CONSIDERING WEAVE

About two years ago, 

maybe three,

 I took the most wonderful online class with Jude Hill

of Spirit Cloth fame called Considering Weave.

After that,

weaving has once again become very dear to my heart

(actually still trying to purchase a Jude Hill weaving, hint, hint)

Anyways,

I've found I'm very attracted to Tapestry weave, 

and have been really enjoying Pinterest and all the Tapestries to be found there.

So one of my latest purchases to share with my 3-D students 

has been from an Etsy business called Manufabrica,

run by owner Kuku from Zagora', Greece.

She is creating the most delightful woven tapestry neckpieces,

incorporating natural finds like freshwater pearls, shells, etc. with silver findings.

Kuku grew up in a small village in Germany 

and learned to knit and crochet from her grandmother.

She studied Textiles and has since moved to a small Aegean Island in Greece

where she goes on walks along the shore to find treasures she might incorporate into her jewelry.

The necklace I bought from her includes all the above.

I so liked her presentation when I opened the package,

how she secured the piece to this neutral backdrop with lovely ribbon.

And the silver findings she incorporates in almost all her necklaces brings a touch of elegance

and elevates these sweet weavings to a higher level..

You might want to go to Etsy and take a peek.

AN IMPORTANT PIECE

 COIL POTS

CERAMICS I

clay, glaze, oxides

When I posted the coil pots in mid-August,
I was missing one of the most visually interesting ones done by sophomore Olivia Krueger.

Olivia is a highly complex thinker,

and always comes up with a new take on each assignment. 

She shared with me last year that she's interested in being an Art Teacher,

how about that!

I've been working with her since the 7th grade in the Art Wheel, 

8th grade Beginning 2-d Art, 

and then last year,

Ceramics I,

and noticed almost immediately that she loves to help others around her 

who didn't understand directions or who weren't paying attention during demos.

She is such a patient young one,

and I think teaching is in her blood.

Her mama is a teacher as well.

Thank you Olivia for always giving me everything you've got.

This coil pot is truly one of a kind!

ANOTHER EARTH LOOM CREATION

COMMUNITY EARTH LOOM

The last time we saw this loom,

the Whitney Community had just finished weaving this first Earth Loom piece

(here)

The second piece to have come off at the end of last school year was this piece,

made with donated chenille yarns from my former weaving teacher,

 Elizabeth Serbel,

a high school science teacher in Whittier ,Ca.

Sadly she is no longer with us,

but many wonderful memories remain. 

Elizabeth,

I dedicate this piece to you.

There are so many ways to finish off a tapestry.

Seniors Shreya Sheth and Jacqueline Yu came up with bunching up and tying off the warps

around a found twig,

and bunching and knotting them along the bottom.

A WHOOPS AT BACK TO SCHOOL NITE

The plan,

for the 4 of us in the Fine Arts Dept. to wear these T-shirts at Back to School Nite.

We are the number one STEM school in the state of California,

so we wanted the parents to take notice of our Visual, Musical, Digital and Dramatic Arts Dept.

when we were introduced to them in the gym.

Except, 

I don't wear T-shirts.

No matter how large (and this one was),

they don't fit over my short girth.

I have exactly two evenings to figure something out.

I didn't want to let my Dept. down.

Nite one,

I google several sites to show how to make a t-shirt more flattering for us larger sizes.

Nite two,

I cut off the hem on the sleeve bottoms and make a slit up to the shoulder seam,

then tie the ends into a cute knot.

They look terrific.

I find this old silk garment that's from the 1990's that my daughter played dress up in 

and is falling apart and cut it into elongated triangles.

So far so good.

I rip open the side seams of the shirt to sew in the triangles 

only to find the needle in my sewing machine is dull

and snagging the silk.

Noooooooooooooooooo.

And of course all my new needles are at school.

I live 27 minutes away from school if there is no traffic going 80 miles an hour.

It's 9:00 at nite and I need to wear it the next day.

That won't work.

What to do?

What else,

cut out the front and pin it to me at Back to School Nite.

Sorry guys!

It's so hard being a team player.

Ha ha,

but at least I tried!

ANOTHER SHOUT OUT...

to Helen Park, Sarah Chang & Eileen Lee,

Whitney alumni who graduated this past year.

Thinking about you girls,

and missing your sweet smiles and creative energy.

Can't wait for you 3 to drop by and tell me everything.

Love to you all!

xoxoxoxo

THE BIG REVEAL

SILVER SOLDER
SPECIAL STUDIES 3-D ART
handcut glass shards, silver solder, flux, soldering iron & tons of patience
  
I made you wait a little longer than I'd intended...

to see the end result of Shreya Sheth's Silver Soldered Lantern.

So without further ado here it is.

An engineering marvel,
one of the most difficult techniques to master.

Pulled off like no other solder piece ever created here.

You are unbelievable Shreya.

So very talented.

Kudos to you dear girl.

I want to take this chance Shreya,
 to wish you the best
 at Chapman University in Orange , Ca.
studying the History of Art.
I have complete confidence that you will be a Superstar there
like you were here in the Whitney Art Department.
One day you will send me an email telling me you are putting up a Van Gogh show
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Or repair and restoring a Degas sculpture.
What do they say?
The world is your oyster!

