RECYCLING AS ART

JUNK MAIL/MIXED MEDIA PAINTINGS

ADVANCED 2-D ART

junk mail, fabric & lace odds & ends, Modge Podge, gesso, acrylic paint, watercolor, sharpie 

and anything else you want to throw in

Senior Samantha Tun bravely jumped in as she undertook this challenging assignment.  

It's a wonderful mixed media Still Life.

She was required to paper collage down junk mail onto the surface of a stretched canvas.

We both decided this piece would look really cool on this elongated one she found.

Why junk mail,

well,

in the original assignment it was supposed to show thru a bit;

some text, some images, and a bit of color.

like the Junk Mail books made in her previous art class the year before.

But Sam was enjoying painting in acrylic from a previous assignment 

and asked if she could change up the assignment a bit by using acrylic instead of watercolor.

I love when the kids ask to try something new so I told her she could if she watered down the acrylic so that the mail images might still show thru along with all the other fabrics & laces she collaged down first.

But we both discovered that that didn't happen.

But what did show up really well were the fabrics and laces.

They created amazing texture thru the acrylic.

After collating down all the mail and textiles she loosely gessoed with a brayer.

again allowing mail and textiles to show thur

 but also giving her a nice ground to paint over.

I had her set up her own still life and off she went painting over all the textures.

Also since our school diesn't have the funds to frame out the kids paintings on stretched canvas,

I have them bring the paint over the side edges

to make piece look finished off.

Congrats Sam on an outstanding job!

THE ONES WHO FLEW THE COOP

PAPER MACHE' BIRDS

BEGINNING 3-D ART

aluminum foil, cardboard, newspaper strips, starch, paper collage, wire

These wonderful birds were made last school year by my 3-D beginners,

and man oh man,

 did they have fun building up the foundations with the aluminum foil.

That was the first step.

Then 2 layers of paper mache' strips were put over the foil,

creating a very strong surface.

Wings were added with cardboard,

and legs with wire and nails.

All the students brought in a color resource to work from,

but they were allowed to distort or exaggerate to give the birds more whimsey if desired.

But I have to say that not many of the students took advantage of that option.

Let me show them to you.

We start with 8th grader Annie Nguyen's adorable piece.  

We all loved it's quizzical expressive quality as well as how she mounted it.

It was Annie who thought to use nails for it's legs,

and the pinecones for embellishment that she found outside the art room door.

I was most impressed with her paper collage work to achieve the color and texture she wanted. 

 Junior Dustine Ansibly really nailed this incredibly realistic toucan
and it feels as if it is giving us the business.

I also liked the way it looks so naturally perched on the piece of wood she found.

Senior Hana Kim was able to capture the sweet gentleness of her bird. 

Her paper collage was applied so very delicately with just the right amount of color

on her white body..

And senior Inna Sikar was able to pull off a highly realistic form

and then used primer and paint to finish it off so expertly.

I really enjoyed how senior Ricky Gallardo finished off his sculpture 

with select pieces of Asian newspaper over his primer for a very graphic style.

And junior Sahana Ramesh came into this class with years of painting experience

outside of school,

and impressed us all with her skills in both the building of the form and the finishing.

And don't you just love this little guy by 8th grader Shivani  Kedila?

Especially the eyes and legs.

And he has so much personality.

I just want to adopt him.

I'm hoping that this year the kids will name their pieces.

This beauty was made by 8th grader Sophia Oporto.

The form is outstanding as is the paper collage finish and the legs.

Way to go Sophia!

Here is another personal favorite by senior Sophia Yang.

I love how dimensional the body is, 

how she added the wings and the tuft on top of the head,

The paper collage is also remarkable.

But it was this last one by junior Angelica Luza that completely captured all our attention

when she unveiled it.

Hysterical,

we were all cracking up because it was so very realistic looking

and because of the way she posed it.

I believe she used textural paper towels for the paper collage

then she stained it brown.

And displaying it on the plate was a brilliant idea.

Can't wait to see what this years group will come up with!

SHARE A SIDE OF YOURSELF

SELF PORTRAIT COLLAGES

BEGINNING 2-D ART

paper collage, misc.findings, mounted on Bristol board

These are so tiny but very powerful Self Portraits that my 2-D beginners created

for their First Quarter Final.

They were required to jump thru so many hoops,

incorporating the Design Elements & Principles we had studied.

Yes, we study in art.  Ha ha

Yes, there is a book,

Art Talk,

 in this class & Quizzes 

Oh no!!!!

This is the foundation class for all my others,

and it's the class I recommend the most for my Art Majors so they will be competitive in college.

And it's definitely my most difficult class.

But the learning is FUN!!!

Right 

Note:  There is a slight chance I might have gotten a name or two

labeled incorrectly here.

Beginners,

send me a shout-out if that's so.

The theme that senior Jessica Mones worked to on this first well thought out piece 

was about rewinding time. 

Love the Monochromatic & Neutral color scheme.

