Vineyard Boise Choir Flash Mob

Merry Christmas! For your entertainment today, I have included a video clip of the Vineyard Choir singing at the mall in "flash mob" style. See if you can spot me. I am the one with the glasses, short brown hair, black turtleneck, and a blue and green peacock-like poncho.

Flash Mob Concert at the Mall

Beside the visual arts, my other passion in musical arts, so I am going to get a little off topic here and tell you a story that relates to the musical arts.

Once upon a time there was a brand new church choir that decided to go to the Boise Town Square Mall and do an impromptu choral performance of Angels We Have Heard On High right in the middle of the food court! This sort of thing is called a "flash Mob." Why it is called that, I'm not really sure. Maybe it originated from the term "streaking."

Anyway, the choir decided to do this for a couple of reasons. First, to remind people that Christmas is about love and the birth of Christ; second, it was a not so sublte advertisement of our choir and the Christmas Eve concert we are going to have at the Vineyard this Friday.

This little "flash mob" performance occurred yesterday at around 4:00 p.m. The Vineyard Christmas Choir went to the local mall and we found tables in the food court. Then at 4:00 p.m. one brave person from our choir stood up in the middle of all the lunching and munching and began to sing a solo of Angels We Have Heard On High. It was fun to watch the looks of surprise with that what's-going-on look on their face. Then I stood up along with about 3 other people to sing the next line, turning it into a quartet, then more and more people stand up and start singing, until the entire choir is singing from wherever they happen to be in the food court. I have never done anything like this before and it was really fun! Some people smiled, some even sang along with the choir, and some just went right on eating their lunch. There was a rumor going around that this little incident might end up on the local news channel, but I haven't seen anything yet. There were a couple of people with cameras taking pictures and someone with a video camera, but no one from the local news channels.

There is nothing like the element of surprise to get your point across!

Making My Christmas Cards

School is over for the year!! I'm a week behind on blogging because I was busy finishing up the last tests and projects that were due the final week of school, which was last week. I am now on Christmas break until mid-January. Yay!!

My present art project is my Christmas cards. Since I didn't send Christmas cards out last year, so I am using what I was going to use last Christmas. My Christmas card design this year came from a sculpture project. I photographed & made copies of the soap sculpture and bird's nest that I made last year in one of my BSU art classes and gave it a Christmas theme. I decided to revise them by adding some specialty paper that will give it a bit more punch. Above is a photo of the final version.

Thanksgiving Week Art Work

Happy Saturday after Thanksgiving, everyone! I have had the entire week off with no school at all, so I have been able to sneak my own art projects into my schedule just a little bit. I did a little bit of work on my portrait of a wolf and the dreamcatcher.

Thanksgiving week has been great so far. I spent Thanksgiving with my husband's family here in Idaho. The only 'fly in the anointment' was the 24-hour flu bug I caught Friday. So instead of Black Friday, I had a Flu Friday. And it cancelled out my 'to do' list for the day because I spent most of it in bed. Thank God it only lasted for 24 hours and I feel great today!

This week I finally got started on the portrait commission order that my college teacher placed with me about two months ago. I was so backlogged with school work, work, and teaching that I haven't been able to get to it. When it is done it will be a lovely portrait of two adorable kids eating watermelon. I will post it when it is finished. So far it is turning out great and I'm having fun with it. It is going to be so cute that I think I will make a print or two for myself.

Newest Animal Portrait--"Micah"

"Micah With Quilt"

About 40 blog posts ago, I posted this portrait of my mother-in-law's dog, Micah, without any background. (Micah is a Sheltie.) Well I finally finished the background part. The background is one of my mother-in-law's quilts. I have never done a quilt in my colored pencil & Turpenoid style medium. I wasn't sure it would turn out looking like a quilt, but it did. I thought it was about time I add some dogs into my animal art world and give the cat theme a break.

Oils versus Colored Pencil

I have made some interesting discoveries about oil painting. I find that I still have a tendency to work oil paint like I work my colored pencils and Turpenoid. And they don't work the same way. One of the first things I learned was not to try and draw lines with oil paint! You have to think patches of color, semi-blended out. Another thing I learned is that you can put on a really black, dark color or white paint, and if you work it too much, it becomes another color--usually gray. It is hard to get darks really dark and white really white. I have also learned that when I have worked on a painting for at least four hours, applying color becomes a whole different ball game because the canvas is so saturated with wet paint. It is easier for instance to apply a very light color onto a dark area when the painting has been set aside for a day or two to dry a little bit.

But when you are use to one or two types of media, it is hard to erase what you have learned before and learn something else. With colored pencil, there is an advantage in doing lots and lots of blending. But this isn't necessarily true with oil painting. Some blending it required, but not nearly to the level that colored pencil requires. This is a hard habit for me to break. I am learning to be a little bit more loose, using broken patches of color, but this is still hard for me. When I do paint something in a very loose way, it is usually a small part of the painting and I can't seem to carry it throughout the entire painting. I can see how oil painting lends itself to the impressionistic style of art much better than colored pencil does.

I have also learned that I am uncomfortable doing paintings that are larger than 16 X 20. And sometimes that is too big for me. The larger the painting, the more you have to understand that the painting has to look a certain way when you stand 1o feet or more away from it. I tend to be very 'tight' in my painting, so that it looks great close up, but when you stand far away, something gets lost in the translation. I find this a hard skill to acquire. Some of this applies to my colored pencil paintings, but not to the level that it applies to oil painting.

What I do like about oil painting is the brush strokes & different techniques you can use and how you can work with patches of unblended color to give it an impressionistic look. You can paint over something you don't like without ruining the painting. What I don't like about oils is you can't do line work. Fine detail doesn't work as well in oils as it does in colored pencil. You have to create texture without painting lines. It is messy, takes a longer time to clean up, and is more environmentally unsafe, and takes forever to dry.

I'll take my colored pencil, Turpenoid and mixed media any day over oils. I don't care if oil paintings are considered more "ritzy" and bring in a higher selling price, I don't like this media enough to make a switch from colored pencils.

Vine Arts Gala "Creating Culture"

Last Saturday, I got all dressed up and went to the Vine Arts Gala. There were about eight artists with their art exhibits and I was one of them. This Gala was called "Creating Culture." The purpose was to promote awareness of the arts within the community and in the church. And also to raise a little money for the Vine Arts program at the Vineyard church. Not only was this a lot of fun to participate in, but it promoted me as an artist and I got to sell some of my art to the public. I actually made some cash on the side and I didn't do too bad for an exhibit that was only three hours long.

There was music, food, poetry readings, and a couple of guest speakers. The speakers were J. Scott Elroy, an artist and author; and Irene Deeley, who is the owner of local art gallery called Women of Steel. Irene sponsors a traveling art show. I got to talk to her and gave her my card, and she will contact me when the next traveling show comes up, so I can be a part of it. Another cool opportunity!

This event was so much fun! I knew many of the people who came to the gala, and it was fun to connect with fellow artists and chat with everyone. My only struggle that evening was with my high heels. They looked really great, but after about an hour of walking around, my feet were saying 'ouch' and I had to sit down a lot. High heels were a lot easier to wear 25 years ago.

