Tag Archives: students

Private Lessons

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Teaching is an active profession. Filling my time in the classroom is never a problem, I’m always moving from one student to the next; fetching supplies, showing new techniques, and discussing what the kids are creating. Sometimes it’s hectic, but I enjoy my students’ creative enthusiasm. It suits me and contrasts nicely with the quiet time I spend making my artwork.

Then there are the private lessons. In the beginning, I had doubts that I could quietly observe and guide only one person. What would I do with all the spare time? It turns out that these hours are some of the happiest of my work week. I’ve gotten to know some wonderful people and share their artistic successes.

Self Portrait, Age 12

Self Portrait, Age 12

Above is a self-portrait by one of my favorite students.  She has just turned thirteen and is smart and creative, and we have an excellent rapport. She challenges me but also respects my advice. We first met when she was nine and I’ve been working with her for a little over three years. She may want a career in art and I want to give her a good start; lots of basic knowledge balanced by her interests and curiosity. One of the ways we’re marking her progress is that she periodically paints a horse.  

Horse painted in the 4th grade.

First Horse, painted in the 4th grade.

It was one of the first images she painted with me and repeating it was her idea.  She’s serious about her artwork and is willing to take time to build a strong portfolio. This first picture, above, is well composed and the pink horse is delightful.  For the latest depiction, I wanted her to create a grayscale painting and use glazes to add the color.  It’s an old technique, but the understanding gained was worth all her hard work.

Grisaille underpainting.

Grisaille underpainting.

The final painting. Glazes of color were used over the underpainting. The musculature of the animal shows through sheer color.

The finished painting. Glazes of color were applied over the underpainting so that the  musculature of the animal shows through the sheer color.

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Her lastest painting is a watercolor. It’s a wonderful tribute to a dog friend who passed away. Much love and care went into making this special work.

I’m amazed at how her technical ability has grown over the past three years and I’m looking forward to seeing how her talent evolves.  She has the intellect  and the drive and her portfolio is off to a good start!

First Day Jitters

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Self Portraits, created by students from Saint Francis de Sales Elementary, 2013/14 school year.

For the last few years, I’ve been teaching art at two different schools. Getting to know the kids over a period of time has its advantages.  I appreciate Sally’s beautiful line drawings and  Thunder’s colorful and bold designs and it’s easy to guide students to a deeper understanding of art making when you know them and how they approach an assignment.  I’m delighted to see all the kid’s skills develop and that moment, around the 4th grade when those who were struggling to understand observational drawing finally grasp how it works, makes me as happy as it does them. Most of my students apply what I teach them and build on previous lessons, and because of this, their artwork is confident and inventive. This year, I’ve added a new school to the mix. One of my teaching partners, Sofia Atmatzidou-Eulgem and I are creating  an art program for 230 students grades Kindergarten through 8th.

I’m working with the 4th to 8th grades and any nerves I felt at meeting the kids were soon forgotten. Most of them were enthusiastic and extremely polite and my first day went by in a flash. The students seemed happy to have the opportunity to draw but there are those few worried students that I hope to reach. They were too well-behaved to groan outwardly, but wrapping their arms around their paper to shield it from my view is a sure sign of discomfort and one student erased his whole drawing as the rest of the class was turning in their work.  My drawing pencils and I caused some kids to want to be anywhere but in there seats.

Art is a funny thing, most people think you’re either born with the ability to create or you’re not. That everything an artists makes is easy to do and looks amazing when completed. If this were true, the world would be a much more visually exciting place. But art making requires knowledge, thought, ability, perseverance, and the courage to evaluate what you’ve created and make changes when necessary, all skills I try to convey to young artists.

I want all of my students to learn and have a wonderful experience, but most of all I want the worried kids to know that it’s not about being the best, it’s about enjoying the process.

Check out http://creativekidshavefun.com to learn more about our programs and to view our student’s work.