So many kids do not feel confident about not incorporating color into their works.

I adore the pieces of rust found to help balance corners (a Principle).

You can find pretty much anything you need within my room or gardens 

since I am the ultimate dumpster diver!

This next precious and delicate piece was made by junior Stephanie Reyes.

She is working in a Cool or Analogous color scheme.

The winding pathway adds Movement to the work,

a Principle of Art.

In this next delightful one by 8th grader Summer Lee,

she has used tremendous energy going thru all the nooks and crannies of the bead drawers 

to find buttons, sequins, cording, etc.

For some of the kids going thru these drawers is somewhat intimidating

or just requires to much damn energy.

Ha!

I really enjoyed the silhouettes that senior Alyson Tam used

So many of the kids think they have to draw in every single detail of the face & bodies 

when all they really need to do is use a silhouette.

This is so much easier,

especially since we hadn't started the drawing unit yet.

But then there was junior Maniska Ranjit,

who enjoys a good challenge.

She also came into the class with technical skills in place and she loves to draw women.

In that tiny area of 2" by 4" she has managed to put in all the details of this very elegant woman.

Plus her message is simple yet conveys a powerful message.

And check out how she designed the tissue collage backdrop,

gorgeous movement and precise craftsmanship!

Talk about powerful,

man oh man,

junior Ellya Gholmieh

packed a punch and grabbed our attention with this outstanding piece!

Can you tell that the figure is projecting out into space?

Another requirement and Element of Art.

In this very telling Self Portrait by 8th grader Madison Plotkin,

you can really see how she is pushing parts of her work into space.

Notice how she achieves Balance as well with those black curved silhouettes. 

They also help your eye move around the work.

Oh my,

check out the interactive portion of this next work by 8th grader Sophia Matthews.

She built a hinge system so that a section opens to revel the works' meaning.

Bravo!

And this next timely one is so important in terms of message,

and how senior David Tung feels deeply invested and concerned about our futures.

It involves China, Korean and the U.S.,

 and our conflicts with each other.

We end with this last soft & atmospheric piece by junior Esther Ahn.

She also chose to make it interactive by actually making two parts that overlap.

Clever girl! 

She calls this Behind the Screen.

Simple yet so powerful.

Thank you young ones for these remarkable and personal pieces.

MEET SAM

VALUE SCALES

ADVANCED 2-D ART

graphite on bristol board with collage paper frame

Senior Samantha Tun is the lone ranger in my Advanced 2-D class,

that's 3rd year drawing, painting and design.

For her 1st assignment she had 3 days to create a 15 step Value Scale

(not an easy task).

Using a cityscape is a great place to line up values next to each other,

but it was her collage frame that caught my eye. 

I really like how she combined the old Hymnal paper with the tye-dye pieces.

Note also how she splashed paint on the under black border to help the drawing pop.

A really fun piece to start the year off with.

SAILING AWAY - PART II

PAPER MACHE' SHIPS

BEGINNING 3-D ART

newspaper, starch, cardboard, muslin, dowels, string, scrap fabric, wood embellishments,

watercolor & acrylic paints, paper scraps for collage

It is such a pleasure to show off more of these amazing sailing crafts.

As you will see the kids went all out in both their ship shapes and their sail designs.

Love what junior Jullian Morris did with the tip of her boat the Nebula,

building that curve with paper mache' was no walk in the park,

as well as how she painted the hull with the starry night design.

Giving you a view of the front and back 

because she took a lot of care with fabric selection for her sail patches.

And check out the sweet bow at the top of the mast below.

And a close up of those translucent beads she found to glue to the sides.

It's little details like those that make these extra special.

And of course I like how she took the time to fray those sail edges

which softens the design.

Spectacular is how I would describe this next vessel,

from the hull design to the multiple sails.

Senior Vicky Hur spent a lot of time making her boat extra.

Everyone loved her anchor she crafted from copper craft wire.

Note how she also incorporated the wire at the bottom and top of the mast?

And I was crazy about how she dripped her paint upside down on the hull.

Vicky received a very special award from me tonight at the Senior Awards Banquet.

Top Honors for her work last year in my 2-D class, 

and top honors this year in 3-D design and construction.

Congrats Vicky.

I'm hoping when you go off to college 

you will form a crafting group and keep the arts alive with your friends.

Alumni Cindy Ryoo is starting a Ceramics program at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Hint, hint

:)

Vicky's sails are even billowing in the wind,

a trick we learned from nationally recognized repurpose artist Ann Wood.

Another class favorite was this very feminine and delicate ship by 8th grader Dana Ahmad.

It reminds me of what Peter Pan's Neverland ship might have looked like.

My favorite part is the lace bow at the back of the ship and how she painted the hull.

And check out below her clever boat name Seas the Day. 

I also appreciate the work it took her to string all that rigging.

And look at the adorable lace sea shell floating along one of the rigging ropes.

Then Dana brilliantly ties all the colors together with her floral patch.