Self Portrait

There's nothing like staying up until 1:00 a.m. working on an assignment for 0il painting class, as the rest of the family sleeps. My latest project for oil painting class is a self-portrait and we can put in any type of background we want. I changed this thing about five times and I think I FINALLY am on the right track. It actually does look like me too! This portrait has gone through a series of changes. When I first started it, it looked like a scary ghostlike zombie. That was probably because I started it on Halloween night. Then I kept changing the background. I would paint something on there and then paint over it because I didn't like it. I finally got it to look less like a ghost or zombie, but instead it looked like a lifeless manequin. And it didn't look like me at all. Tonight I stayed up until 1:00 a.m. determined to win the battle and cross over into the land of good oil portraits. My efforts paid off because I am really liking it. I can't post a photo of it on my blog because the paint is still wet and it is too big.

Plein Aire Painting With Oils

Tuesday I had my first experience doing Plein Aire Painting in oils. I've done this with other media, but not with oils. It happened to be a rather nice afternoon on the BSU campus, so our teacher decided it was the perfect time to go outside and paint the scenery. The trees on campus are beautiful right now because the leaves have turned various shades of yellow, orange, and red, so that is what I decided to paint. Just for fun I put in a tiny little squirrel on top of a trash can just to give a narrative to the painting. Everyone else packed up and left around 4:00 p.m., but I stayed until 6:00 p.m. By then I was getting too cold anyway, so I took my little 6 X 9 size painting home and finished it there. I can not crank out a finished painting in just two hours.

I would post the finished piece here, but it is still wet and I can't put it on my scanner right now. Very messy. Oils take forever to dry. You'll just have to take my word for it that it came out very nice. I was pleased with the results.

The Latest Portrait

This is the latest commissioned portrait that I did last week. Doing a portrait with lots of teeth and squinty eyes is hard to do and probably not my favorite pose but my client was very happy with it. And I have another portrait I am going to start on next week!

This weekend I actually DON'T have to spend time at BSU to work on an oil painting for class, so I have some free time. So after I catch up with home chores and clean my messy house, I might actually be able to start an art project of my own.

Crazy Busy

My schedule has been CRAZY busy lately! But crazy in a good way because I'm actually making some money! I just finished a commissioned portrait that is due next week. I can't post the finished portrait yet because it is supposed to be a surprise birthday present.

Now I have to spend as much time as I can tomorrow on my BSU class oil painting because it is due Tuesday. This teacher likes to see us sweat!

I was so pooped last night after the wonderful "Alley Cats" concert, I slept until noon the next morning. Hey, I'm an artist--I can do that.

Doo-Wap Music and Art Sales!

I felt like blogging tonight because I just got back from the Nampa Civic Center where I had an art exhibit and heard a free concert of wonderful 50's and 60's rock & roll from an a capella performance group called The Alley Cats. They were awesome! It's been a long time since I enjoyed a concert as much as this one. There is something very special about that classic vintage rock and roll. The Alley Cats gave more than just a great concert, they were very funny and really did a lot to get the audience involved. And because I was one of the featured artists at the show, I got not just one but two complimentary tickets. We like freebies!

Oh, and even though the art exhibit was only for a couple of hours, I did actually sell some of my artwork.

I took some of the money I made in my art sales and bought two The Alley Cats CD's. Love that D00-Wap Music! Since they axed all the radio stations in this area that used to play golden oldies rock and roll, I figured I had to do something.

I also talked to the guys in the group after the show and had them autograph my CD's. They are all so young. I tried not to think about the fact that I'm old enough to be their mother.

At The Hop With The Alley Cats

This coming Saturday, October 16th at 6:00 p.m. at the Nampa Civic Center, I will be participating in a special art exhibit. My Fine Arts Studio will be having a special art show called "Savor the Arts" that will coincide with a special musical performance called "At the Hop with the Alley Cats." The Alley Cats is an a capella doo-wop group that performs 50's type music. I was a little kid during the 50's, so this kind of music makes me feel young again.

I will have my animal and landscape prints on display. Also on exhibit will be some graphite pencil portrait prints of 1950's movie stars. Prints can be purchased right there at the show.

My Latest "Beast" Portrait

"Vincent"

I thought I would post my latest Beauty and the Beast portrait. "Vincent" is It 11 X 14 in size was done with colored pencil & Turpenoid. I am going through a stage where I am obsessed with Vincent's face. I am fascinated with the structure and features because his face is part human and part lion. When I look at this portrait, I imagine Vincent is asking me, "And how long have you had this obsession with Beauty & The Beast?"

New Portrait Commission

Last week I got a portrait commission! I was so excited. So now I have the portrait I'm doing for my college literature teacher and this one as well. I can't remember the last time I had two portrait commissions at the same time. I hope this is a sign of the economy getting stronger. I know that for my art business, people seem to be a little more willing to spend money than they were last year or the year before that.

This new portrait has a deadline and has to be completed in a couple of weeks. I have already started on it and it won't take much longer to finish. Since it is a graphite pencil portrait, I can do it fairly quickly. It is the full color portraits that take the longest.

I also taught a workshop at the Vine Arts Studio on Beginning Portraits in pencil. I was very happy to have this opportunity because the last Vine Arts workshop in September got cancelled. No one signed up! That is always disappointing.

It was nice not to have so much homework to do this weekend as I had last weekend. I was able to get a lot more of my own projects completed.

Art Show, Art Lessons and a War Poem

Saturday I hung 15 of my paintings/drawings at St. Luke's Hospital in Eagle. I also gave an art lesson that morning to a fellow class mate from my oil painting class. She was having trouble with tones and values in painting class, so I had her do a black & white & gray tone scale in pencil to help her see the many different variations of tone that there is. She said it really helped her and we are going to have another lesson in two weeks. I am gearing the lessons to what we are doing in oil painting class.

Well, as it turns out I only have one person who wants to take some art lessons in October. So that is what I'm going to do. My goal is to have several people in one class instead of just having one-on-one private lessons, but so far, it hasn't worked out like that. I'll keep trying.

I got bombarded with homework this weekend. Most of it was from my literature class. I spent most of Sunday working on a visual presentation for a poem called "Apostrophe to War." What was cool about it is that I turned it into an art project, experimenting with negative and positive shapes by pasting various photos and newspaper clippings onto a poster board that is on a carousel you can spin around. I call it the War Carousel. I used some fantastic photo references. My dad was a WW2 vet, so I had access to some actual newspapers and magazines from WW2 that use to be his. Then my husband has lots of books with actual WW2 photos.

My First Online Art Purchase!

I have finally been able to put my art up for sale online! And I just sold my first art print online!This is fun and SO easy! My art can now be purchased at www.myfineartstudio.com/bevchick and the payments automatically go into my Paypal account.

I am still working on arranging a workshop of 2 or 4 lessons for the month of October/November before Thanksgiving. I had four people set up and then three out of the four people cancelled on me, but someone has been helping me recruit more people. Why do people tell me they want lessons and then realize they haven't planned enough time, money, etc.? I just don't get it. So hopefully, this fall workshop will get off the ground and fly!

Overcoming Obstacles

This is one of those weeks where life interferes with your plans and your art goals. Last Monday I had to cancel my art demonstration because I got lost on the way to Nampa. I have NO sense of direction sometimes. Next time I will take my GPS with me--my husband. It's cheaper than buy a GPS device. But everything worked out. This art demo is rescheduled for February or March of next year. I was so mad at myself for getting lost. Oh well.....

Then this weekend, I caught a cold. It's hard to work on art when you are sick. You only have half a brain the then you keep sneezing on the art work.

