3/4 View Watercolor - Student Art

Look at my babies watercolor! These are my Intermediate 2-d art students painting each other in a 3/4 view. They learned watercolor basics in my Beginning 2-d class, and now they are really getting to use what they learned.In the piece above senior Shabnaz Klandoker painted senior Sam Chon's portrait. And below we have senior Brandon Liao watercoloring senior Marisela Herrarte. Both pieces are so lovely and sensitive.

In the piece above we have Marisela painting Brandon and putting a bit of abstraction into his hair, and down below we have senior Ashlee Chang doing senior Heidi Chang's portrait. Ashlee is also bringing in some pen and ink work to pop Heidi's features a bit more. By doing this it really gives the watercolor a very different feel from the others.

And lastly we have senior Anne Guu watercoloring senior Marylou Bunn. Anne has also brought in some pen and ink work along with her signature text that she likes to put into everything she creates.

More Springtime in the Garden

This gorgeous amaryllis opened for me this last weekend. I had it in a pot for years and it barely did anything so last year I transferred it to the ground, and it seems to love all the room it has to grow and thrive.

This bearded iris is very special to me and has only opened twice in the last several years. Many years ago when my son Zach was very young, I took him to Rogers Gardens in Newport Beach and let him pick out any iris bulb color that he wanted and we took this one home and planted it. It has multiplied twice so there are now 3 plants but this is only the 2nd time it has ever bloomed. I also really like the variegated miniature roses that are in bloom right now. I use these as border plants in my backyard against the concrete edging. They are doing extremely well this year as is everything in my garden. It's gotta be all the rain and the new top soil that my son just laid down around all the plants.

Congrats to Art Student Paul Kim

My Beginning 2-D art student, junior Paul Kim, recently entered the City of Cerritos "Recycled Art Contest" and won 1st Place with his recycled tree that he made from wire, aluminum cans, toilet paper roll, broken glass, Star Bucks containers, and pop tops from soda cans. The piece is so cool that he has inspired me to use it as an assignment next year with my Beginning 3-d art kids. Thank you Paul for your inspiration!

A close up. For 10 points EXTRA CREDIT, anytime this 4th quarter before we go into finals, make a piece of abstract recycled sculpture by using at least 4 different recycled materials. Remember that abstract means we can still recognize the subject matter :) To see some recycled sculpture click on Alisa Burke under Artists I Follow and scroll thru her site. She specializes in using recycled materials in her art work, things like cereal boxes and junk mail.

Before and After Portraits

It is always a thrill for me to show these off, my Beginning 2-D Art student's before and after drawings of each other. At the beginning of the drawing unit in November I partner the kids with each other and they take turns drawing each other's profile without any instruction so I can see where their drawing skills are at. Then 2 months later after doing many right brain drawing exercises they draw each other again to see their improvement, and I display their results for Open House. I don't allow the kids to see their before till I hang them for display, so many of them have forgotten how they used to draw and are so excited to see the difference between the two. And it's so much fun for me to see their faces and hear their exclamations the first time they do see their results. Above we have senior Sonya Liu (drawing 8th grader Jarick Simbol) who came to me with some skills in place already but look at where she is now, a remarkable jump in her skill level.

Above we have senior Jeremy Chung drawing senior Heather Shim. Just look at that amazing jump Jeremy made in his skill level! And below we have junior Michael Jo who drew 8th grader Heather Warner, with another tremendous jump. I just want to take the time to thank all the students in my 3rd period class for believing in me and trusting me to take you down this right brain pathway. You all were so cooperative and made the teaching such a joy.

EXTRA CREDIT:on a small piece of paper write your name and period and tell me after you walk in the door on Monday who you think made the biggest improvement in their skill

Java Joes in Yorba Linda last Friday Nite

Had way too much fun this past Friday night dancing and singing with my favorite live band, The Rockits. Don't know how he does it but Jimmy is able to talk me up onto the stage to sing back up with him for the last couple of numbers. Little does he know that I only lip sync the words. Shushhhhhh, don't tell :)

Open House Walls 2009-2010

Another school year is almost at it's end, and I'm always so proud to show off the hard work of my incredible students. So I hope you enjoy the tour. Here a a few of the panels. The wall above (a very difficult space to work with) was put up by seniors Brandon Liao and Marisela Herrarte, and the wall below was hung by seniors Robert Dohring and Marylou Bunn. I like how Robert and Marylou sponged a bit of paint to the top and bottom of the panel, and then did a little paint splatter throughout the middle.

This very dark and difficult corner was artfully arranged by junior Jason Kwon and senior Ashlee Chang. They enjoyed and welcomed the challenge. And below we have the finished panel of seniors Jullian Kho and Kate Lee. I posted a preview of this wall a couple of weeks ago because I was very excited about the hand prints that they stamped onto the background paper. I think both the girls did a fabulous job grouping the art on top of the prints.

Next we have the wall stylings of seniors Kyoung Lee and Hannah Park (above). One of Hannah's signature design trademarks this year has been to drizzle paint down the length of her pieces, and she and Kyoung pulled it off very tastefully on their panel. And lastly, I'm featuring the most difficult wall of all. It not only has a door to contend with, but 2 light switch lines and boxes, as well as wood beneath the plastic wall cover which makes pushing the t-pins in a real pain. Seniors Anne Guu and Sam Chon tackled this wall head on and worked it out! All of you did a fantastic job, thank you for making my room look so gorgeous!

