So much art, so little time. 

Here's a project my Drawing 1 students finished over two weeks ago, entitled "The Hand Book."  For this artistic endeavor, my students had to approach the same subject (their own hand) from 8 different stylistic standpoints: breaking down their hand into the four basic forms (cone, cylinder, sphere and cube); drawing the contour lines with two pencils taped together; Cubist-inspired; Surrealist-inspired; less-dominant blind-contour drawing; stippled; regular old drawing; and of course, a cover for their books.  A grand total of 8 drawings on four pieces of paper, bound in a corner with a brad. 

This is a good exercise in finding freedom in restrictions, but some students weren't comfortable with that.  Lots of them said that they got really tired of drawing their hands, and funnily enough, these were the students that obviously needed the most practice.  Lots of them also just traced their hands, thinking I wouldn't notice.  Oh, hand turkeys...

Most students churned out some good stuff.  Check it out:

I think I'll do this project again next trimester, maybe throwing some more or different prompts.  It turned out pretty well, overall.

I can't wait to show you what they're up to now!

I think it's time to share some good news.  Though I haven't yet officially signed the contract, I have been tapped by the good folks at ArtWorks for the biggest commission of my career thus far.  I have been asked by Children's Hospital here in Cincinnati to create 12 custom pieces of artwork to be installed in the newly renovated neurology unit! 

This commission is not only special because of its scope, but because it gives me a chance to make a mark on a place that has made such a difference in my life.  My little cricket has epilepsy, and at one point, her seizures were so out of control that we thought she'd be severely brain damaged or worse.  Children's Hospital saved her life on more than one occasion, and she has been seizure-free for nearly a year and a half.  No number of words or works of art could ever express my gratitude, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try, right?

So I embark on this crazy mission with my cricket in mind.  The theme that Children's has asked for is "Wishes, Hopes and Dreams in Nature."  I've come up with three concepts for their consideration: 

Each concept involves incorporating the actual written dreams, hopes, wishes, and prayers of patients, family and Hospital staff directly into the artworks. 

So which do you like best?

Hello!

Yes, I know it has been a while.  But I come to my keyboard bearing gifts of the visual variety, in the form of student artwork from my Painting I class.  Admittedly, we haven't created a huge quantity of masterpieces, given that I've been drilling color theory into their heads. 

Below are some photos of my Fabric Translation Squares Project, where students had to select a piece of patterned fabric, and then match the colors, desaturate the colors, and paint the color complements.  I loved the effect when I hung them all together - it looked like a quilt!

Here are some exemplary pieces from my Fraktur Hex Sign Project. Students focused on symmetry & balance for their designs, and then had to select a specific color scheme to execute their paintings.  If you're interested, you can view the presentation I made to introduce the project here.

I find myself continually surprised by my students' skill and thoughtfulness.  Sometimes it takes lighting a huge fire under their butts, but when they can let go and just give themselves over to the process, I think they surprise even themselves.

Enough bragging.  Now it's time to get to work on another round of concept sketches for my upcoming hospital project (I'll tell you all about it in another post, soon... promise).

Happy Friday!