And now for some good news....I have a few more people interested in art lessons, so hopefully I may be able to "squeeze" in some art workshops before the holiday season gets here. One of the problems I have had since the bad recession started, is lots of people want lessons, but when it comes down to scheduling them, they either don't have the time or they don't have the money. DAMN RECESSION! Okay, I vented. Now I feel better.

Just for fun, I started another portrait of Vincent (Ron Perlman) from Beauty & The Beast. It is about 70% done. I wanted to do it first because I knew it would cheer me up; and secondly, because it has really strong contrasts of light and dark that add drama to the portrait. I wanted to capture that light pattern with colored pencil & Turpenoid.

Busy Week Brings New Opportunities

Busy week! Between going to school & homework, working part-time at my cleaning job, then doing a few art shows here and there, I am swamped!

I exhausted myself because I worked Friday at my part-time job, then Saturday morning, I had a downtown art show that I had to set up. At the last minute, I got a chance to be a part of the downtown Capital City Market (Emerging Artists) so I took it. This is always a good show for me because there is no fee involved, so whatever I make is pure profit. Parking and traffic is always irritating, however. Parking is at a premium downtown anyway, but then the only parking lot next to the art show show, where the vendors & artists usually park to unload, was sealed off because it was being resurfaced. Nice timing! But I was happy with the money I made that morning selling my art. Hey, it's the recession...my expectations are low.

Then I have a new commissioned portrait I get to start on! It will be of some kids eating watermelon and it will be full color. I am doing this portrait for my American Literature teacher at BSU! I am very excited about this opportunity.

First Week of School

My first week of school went smoothly and was lots of fun, except for the 104 degree day we had last Thursday. Ugh! Walking across campus felt like taking a trip across the Sahara Desert.

I am taking an American Literature class and an oil painting class. Oil painting is really not a media I prefer to work in, but that is what is required for this class. I had oil painting lessons a long time ago when I was a teenager. I liked it, but found it very messy.

Our first project in oil painting class will be a black & white still life. I don't have the advantage of taking my painting home and working on it because we have to paint from a still life that is set up in class by the teacher.

The coolest thing happened in my literature class. I have the same teacher I had last semester. Anyway, she told me she saw my artwork at a local chiropractic office and asked me to do a portrait of her two grandchildren! A new portrait commission always makes me happy!!!

The Wallabee & Me

I went to the Idaho State fair again this Saturday. I stopped by an Australian Animal Exhibit that the fair had this year and decided to get my photo taken with a baby Wallabee. Wallabee's are just like Kangaroos only smaller. This little guy's name was Boxer and he had very soft fur. He kind of reminded me of my cats. My love for animals would not let me pass up this opportunity!

Bluebird Collage

"Bluebird Collage"

This weekend I finished a colored pencil & Turpenoid collage that I call "Bluebird Collage." The photo I posted above shows most of it, but I couldn't get all of it in It has that flower pedal border on the left side too. And you can't see the very top and the bottom, which also has a little bit of a border. But after I matt and frame it, it will look fantastic.

The poem on the left side says, "Over our head will float the bluebird, singing of beautiful & impossible things--of things that are lovely and that never happen; of things that are not but that should be." This was a poem from an episode of Beauty & The Beast. I loved the way the poem represents the bluebird as a magical creature who sings about beautiful things. It is kind of a symbol of our hopes and dreams. Even if they don't all come true, it is still fun to dream!

The bluebird was created with colored pencil & Turpenoid. And except for the poem, the rest of it was special hand-made paper that was treated with a decopauge craft glue called Mod Podge.

A Day at the Fair

Today I went to the Idaho State Fair with my husband. Since we are not actually going on a vacation this year, this day at the fair was our vacation! So we splurged a bit and ate some wonderful, delicious & fattening 'Fair' food. And since my birthday is next month, I even bought myself a special birthday present from one of the Fair vendors--a beautiful blouse.

I did not win anything in the juried art show, but I was not expecting to, so I really wasn't disappointed. I entered my Beauty & The Beast portrait, "Sweetest Song" and my portrait of the mother elephant with her newborn, "Elephant Walk." I knew that I wouldn't get anything for the Beauty & The Beast portrait because the judges were both men and men hate Beauty and the Beast. B&TB is a woman's story that most men don't relate to it. I have no explanation for why I didn't win anything for the Elephants. One reason I think I didn't win anything is that the art judges the fair picks usually hate anything that is "cute" or sentimental, no matter how good it might be executed. And both of my pieces were just that--cute and/or sentimental. They usually want something different, something wierd or abstract. Of course this is not always the case, but after seeing what pieces of art won and did not win, I could see a bit of this pattern. But you know what? I entered those pieces because they meant something special to me and because I really liked them and not so much because I wanted to win something.

The highlight of my little mini vacation at the fair was that I got to pet a baby wallabee. That was cool! Didn't know they had such soft fur.

Thy Sweet Love Remember'd

"Thy Sweet Love Remember'd"

I'm glad that school starts next week because I am getting bored and I don't want to do any more home improvement projects. There are still plenty more of these annoying types of projects to do, I'm just not real motivated to do them!

I have posted my latest in the series of Beauty & The Beast illustrations that I am doing. These projects combine my colored pencil & Turpenoid portrait art with collage and poetry.

The piece you see above is based on my favorite Shakespeare sonnet which is also featured on the television series, Beauty & The Beast. The last two lines of this sonnet are on the art itself, inside the heart. This sonnet is especially timely right now because of the economic struggles most everyone is going through, myself included. It goes like this:

When in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state,

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,

And look upon myself and curse my fate,

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,

Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,

Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least;

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising.

Haply I think on thee, and then my state,

Like to the lark at break of day arising

From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate:

For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

My Fine Arts Studio Art Show at Syringa Winery

I did an art show this Saturday at the Syringa Winery. Only three artists, including me, were exhibiting. I posted (above) the postcard advertisement about the show. The turnout was low, but I had fun and sold a few pieces of art. I really had fun getting to know my fellow artists. This show was sponsored by My Fine Art Studios. They are representing me now and are helping to promote my art with their website and local art shows. In September, I will be able to sell my art online through Paypal. Can't wait to see how that works out! I stopped selling my art on E-bay because I just wasn't selling and E-bay just keeps taking money out of my account, so I was actually losing money, not making it. Had lots of people say they were interested in buying, but couldn't because they were broke! Such is the economy right now, I guess. At least I know it is the economy and not my artwork!

My Fine Arts Studio will be setting up some shows for me in October & November too. It is nice to have someone do some of the marketing for me. I really don't enjoy that part!

What I like about My Fine Arts Studio is that they are truly interested in helping the artist and are not just in it for the money. They represent integrity and that goes along way with me. They have some great ideas for marketing and promoting too.

You can visit my new website at My Fine Arts Studio at www.myfineartstudio.com/bevchick. I highly recommend this company for artists who want help promoting their art. The company is owned and managed by Casey McMullen of Wiregroove Technology. You can reach him at (208) 466-3123 (Office) or (208) 850-2624 (Mobile Phone).

Can I Lead You Through The Darkness?

"Can I Lead You Through The Dark?"

The quotation at the top of says, "Can I lead you through the darkness?" and the answer, "When I'm with you, Vincent, there is no darkness."

Things are fairly quiet right now, but that will change in September. Right now I am taking advantage of this "free" time to do more Beauty & The Beast theme fine art illustrations. It is really fun and I am learning things about illustration art by doing this. I am playing around with a couple of different "styles" of art, but the one I seem to come back to most often is the usual colored pencil, Turpenoid, and mixed media style, as seen in the illustration I have posted above. This is my latest one. It is called, "Can I Lead You Through The Dark?." It is based on an episode of Beauty & The Beast called, "Dead of Winter."