Two Road Trips in One Week

During my Spring Break I was able to fit in 2 road trips. The first one, to Santa Barbara, I posted last week, and this one was with my friend, Jim, who had to travel to Santa Maria and Orcutt, Ca. on business, so I tagged along. The weather was so warm and beautiful that we traveled the entire way with the top down on his car. We went up the 57 Freeway, and as you can see our local mountains still have snow, and the mustard greens are going wild with all the rain we've had. When we hit the Ventura coastline and I looked up I spotted this magnificent pair of birds flying overhead. I think they might have been pelicans, but maybe not. I really don't know my birds :)

Once in Santa Maria I did my usual thing and dropped Jim off to do his business, and I went off to the local yarn store called Betty's and sat and knit awhile with the gals. It's a great shop with a really friendly staff.

Layed out by the pool the next morning till the winds picked up then that afternoon we headed up to San Luis Obispo for dinner at their weekly Thursday night Street Faire. Right before reaching SLO I spotted a sign for Avila Beach so we got of the 101 and found this delightfully secluded beach community complete with hot springs, a pier and seals. Below is the view from the end of the pier into the little town. I really liked how the town was nestled amongst the hills.

At the end of the pier was this persistent pelican trying his hardest to grab a piece of fish from between some plastic containers, and on the second level below us were at least 10 -15 seals relaxing in the warm sun. They were so sweet, many of them had their heads resting on each others shoulders.

Below, one of the seals jumped into the water and started follicking right in front of us calling out to his friends to join him.

Because of our detour thru Avila Beach we arrived later then we wanted in SLO and had a heck of a time finding a parking space. I think the whole town along with the Cal Poly campus turns out for the event. There was so much beautiful produce to choose from.

as well as gorgeous flowers to buy.

And every street corner featured musicians with little children and yes, Jim and I dancing in the street. We had so much fun!

There were so many booths to buy food from, we couldn't resist the hot fudge and banana crepes from the vendor below.

On our way out of town the next day we stopped in the farming and ranch community of Orcutt, a really picturesque spot right below Santa Maria amongst the rolling hills. It's a small town with a newer section right off the freeway where Jim had business to attend to, so in the meantime I took off in his car and checked out Old Town Orcutt, about a mile on down the road from the newer section on Clark Street.

I found Old Town Orcutt to be absolutely charming. Loved the layout of the street and the diagonal parking. And they are currently refurbishing old town with new paint and new construction. In fact, Old Town was thriving with many new businesses opening. I found two amazing nurseries and was tempted to buy plants but held myself back. I was scared they'd perish in the heat coming home in the car. And it was hot coming home, we got stuck in Friday afternoon traffic on the 210,(a real nightmare). We got stuck in a sig-alert and actually had to get off the freeway and cut thru Pasadena via Del Mar and Colorado Streets. But it turned out to be an added bonus because the old craftsman and Victorian homes on those streets were fabulous. My favorite shot of the whole trip was this old pickup in front of one of the nurseries in Orcutt. Loved how they turned it into a planter. All in all, a great time with lots of beautiful sites.

More Springtime in my Garden

This amazing blossom made its appearance for the very first time since my son, Zach, bought this bog specimen over 2 years ago, so it has been a real treat for the two of us. Art Students: notice the complimentary color scheme that goes on in nature. Isn't it fabulous? And down below is another of his plants, this time a star shaped succulent with it's sweet, delicate bloom. Again Art Students for EXTRA CREDIT: what's the name of the color scheme in this blossom below? Write the answer on a small piece of paper with your name and period attached.

Above is a lily plant that my cousin Michelle gave to me when our dear Aunt Elena passed away. She has been gone for over 2 years now, and this plant has bloomed for me each Easter since her passing. And below is an azalea that I planted a couple years ago that I thought was going to perish during our hot summers here in Yorba Linda, but with all the rain we've had this year it seems to be thriving. I love the speckled and striped markings it has.

And this azalea above never lets me down, year after year it has florished in my garden, but I do think it's blooms this year are the best ever. I really loved how these 4 birds of paradise below were grouped in pairs.

And this winter I loaded the garden with several Sweet William plants and they seem to be loving their sunny local. Below is another of my son's cacti, it's a tiny little cactus with these mighty big blooms.

I had basil growing in this pot last summer but it died back and in it's place popped up this stray lobelia. The wind or the birds are possibly responsible for this seed making it into this pot cuz I know I sure didn't plant it! But I'm thrilled it's there.

In the background above are some of my son's cacti and succulent collection, and in the foreground are my baby cybium orchids that my neighbor Becky gave me about 6 years ago.
And finally this last week all my dutch iris opened up. I planted about 3 bulbs over 7 years ago and look at how they've multiplied. The geraniums in the background aren't too shabby either. I'll be moving to a new home in Anaheim Hills at the end of this month, turning it into my studio and living space, and I know I'm going to miss this garden so much. So many life changes for me in these last 2 years since my mom passed away. But I will be taking pieces of all her plants with me, just like she taught me to do.