was a quick knit. I think I'll try them in another color set. These look like Rhode Island Reds!






My garden is done for the season. I dug up my carrots in the rain yesterday. Digging carrots is fun. We had a stir fry last night with fresh carrots - they are so sweet! I will plant garlic in a few weeks and then dream of next summer.

Art Room, 'Mindset'

School's in session and it looks to be a great year ahead. The students have settled in quickly and are eager to create artwork.  I spent several days cleaning and rearranging my classroom before school started. I love the new traffic flow. This year I'm promoting my room as 'the quiet zone' - and it's working, mostly. It is hard for the students to work quietly while sitting on cafeteria benches...
I'm feeling like I work for the coolest school district. We have each been given a copy of Mindset by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. I find this book to be truly inspirational. I'm not done with it yet, but the big idea is that with the right mindset we can all learn how to fulfill our potential - and coach our students to reach theirs. We also read Inevitable over the summer. This book introduced us to the concept of 'mass customized learning' - essentially each learner learns at their own rate and in their own way. With technology and creative planning, we can uniquely educate each and every student and help them become life long learners. We are doing our part to be the best teachers we can be in this age of change!

Back to school... chickens and 7th Graders

It's been a good summer - lots of time in my studio for painting and designing knitting patterns. I just published a new Fingerless Mitten  knitting pattern. This pattern comes with Fancy Appliques to add on the mittens. The appliques took a while to test knit - I am happy with the results. These include leaves, flowers, butterflies and a lady bug.

Back to school this week! I've rearranged my art room, and I can't wait to try it out. I swapped my desktop computer for a laptop - just think of all the room I will now have on my desk! I also created a 'focus' area with some new tables. Everywhere I turn I find little reminders of my students. Why, even my chickens - who have grown so much this summer! -  remind me of my 7th Graders. They like to do everything together - no wandering from the pack for long. They like you nearby - but they will pretend to ignore you, and they'll eat just about anything!
It feels like it's going to be a great school year... let the classes begin!