There is a personal story behind this particular piece of art. It actually has a very spiritual message to it. When Vincent says to Catherine, "Can I lead you through the dark?," it actually refers to my personal spiritual faith. I picture Jesus holding out his hand and saying the same thing to me. This piece of art is a symbol of all the times when the light overtook the darkness and I felt that someone was protecting and guiding me.

Experiments With Paper

I have been experimenting with a few different types of paper to see how colored pencil & Turpenoid work on them. I used cp & Turpenoid on Duralar paper (transparent vellum). It was interesting, but I found I was unable to do much layering on this paper. It just can't take a lot of layering. In order to do a lot of layering, you have to color on the front & back of the paper and/or use another sheet of vellum to add more color and put the two sheets together. It gets too confusing. I like the old method better!

The other type of paper I used was a Canson watercolor paper, Rives paper about 115 wt. It was very odd. I love the texture of this paper because it is soft. But when I tried to layer my colored pencils, the colors come out different. I found that layering one color upon another sometimes made it look muddy or too dark. That doesn't happen with regular watercolor paper. This is a very smooth paper that gives a very soft, fuzzy look, which is nice, but putting Turpenoid over the colored pencil did not always give me the effect I was looking for. I think this paper would be great for watercolor, but not so much for colored pencil.

Pencil Sketches as Finished Art

"Can I lead you through the dark?"

I just made the most amazing discovery! I found that I can get some really cool and fantastic pencil sketches off my DVD player when I'm watching a movie. I just press pause button and make a sketch. Why haven't I been doing this before? I decided to do some sketches from an episode of Beauty & The Beast called Dead of Winter. The process was really fun--once I figured out how to operate my remote control! I posted a few of these sketches above.

As I watched an episode of Beauty and the Beast and used the "pause" button, I did graphite pencil sketches on a small sketchpad. Then I scanned them, enlarged them, then printed them out. I was actually surprised to see that they look really good enlarged. For some reason I thought they wouldn't because they were too loosely done. When I do this kind of fast sketching, I switch to an entirely different style that is very loose and free, not like my usual tightly controlled style I have when I work with colored pencil & Turpenoid. When I enlarged these small drawings, I thought, "These look good enough they could be considered finished pieces. It's just that they are done in a different, more contemporary style." I guess this was kind of a "wow" moment for me because I was looking at it from a different perspective. I had gotten it into my head that a drawing isn't good unless it has that very realistic and overly detailed look. I'm beginning to see that is not true.

Last Class Project--Oil and Turpenoid

"Owl" (Oil Paint and Turpenoid)

A month has gone by and my class, Drawing 212, is over. The last class was today. I have posted a photo of my last project assignment from this class. This is actually an oil painting that was done combining paint and Turpenoid. It comes out kind of watery and thin. You can actually move the paint around with your finger or a rag. It was a messy, smelly process, but it was fun.

This class was a good fit for me because it dealt with mediums and techniques I was not familar with. The artwork we did in this class was most focused on black and white, with only a little bit of color involved. If this class had been about graphite and colored pencil, I would not have learned as much because I already know about that medium. But I am not very familiar with charcoal, gesso, pen and oil paint and those are the mediums we used in this class. I have had a tendency to try and use a pen like it was a pencil and it just doesn't work that way. In this class I learned a lot of pen techniques and how to create a good drawing without having to erase. I also learned how to draw with a wash of oil paint and solvent, and I learned about some interesting ways to use gesso. I also learned that the beauty of a pen drawing lies in not controling the pen, but in the lack of control. Some of my best work came from me just fooling around not trying to control the pen, but letting it do whatever it wanted to and experimenting with it. This class was not work, it was play! And thanks to my teacher, I now have a few more artistic tricks up my sleeve!

New Catherine & Vincent Portrait FINALLY done!

Detail of Vincent--The Beast

The middle of this portrait isn't pictured, but this is the top and the bottom

I am so excited because I finally have had some time for myself to do my OWN art projects. Usually I am doing homework art projects, or planning art lessons, or something else has my time that doesn't even relate to art. But during this July 4th weekend I finally have been able to finish a project that I have had a real passion for. It has been in the works for about two or three months. Lately I have become interested in (okay, maybe obsessed with) the characters of Catherine and Vincent from the 1980's TV show, Beauty and the Beast. This show is really unique and has some of the most beautiful music, poetry, and romance you will ever see. There is a depth to it that you just don't find on television today. It is not just a TV show, it is a philosophy of living. It speaks to my heart and has given me much encouragement over the past few months. And since I am all about music, poetry, art and beauty, what could be more perfect for me?

So folks--here it is! I couldn't scan the entire thing, so I had to scan it in three parts. You have use your imagination and put the parts together. The portrait was made using colored pencil & turpenoid, but the rest of it was a collage of different pieces. The sheet music are from the Beauty and the Beast theme song and the poem at the bottom is actually from the show. It says 'Across what instrument have we been spanned? And what violinist holds us in his hands? O Sweetest Song.'

Does this rock or what????!!! I really love how it turned out!!

Angel Cats

The above illustration is actually an assignment for my Drawing class at BSU. My scanner isn't quite large enough to get all of it. I call this piece "Angel Cats." This assignment involved using a laser jet copy of a photo (black & White), then expanding it into something else. It has to be in black and white with only a touch of color as a highlight. So the color part is actually the paper, which looks like clouds and blue sky.

I used photos of my cats, Maynard and Bonzai Pete as models and put wings on them. This is particularly appropriate, since Maynard actually died last year, but I like to pretend that he is still around in spirit. Or maybe he really IS an angel who watches over me??! Pete is pushing 19 years old, which is about 95 in cat years, so he will be there with Maynard someday.

I have two other artworks that are very close to being done, but am running into some slight problems. I misplaced a portrait I did of my mother-in-law's dog, Micah and can't finish it until I find it!!! The other problem is that I misplaced some sheet music that I was going to use as a back ground (in collage form) for a Beauty and the Beast portrait I have finished. What is up with this? I think it is time to de-clutter and organize so that maybe this won't happen again. (LOL)

Eagle Art Show a Bust

This weekend I tried to sell my art at the Eagle Art Faire. It was a bomb! It was a HUGE amount of work with very little results. I had four sales. Hardly anyone came out so there was very little customer foot traffic. It was advertised as being "at the river" but it was not. If I had known it was going to be this bad, I would not have done this show. However, I did make some really good contacts, which MIGHT make it all worth it. I made a connection with Arts West about possibly becoming an art teacher there. There are opportunities to teach even if you don't have your BA degree. I also did some trades with other vendors so no monies were exchanged. This also helped to make it all worthwhile. If I get a portrait commission from this show, then I will feel I got my money's worth.

On Friday it was horribly humid while I was setting up for this show. It made me feel sick for awhile. I had to go home and change clothing. Thank God my husband was there to help me set with the set-up. Then on the way over to the show, I was in a fender-bender! Fortunately, no one was hurt and my car wasn't damaged at all. There was very minor damage to the other car. The encounter was less than pleasant, however. The other person involved in the accident was a real jerk.

As if battling a mean-spirited driver was not enough, I also had to battle weather problems at this show. A very scarey wind gust (50-60 MPH winds) blew through the art show on Friday and did damage to many of the booths. Fortunately, it did not damage my booth.