SHOUT OUT...

to Alumni Jordan Joyce who has begun his Student Teaching in Art

in Whittier Ca.

I am so proud of you Jordan,

and have so enjoyed watching you grow in the Arts since your 7th grade year here at Whitney.

With lots of love from your biggest fan  :)

besides your Grandma, Grandpa and your Mom,

all of whom are teachers as well.

Here is Jordan last school year doing his Observation hours in my classroom,

warping the Community loom. 

SUMMERS GLORY

On a recent visit to my son's home in the San Fernando Valley,

it wouldn't have been complete without a stop at Green Thumb, 

a nursery a block from his house.

My favorites on this visit were this succulent above with it's starfish shaped flower,

and the Agapanthus below,

a special variety with an much more vibrant blue-violet flower.

I was so taken with it's color that I bought one.

It's in the ground and so far has sent up two blooms.

Can't wait till next year when it multiplies.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

LINE, TEXTURE, PATTERN W/ WATERCOLOR

7TH GRADE ART WHEEL - 3RD QUARTER - 2016-2017

watercolor with marking pens

These youngsters,

our future,

give me great hope when I see the joy they bring to their art pieces.

We begin with Nicholas Gonzalez and this super cool abstracted landscape.

Patrick Arboleda and all the words he was able to put together in such a pleasing way.

And then Sriya Kotta's take on the use of text in her piece.

And Holy Moly,

 Manasvi Mehta takes my breathe away with this bold & beautiful work.

And the effort involved,

oh my!

Brandon Torres Ngork created the most gorgeous Analogous watercolor background.

And Bhumika Kalaimalai goes all out in both design and craftsmanship.

Perfect ending.

Love them all!

AVANTHI'S BIG DAY

I have had many students come and go in my 38 years of teaching,

but these two sisters will always have a place in my heart,

 and we will continue to touch bases for as long as I live.

These are Karisma Dev (right) and her little sister Avanthi.

Karisma,

 you might remember if you've been following my blog for several years now,

was one of the most talented young artists I've ever worked with.

And if you put her name in my search engine,

it will probably be a good hour before you get to the end 

of all the posts I wrote about her and her artwork.

She is now starting her 3rd year in Architecture at the University of Syracuse in New York.

And what a delight and treat it was for me 

to get to work again with her younger sister Avanthi this last year in Ceramics.

I had Avanthi as a 7th grader where she shone like her sister,

but she wasn't able to get back to an Art class until this last year before she graduated.

She made many of the most important and innovative works in the clay class.

You have already been privy to a few this year on the blog;

there will be more as I finish this year off.

It has been an honor to have been invited to both girls Arangetrams,

their 3 hour solo dance recitals.

Both girls have been dancing and preparing for this occasion since they were 3 years old.

I posted Karisma's a couple years back,

but I went to Avanthi's this last August at the Barclay Theater at UC Irvine.

These are lavish affairs,

much like putting on a wedding for their children,

and Avanthis was no exception.

Besides the renting of live musicians and the theater,

spending hundreds on costumes and thousands on dance lessons,

they put on a delicious Indian dinner at the end of the dance performance for well over 200 people.

I believe Avanthi had at least four costume changes,

and this one I feature her in above was my favorite.

I have always adored a secondary color scheme and used it often in my college artworks.

I'm so proud to tell you that Avanthi was accepted to U Mass at Amherst,

as a Sustainable Agriculture Major,

one of the best programs in the country.

Her goal, 

to have her own restaurant with her own gardens.

Avanthi's gardens here at Whitney have been featured these last 3 years on the blog

 and they continue to thrive now with a new group of students.

Both sisters have left their mark on our school and in my heart.

God speed you two.

LETTING GO

As I was going back thru my saved drafts today

I found this one from the inside of our family home that we sold this summer.

I had forgotten this piece of my daughter Danielle's life was inside the front coat closet door.

I discovered it on moving day when I was double checking that we had emptied all the closets.

When I opened the door and saw this

 I just wanted to rip off the door and take this piece of my daughter with me.

Instead I knew I could only have this picture.

So be it.

It's interesting to me to see at what age she stopped measuring her height,

or when it didn't matter so much anymore.

That would have been in 06 when she was 12 years old,

lt's the year she reached her full adult height,

5'3",

one inch taller than her mommy.

But then she revisits this space with her first serious boyfriend Tyler in 2011,

how sweet!

Her dad used to always help measure and record her height,

so of course he is right up there at the top.

WHAT'S IN YOUR STACK

STACKED CLAY

CERAMICS II

Porcelain clay, oxides, transparent glaze

We saw my demos. in the last post from yesterday,

now we see what senior Sarah Chang came up with for her assignment.

Sarah followed my lead and reused her excess pieces as well,

and came away with 3 lovely works of art.

Sarah made two colored mixtures,

Cobalt and Rutile.

She built the sweet slab footed bowl first,

then with leftovers created her mug.

Sarah enjoyed this process so much that she made two other Stacked designs,

and built the delicate glass form on the left with pinwheel and checkerboard stacks.