I enjoyed talking to fellow artists, especially Venture Coy and Joyce Green. I met some great people to, and in spite of the obstacles, I did have some measure of fun. However, I don't think I will be doing this show next year though. It was just too much pain and not enough gain!

Teapot Safari

Today I finished my Drawing 212 homework assignment that is due this coming Monday. I posted a smaller version of this homework assignment above. The actual drawing I'm turning in is too big for my scanner, but this version looks a lot like the final version. I think I will call it "Teapot Safari."

I wanted to go with the driftwood monster that looked like it was eating the teapot elephant (see previous post), but my teacher said that I couldn't have two characters in my drawing--only one.

Sketchbook Drawings

My Teapot Elephant being swallowed up by the driftwood monster!

The Stone Garden by the Historical Museum

A portrait of Vincent from Beauty & The Beast


A Peasant I did from a book on pen & ink drawings by Alan E. Cober

I thought I would post some of the drawings from the class I've been taking at BSU (Drawing 212). These are from my sketchbook. The teacher is having us do only black and white drawings using different media such as charcoal, pen, and ink wash with brush. This class is stretching me a bit because one of the rules for our sketchbook is we can't erase. And I rarely use pen or ink because I prefer graphite pencil. But I am learning some techniques using pen and ink that I didn't know before. I am learning how to create nicely done drawings very quickly without erasing and that feels very good because I tend to be a slow artist. I can spend months on just one piece.

We are currently working on a project that involves using a photo of any environment (inside or outside) and then placing an object like an ink bottle, keys, or a teapot in that environment using mostly black and white with only a smidge of color. My drawing will be from a photo I took at Morrison Park. The object I chose that will be placed in this environment is going to be a teapot, but not just any teapot! It is a character I created that is part teapot and part elephant. I will post the final drawing next week. It's due this coming Monday.

Wet Art & Roses

It was a WET Art & Roses! Mother Nature was extremely uncooperative on Sunday! I hung my show, including the framed art, on the Saturday before the show. Then I came in Sunday morning, my tablecloths were wet, which baffles me because all four canopy walls were down. I also found that my huge 24 X 30 of the lioness and her cub was on the ground and the back of it was wet! (Fortuntely, the actual art was unharmed.) The wire had broken and it was a strong wire too, so what was up with that, I don't know. So my 'show piece', the one that people "oooo and ahh" about, had to be taken home for repair. Fortunately, I brought several new pictures that I could hang up in place of that one.

In terms of sales, I did about the same as last year. I was grateful that anyone at all came out in the rain! Sales weren't terrific, but it could have been a lot worse. In spite of the weather, I enjoyed myself and met a lot of great people. I got some good leads on marketing my art too.

Art & Roses This Sunday

My class, Foundations of Education is officially over! I just completed my final test--all essay questions. I had a lot of fun in this class and learned a lot about teaching and school systems, both public and private. I made some great new friends too. I start another summer school class (Drawing 212) this coming Monday.

This Sunday is the Art and Roses show at Julia Davis Park. I will be in this show with my original paintings and some note cards. I can't sell prints or rock animals at this show. Setting up this show is a lot of work, but I make enough money on it that it is worth it. It has been raining so much lately, I am praying it doesn't rain much this Sunday. Having an outdoor art show in the rain really sucks! I will post another blog after the show and let everyone know how it went.

Summer School and Art Shows

I recently found out that I got A's in both my classes from last spring semester! (English Literature and Education Technology) Yay! The class I'm taking now, Foundations of Education, is almost over and it seems like it just started! But for summer school that is normal because summer school classes are boot camps that are short and quick. I just took a big test and wrote an essay about my philosophy of education. Now I have only one more week of class then it's over! I have to do a group presentation with two other classmates on the subject of Character Education. Then I have a take-home test to take and it will be done!

I have been finding time, in between reading and homework, to continue working on my Beauty and the Beast portrait art, which is also going to have some collage in it. It is very close to being done and that is the most exciting part! I am particularly interested in putting together the collage part of this portrait, since this is something I don't do very often. It will be like exploring new territory and that is always interesting for an artist!

Oh, I have SO much to do this Memorial Day weekend! I have to prepare for the Art and Roses show. Then next Friday I am driving up to Stanley, Idaho to restock more of my art work to sell in their gift shop this summer. The month of June is going to be loco crazy busy!

Beauty & The Beast Portrait Art

This past week I discovered an old CD I had not played in about ten years. It is a CD with music and poetry that was from the 1980's Television show, Beauty and the Beast, with Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton. (Yes, I was a huge fan of that show.) I had forgotten how beautiful and inspiring the music & poetry was on this CD. My English Literature course at school rekindled my love for poetry. Anyway, I enjoyed this CD so much that it was an artistic muse that inspired me to come up with a great idea for a "Beauty and the Beast" portrait. This portrait will be colored pencil with a collage background, so I guess it would be considered mixed media. I have posted a photo that I will be using as a reference for my portrait.

I spent Friday night and almost the entire Saturday working on it and it is 80% done! It has been a long time since I have actually taken the time to block out an entire day for nothing but my artwork. I had so much fun! Usually, if it is artwork, it is related to my school classes, or something that pertains to my art business, Chick Artistic Creations. This time it was just for me. I need to find the time to do this kind of thing more often!

So far, this portrait is turning out fantastic! I learned something very interesting. I am comparing this portrait to one I did of Catherine & Vincent in the late 1980's and I can see a difference. While the portrait I did in the 1980's is good, this one is fantastic! I can see the progress I have made in my artistic skill over the past 20 years! Sometimes personal improvement and development happens so slowly, that you don't really notice it until you compare the 'before and after' picture.

Another reason I decided to do this portrait now is because I will be teaching a portrait workshop over the next couple of Saturdays in May. It has been ages since I did a portrait and I needed to experience the process of portraiture so I could explain some of the techniques I used to my students.

One of the main messages in Beauty and the Beast is 'follow your heart' even if you have to take a risk. Reconnecting with this show and doing this portrait has been a healing experience for me. Making a living as an artist is 'taking a risk' but it is the right choice for me!

Unusual Art Commission--a Rock Animal, a B-17 and the Smokey Mountains!

Today I got an order that came from the Women's Show exhibit I did last Saturday. A client came over and bought some of my prints and also commissioned me to do a few things! I will be making a Stone Critter rock animal of a Boston Bull terrier. I will also be composing a pencil sketch that will include the Smokey Mountains and a B-17 plane flying over them. The final sketch/composition will be used as a template that will be etched out onto a grave marker. I don't think I have ever had a art commission request quite like this before, but I'm excited to be doing it.

The Women's Show

The Women's Show of Idaho was last Saturday. I enjoyed the show, but sales were really, really down and almost non-existent. Most vendors did not do much business. I know I didn't. However, I made some contacts that may lead to future art students or portrait commissions. Besides, their was no booth fee, so it was no loss, financially. This was the very first time for this show and I think it could have used more advertising. This may be a continuing once-a-year show. If it is, I hope it continues to grow and pull in more people looking to spend money!

School is over for the semester. I have this entire week off before summer school class starts May 17th. I plan to catch up on some projects at home, including yard work, and do some art work that is not school-related.

Spring Semester 2010 Is Over!

Wow! Where has the time gone? I am completing my last few assignments and projects for my college classes. The spring semester of 2010 will officially be over for me as of Wednesday, May 5th! (Cinco De Mayo Day) Then starting May 17th I start a new summer school class called Foundations of Education. And once again, the government is paying for it! Yay! However, I do have to purchase my own books this time.

I have been pushing to finish up my class work because this Saturday, May 8th, I will be exhibiting my art at the Women's Show of Idaho. And I have some more rock animals to paint and some art prints to prepare, etc. I figure I will take Wednesday through Friday and concentrate just on this show.

The only art work I have been doing this past week has been making origami Star Books. It is mostly folding, cutting and using lots of glue. This is a new item that I will be selling at the Women's Show and also at the Sawtooth Artisan Gift Shop in Stanley, Idaho. Star books can be used as a hanging decoration, or as a place to store flat items and keepsakes. They are really cool looking! I learned how to make them last year when I volunteered as a teacher's aide at the Boise Art Museum's Spring Art Camp for kids and in my Art Methods class at BSU.

Anticipation

This is my latest work. I call it "Anticipation". It is made using watercolor, colored pencil, pastel and just a little white acrylic.

Speaking of anticipation, I am anticipating the end of my Spring semester at BSU. Only a few weeks left of my two classes and then I go into my summer schedule. I am looking forward to going to summer school this year. I am taking a drawing class this summer!

The Journey

I often think of my life as an artist and BSU art student like it was a journey similar to the journey Frodo and Sam went on in Lord of the Rings. The journey is both glorious and painful. There are both victories and defeats. And as much as you would try to avoid them, there are always battles that pop up when you least expect them. Ever since I have decided to go forward with my dream to get my BFA in art education, I have encountered various types of "attacks" directed towards me. Someimes they come through a job, as an employee having to cope with a bad boss. Sometimes the attacks come from someone I thought was my friend but really wasn't. Sometimes the attacks come from a church I am attending. They all spell one thing--betrayal! An evil force trys to keep you from pursuing your goal. This enemy wants to discourage you enough so you will stop pursuing your dreams. This enemy strikes you where it hurts the most--at your heart.

I believe there is both good and evil in the world The evil has to be fought. Just as Gandolf said to the King in Lord of the Rings/Two Towers, "War is upon you, whether you would have it or not."

At one point in his journey, Frodo was at a very low point and he wanted to give up. He was emotionally exhausted from the attacks he was having to face. Frodo said, "What's the use? There is TOO much evil around us." Sam told Frodo that there is a reason to keep going. In spite of all the evil in the world, there is still some good and that is what is worth fighting for. That is why we should keep on going.

A simple truth, but very true. As long as I see good people around me, I will continue to fight for what is right.

Monty Python, Redneck Art & Other Art Related Videos

Today I have been doing some research on You Tube for my Ed Tech class I am taking. I am looking for videos that I could use in a classroom, teaching art. I found several I liked, but one really was unique. It is called "Redneck Art made with BBQ Ribs--Speed Painting." A new form of art--BBQ sauce! The artist creates the picture by working with the negative space instead of the positive space. Check it out. For your enjoyment, I have included all of my favorite art-related You-Tube videos. They are 1) Monty Python Art Gallery - A demonstration of what not to do when you visit an art gallery; 2)"Redneck Art" video as previously mentioned; 3)The Art of Vincent Van Gogh; 4) Women in Art; 5) Bent Objects - about food art; 6) Two Father Guido Sarducci videos--one is on art school and the other is called "The Five Minute University." Enjoy!

Colors and Moods

moods1

See more presentations by tdruttman Upload your own PowerPoint presentations

I thought I would post this little slide show that I found on Authorstream.com. This is a Power Point slide show called "Moods" by Tricia Ruffman. It describes the color of moods and what they represent. It shows photos of an object that uses that color. It is to be used by a teacher who would be instructing children.

I would like to use this slide show but change it to an art lesson for kids under 12. I love the idea of creating moods with colors. I think it would make an excellent art project for children to teach them how to create a "mood" drawing or painting. Ask them "What mood do you want to create with your art? " You could ask them to create a story using colors as moods. You could also use this idea for high schoolers. I think it would be very effective for teens because that is the age of moodiness and hormones, so it would be a perfect fit!

I could use Authorstream.com to download my presentation of Moods & Colors and show it to the class to prepare them for an upcoming art project. Then I could use either a projector and a large screen, or individual computers/laptops in the classroom. (a computer lab).

Upstream People Gallery Online Art Exhibit

"Walking Through The Fire" Isaiah 43:2

"Passing Through The Waters" Isaish 43:2

This week I received some very great news! I have been accepted into the 12th Annual Judeo-Christian Online Juried Art Exhibit that is currently on the website of Upstream People Gallery in Omaha, Nebraska! This show will be online for an entire year. There were 130 applicants and I was chosen along with about 4 or 5 other artists. Walking Through the Fire (Isaish 43:2), Passing Through the Waters (Isaiah 43:2), Angel Aura, Smooth Landing, and Three Crosses-John 3:16 are the titles of the artworks that are in this show. You can view it on http://www.upstreampeoplegallery.com/. I am hoping this exhibit will bring me a lot more exposure and lead to sales!

This has been an interesting week. I have had both victories and battles. There was victory with the Upstream People Gallery show and there was the victory of finally getting a tenant for one of our rooms downstairs. But there were also battles. This week one of our cars broke down and we were without a second vehicle all week long. We had to rearrange our schedule a bit. I also had to deal with a situation that was so stressful, it made me physically ill. I had to set a boundary with a person who was taking advantage of me and playing control & power games. It was hard and I had to endure anger and some pain. But it was worth it to me. My artwork (pictured above), Walking Through the Fire and Passing Through the Waters, illustrates that it is possible to go through difficult situations and still come out of them safely without getting harmed. And you become a strong person for it too.

We have also had some very "wierd" weather this spring break week. At a time when you would expect springtime weather, it suddenly turns to snow, hail, wind, rain and the temperature drops about 20 degrees. Suddenly you feel you are in winter again. You feel discouraged because it looks like spring got lost! But you have to look beyond the circumstances because in a week or two, spring weather will appear and it will be different. I thought that this is a good illustration of life--especially mine! Sometimes when things seem really bad and you think there is no hope, circumstances change suddenly. Things aren't always the way they seem. That is definitely the lesson that the weather has taught me this week.

Classroom Netiquette Guidelines

As part of my homework assignment for Education Technology, I am posting my classroom rules for using the internet. Internet etiquette is called "Netiquette". I typed this and formatted it in Word 2007 but it didn't copy exactly when I tried to paste it to this blogsite and it left out the nice looking art graphic. Since my goal is to teach high school art, this was made for high school students in mind.

Classroom Netiquette Guidelines
Boise Campus High School


Don’t Hurt Others

* Treat others as you would want them to treat you. Remember that people on the internet are real people too.

* Be polite and courteous. Don’t use the internet for swearing, anger, threats or insulting people.


* DON’T USE ALL CAPITALS! It is interpreted as “shouting” and is rude.

Be Responsible & Ethical

* Use classroom computers appropriately. Do not use them to exchange personal information, especially passwords.

* Do not download any files, photos, music or video without your teacher’s permission.

* Visit only the Internet sites provided to you by teacher. Never search online without having an adult with you. There are unsafe sites on the internet.

* Respect other people’s privacy

* Make sure the information you post on the internet is correct and factual.

* Respect other people’s time when using in-class computers. If other people are waiting to use the classroom computer, don’t “hog” the computer.

* Do not plagiarize. Cite your sources.

Communicate Effectively & Exercise Good Writing Skills

* Communicate in a way that makes you look good. Use proper grammar & spelling. Write clearly.
* Respond properly to emails and other online messages. Show people that you value their time.

Take Care of the Equipment

* Do not eat or drink around computers or keyboards. Do not place food or drink around them.
* Always log-out (sign-off) of computers when you are finished.

Women's Show of Idaho

GOOD NEWS! I found out this week that I have been accepted into the Women's Show of Idaho as one of the 15 featured artists! HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY! And I don't have to pay any booth fee! This is really good news and will be good exposure for my business, Chick Artistic Creations. I will have a booth and I may also be giving a demonstration as well. It will be on May 8th, Saturday, at the Idaho fairgrounds (now called Idaho Expo).

MORE GOOD NEWS!! I may have at least one person, maybe two, who are interested in becoming a tenant and renting one of the rooms downstairs. This will help us tremendously, bringing extra income. Now I don't have to feel so pressured to go out and get some part-time job which I really don't have time for anyway with my classes, homework, taking care of the house, and working my art business. When is there any time for art work anyway? It is kind of difficult to be an artist if you NEVER have any time for your artwork!

The Cat Show

The Cat Show has come and gone and I am at home now getting ready for school on Monday. I really enjoyed the show and seeing all the cute kitty-cats. I didn't do as well in sales as I did the previous years, but I made some good contacts. And I did enough sales that it was worth it to me. I connected with a few more people who are interested in taking art lessons from me. I also may do some collaboration work with another vendor, combining her products with my art work.

The only mishap I had during this show is that my cash box locked up and I couldn't get it open. I had put all my change and important papers for the cat show inside it. (Murphy's Law strikes again!) I had lost the key a long time ago so forget trying to unlock it! So my husband pried it open. By the time it was open, it was all bent and smashed and wasn't worth keeping. So I tossed it out.

I had a sort of epiphany this weekend. I decided that instead of wasting my time looking for a part-time job that I can NEVER find, I am just going to expand my art business and make that my job. I was meant to be an artist and an art teacher and I am TIRED of splitting myself into two careers--my art business and another non-art related part-time job. I really need more time for my art, not less time. Since the bad economy is making is near to impossible to find a job right now, I might as well work at what I do the best--making art, selling art, and giving art lessons!

So if I'm going to step it up I am going to have to find more time to actually create art. I want to offer some new product lines when I do shows. I haven't decided yet what those products will be.

The Cat Show and New Art Students!

"Got Milk?" Time to get you cleaned up

ready for the cat show March 20-21 at the Idaho Fairgrounds!

This weekend I turned on my computer and the monitor started doing some wierd things, then I saw what looked like a black silhouette of a person staring back at me. I thought, "Wow, this looks like something I've seen on Ghost Hunters!" But it was NOT paranormal--just your average, everyday normal monitor burn out! It is interesting that my monitor decided to blow up on the weekend that my husband was on a business trip. I think that my computer planned it that way. Anyway, it turned out not to be too much of a problem. Sunday, I went to a thrift store and got a used monitor for only $4.00 and it works great! This recession/depression has made me a very thrifty shopper.

This week my main goal is to prepare (as an art vendor) for the Cat Show at the Idaho Fairgrounds this weekend. I am making sure that I have enough rock animals, prints and note cards. Then I will set up the show on Friday afternoon. I advertised this show on my facebook page. I hope lots of people come and that I make really good sales!

Some good news!! I am just beginning to start art lessons again at my home. I got a call from a former art student who wants to take more lessons, so the first lesson was Saturday. It felt good to be teaching art at my home again. I have missed doing this.

It was WONDERFUL to
actually get paid for doing something that I love to do! I also got another call from someone who wants art lessons as well, so things are really looking up! Maybe this is a sign that the recession is going away??? This is not a great time to be earning a living as a freelance artist, but these two new art students gave me hope!

Hmmm... since I got two new students, maybe I should try for more! I'm going to work on some ideas to get more students. Perhaps the time is right to reopen the Beverly Chick Art School that was temporarily closed due to poor economy.

Spreadsheets

My version of Rock Art--A "Stone Critter" Isn't he cute?

This is another blog entry that is part of my Ed Tech Class homework. I am evaluating a spreadsheet lesson plan called "Sacred Art" that I found on the Building Bridges with Technology web site.

Description of Project: This evaluation was divided into six categories: Activity Description, Learning Issues, Resource Management, Materials, Assessment & Other. It included the following:

• A study of Tibetan Buddhist Monks and sacred sand Mandala art. This study included watching a PowerPoint Presentation, study questions to answer, and an opportunity to actually observe some Buddhist Monks creating a Mandala.


• Taking a look at Navajo Sand Paintings which have interesting parallels with Tibetan Mandalas


• Students use Internet to find examples of Navajo Rock Art and also take a look at the rock art of southern Idaho.


• Students create their own rock art then they make their own PowerPoint presentation on rock art.

This presentation was for 9th graders, which is the same grade level (9-12 grade) that I would use it for. I was intrigued by this lesson because it had to do with rock art. I am a rock animal artist and thought it would be fun to use this lesson to teach my version of rock animal painting.

I would change this lesson just a little. I wouldn't include the Buddhist Monk Mandalas or Navajo Sand paints, but would focus mostly on the rock art of the Native American Indians, including their cultural beliefs about spirit animals, and the rock art from India. I might not have as many activities as the original presentation did, which was about 20 hours long. But I would include things like actual hands-on rock art painting, class written assignments, maybe some Internet and PowerPoint projects too. It would be cool to include a museum field trip.

Cool Teachers Podcast Episode 40

Today I listened to Episode 40 of Cool Teachers Podcast. This blog is actually part of my homework for Education Technology Class. Anyway, this podcast talked about a tool or program you can use that has to do with Fair Use laws. You go to the Creative Comments website and you can get anything licensed on this website under "Attribution." This intrigues me because we studied Fair Use in my Art 108 3-D class last semester. There was a lesson on Attribution and Fair Use. I need to find this website and check it out because I can definitely use this in the art classes I teach and will teach in the future.

In my Art 108 3-D class the teacher said that the Fair Use Law says anything out there in the public is okay to use in your art as long as you don't copy it exactly. Generally, if the original art has been transformed to look like something else, it shouldn't be illegal. But sometimes this argument doesn't work if a lot of money is involved that has to do with how much money the artist received from the art that was appropriated.

Another thing on this Episode 40 of Cool Teacher's Podcast that I found interesting was about Sploder.com. This is a video game site where you can create your own games. I am not really a video game person but this intrigued me because you can use these games in your classroom as a clever way to get your students to interact with each other, and learn something at the same time. Cool idea!

No Time For Art?

I have been so wrapped up with my classes at Boise State University that I haven't had much time for doing art work and that is NOT a good thing! I am feeling the need to connect with my art. I started a great piece that is actually a cat looking into a fish bowl, watching the fish swim around. But I haven't gotten back to it in two or three weeks.

Another reason I haven't spent time doing my art is because I have been busy getting the downstairs bathroom and guest rooms ready to rent out to tenants as a way to get some extra income. They aren't being used so I thought, why not rent them out? They are finally done and we just have to do some minor clean-up work. I also have to hang up some curtains in one of the rooms. I just started advertising for tenants last week.

This past week I created my first Power Point presentation for my Education Technology class. I used my own art and it is actually an art lesson called "Pencil Techniques." I will use it someday in an actual class setting.

In a couple of weeks I will be at the Idaho Cat Show as one of the vendors, selling my art. Then in April I will be teaching an art workshop on Portraits at the VineArts studio.

Ed Tech Assignment--Technology in my Classroom

Okay, I listened to Cool Teachers Podcast Episode 36 and 37 and I have come to the conclusion that I am still in the dark ages of technology because I don't know what my Ed Tech teacher, Chris Haskell, is talking about half the time! But I do find it very interesting and it makes me want to learn more.

Of all the technology that was discussed on "Cool Teachers", what I found would be most applicable to me as an art teacher is Adobe, Auto Desk and something new called I-Work Create Activity Suite. I-Work Create is a digital drawing pad. I am starting to see that I could teach a class on drawing or painting that could include simulating a specific art medium (like watercolor) on a computer, so I could give students the experience of painting or drawing on the computer. I actually have never tried this before, but I am curious to do so someday. I think it would be interesting to use in an art classroom.

Adobe and Auto Desk (both art-related software) were mentioned in Episode 36. I have never tried Auto Desk and I don't really know what it can do, but I have tried Adobe Photoshop. I could probably find a way to use one or both of these programs in my classroom. I am still stumbling through Adobe Photoshop, so I don't know all of what it can do. I wonder if I could use Photoshop to visually show a student what could be done with their drawing/painting in a sort of critique of "What if you did this?"

I have to add a quick note. This past week I have been teaching myself Word 2007 in one of the BSU computer labs. Although it has greatly changed from what I use at home, which is Word 2000, I love it! I am learning how to create a newsletter in Word 2007 and I LOVE using the graphics and all the other art features. Someday, hopefully soon, I will have this installed into my computer at home.

Jigsaw Teaching Method - Ed Tech Assignment

This entry is actually assigned homework for my Ed Tech class. It has to do with the Jigsaw method of teaching. It works like this. You divide your classroom into several groups (3-5) with about 3-5 students per group. Each group is to report on a certain subject. A leader is assigned to each group and each person in that group takes a specific section of that subject to research on. They do their research either from books or on computers. Then they get together with members from other groups who have been assigned the same section to research on. They collaborate and trade information with each other. Then they go back to their original Jigsaw group and each of them makes a report to the group.

My assignment is to think of how I would use this method in my classroom with only 5 computers to use and to discuss advantages and disadvantages of this method. My focus is to teach the students word processing skills as well as teach them about art.

Since my specialty as a teacher is art, I would probably teach something like art history or drawing and painting. For now, let's assume it is a high school class. One of my favorite periods of art history is the Impressionistic period from 1880's through early 1900's. Let's say I have 3 or 4 groups of 3-4 students each. The main topic--The Impressionistic Period (1880's - early 1990's) would be divided into the following sections: 1) Beginning of Impressionistic period & how is began, Edward Manet, Paul Cezanne, George Seurat; 2) Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Degas, Monet; 3) Mary Cassatt, Renoir, Toulouse Lautrec, End of Impressionistic period and what were the contributing factors.

One student in each group would take one of the three categories mentioned above (or I could split it into four categories if needed). They would use books, etc. that I would provide for them and research the following information: What kind of art did this artist do, what was their style and contribution to Impressionistic movement, what famous works are they known for, etc. This can include short bio, but not too long.

When they gathered their information they would write it down in their own words on a piece of paper, as a report. Then they would get together with their "expert groups" and trade or collaborate information so they all had a fully complete report. When the report was completed, one member of the group would go to one of the computers, using word processing software (Word 2007) and type a professional looking report, or several people in the group could get a chance to do some work (typing or insert a graphic) on the report, using the same computer station. If part of the objective is to get students familiar with word processing, then the students not doing the actually typing, would observe to see what was being done. If I had a printer in the room, they could print it out too. They would go back to original jigsaw group and make their individual reports to each other.

Advantages of this method: Face-to-face interaction, develops social skills, encourages teamwork & individual accountability, works well for bright students as well as for the slower ones.

Disadvantages of this method: Might be hard for everyone to use the computer since there is only five stations available. There might be some confusion about who gets to use the computer and when so you would have to set up a specific schedule and monitor this. Sometimes you might get a student who dominates the group or a slower student. Or you might get the problem of students being overly competitive or rowdy.

Eagle Informer Publishes Article About Me

I just thought I would post the article about me that is in the February issue of Eagle Informer. I was surprised that they published three of the digital photos of my art that I sent in. I thought the layout was a bit strange because they have my artwork next to some photographer who is the featured artist at St. Luke's and the photographer's photos are on the opposite page. Not the way I would have arranged it, but it is fantastic to get free publicity, so I'm not complaining!

I you want to see my exhibit, come to the Eagle City Hall during the month of February.

The Eagle City Hall Art Show or Beverly Versus The Cable Wire Hook Things

Murphy's law says that when you estimate how much time it will take to complete a project, it will always take at least twice that long. Murphy is correct. How long could it take to hang 8 to 10 paintings on a wall? Well, what I thought would be a simple art exhibit set up at Eagle City Hall took 3 hours and I'm STILL not finished!

I got there with my husband and we started hanging the art on the cable wire hooks. We discovered that the cable wires are really hard to move. You have to get way, way up to the top of the ceiling and move them from there. Well, I'm short (vertically challenged) and even with a ladder, this kind of thing doesn't work too well for me, but fortunately my husband was able to accomplish this to I could space out the art exactly right.

Then I discovered I didn't properly prepare two of the title cards (the sign that goes on the art piece that has the title of the art and the price.) So I have to go back home and get those done. I also discovered that there was an extra hook on two of the cable wires, giving me room to hang two other pieces of art. I only brought 8 paintings and there was room for two more. Gotta go back home again.

I go back home, get the title cards done and pick up two more paintings, and I get my artist biography laminated so I can stick it on the wall as part of the exhibit. Then I go back to Eagle City Hall, without my husband. Silly me, I thought I could do this without his help. What was I thinking? I finish hanging all the art just the way I want it to look. But then I have a little wall on the other side of the room that needs one more picture there. Seems like an easy fix, right? WRONG! Two of the cables got stuck and those suckers would NOT move for me at all. The frustrating thing about it was that I wanted these things to move to the left, and they only wanted to move to the right. I swear those cable wire hook things hate me and they were doing this on purpose!

By this time it is almost 5:00 p.m. and the place closes at 6:00 p.m. I decide to call it a day and go home. I'll finish hanging the rest tomorrow. Round Two of Beverly vs. The Cable Wire Hook Things starts Tuesday, after my English Literature class.

Artist of the Month At Eagle City Hall

"Maynard On Roses"

On display at Eagle City Hall during month of February

Tomorrow I am taking a trip to the Eagle City Hall to hang my art up in their lobby because I am the featured artist for the month of February. I booked this show about a year ago. There is an article about me in one of the free Eagle city magazines, but I haven't seen it yet. I will try and post a copy of this article on my blog as soon as I locate this magazine.

The city hall has room for eight pieces of art, so I chose what I thought were my best pieces and respresented me the best. The pieces that will be on exhibit are Still Waters, Got Nuts?, Otter Odyssey, Horseplay in the Daisies, Reaching For The Star, Maynard On Roses, Autumn at Hidden Lake, and Salmon River in Stanley. So after my Ed Tech class in the morning, I go to Eagle City Hall with my little ladder and hang my pictures on cable wire hangers. I get to choose where the art work goes and arrange it the way I want t0--just like a professional art gallery curator. Cool!

If you are in Eagle during the month of February, stop by the City Hall and see the show!