Now check out the perfect craftsmanship on this vessel by senior Crystal Lai-Ton-Nu,

another award winner tonite 

for her lovely designs and craftsmanship all year long in 3-D Art.

Crystal also needs to be congratulated on having the most pieces up at Open House this year 

besides senior Shreya Sheth.

That's quite a feat because the show is juried.

I would have loved to have worked with Crystal at least on more year in Int. 3-D.

I sure hope you also keep arts & crafts in your life Crystal.

Next up we have 8th grader James Lara's boat.

I really like the double sails and especially that clever crow's nest on top. 

And of course the antique flower button and sea shell on the tip are a great compliment as well.

James even made a tiny wooden pirate but he lost it before I took the photos.

It was adorable, 

just like him  hee hee

8th grader Dylan Lin crafted this really fun ship with a cannon ball hole blown thru it's hull,

as well as the way he aged the hull with paint..

Such a clever design move Dylan.

And I really like how he also aged his sail by sewing on the same color patches

and fraying their edges.

It really looks like a ship wreck below the sea. 

Bravo young man!

Next up is another Peter Pan feeling ship by 8th grader Loren Kim.

I loved the look of this one so much that I bought it from Loren to teach with next year.

One of my favorite design moves that Loren made was to elongate the length of the sails,

and of course the effort she put into fraying each of their edges.

She also ties everything together with her Analogous color scheme,

and the dried flowers overtop the wooden buttons are such a nice detail.

A close up of her frayed edges,

sweet patches and little flags.

Also purchased by myself was this tiny but mighty sailing vessel by junior Lynette Lee.

Of course not all the ships were for sale,

the kids decided if they wanted to try and sell their work or not.

I got lucky that Lynette had hers up because I really wanted to show off her craftsmanship 

as well as the way she rigged the top of her sail. 

Masterfull!

I also loved the way she applied her paint on the hull,

exposing a bit of the newspaper of the paper mache'.

I've always loved text in artwork.

We end with senior Sarah Woo and her super duper vessel design.

It kind of has an Asian flair to it that really catches your eye.

And the visual flow of all the parts and colors couldn't have been more perfect.

And I love, love, love how she painted her boat,

first with the transparent watercolors (so we can see the paper she used thru the paint), 

then glazing her stripes on.

Exquisite Sarah.

Another top Award Winner tonite in both the 2 and 3-D category. 

I have one more photo to add tomorrow of the back side of Sarah's boat.

But it's getting late and I've got to get to bed.

So stay tuned.

Sarah crafted a ladder that is to die for.

SAILING AWAY - Part 1

PAPER MACHE' SHIPS

project inspired by Ann Woods

BEGINNING 3-D ART

newspaper, starch, cardboard, muslin, dowels, string, scrap fabric, wood embellishments,

watercolor & acrylic paints, paper scraps for collage

Another school year is almost over 

and our seniors will be all sailing off in all different directions.

But before they do let's take a look at their and others vessels.

Like nationally known Mixed Media Artist Ann Woods builds her ships,

this is a repurpose assignment with not a lot of expense.

Most of the money went into purchasing the wood accoutrements:

dowels, beads, tiny pots, etc. 

We begin with Coach Milan,

one of our Paraeducators,

and his Donald Trump ship called Fire Pits.

No one realized till he was almost done

 that he had collaged President Trump's face all round his boat.

I really appreciated the time he put into fraying the edges of his sails,

and also the thought he put into the form of his ship.

Fun piece Milan,

and so very current!

This next one is the work of 8th grader Selina Luo.

The stitching on her sails is so beautifully executed,

as is the craftsmanship on the entire ship.

She ties both the ship and sails together thru the analogous colors blue and purple.

I especially like how she solved her hanging requirement by plying string to itself 

and attaching it at either end of her boat.

There were so many requirements these kids had to work to 

with over a hundred points to be earned.

One of my top 3-D seniors,

Hannah built this spectacular creation for us all to enjoy and exclaim over.

Fabulous attention to detail in her dragon boat.

Check out how she built the wings,

with buttons and copper wire.

And of course the lions on the sails were the bomb!

I also really liked her color scheme with her complimentary reds and greens.

Bravo young woman!

And I couldn't do a post without showing off A.P. English teacher Donna Hall

and her swan ship.

To die for!

She's calling it the Sea Mist, 

and like Hannah above,

 she is giving this everything she has.

The lovely form from the head to the wings,

the frayed sails that bring such softness to her piece.

Those gorgeous buttons with the plied cotton rigging.

Cutting the heart shape out of fabric and backing it with netting before she stitches it down.

Her delicate choice of buttons on the sails.

It just all flows so beautifully together.

Thank you once again,

for having the courage Donna to join us,

and allowing us along on your journey..

One of my personal favorites was this pirate ship design by 8th grader Palmer Patel.

The cannons on the side, 

the multiple flags,

using a Sharpie and bravely drawing out his skull and crossbones.

The plied rigging connecting the sails,

and the actual ship design with the captain's cabin.

Totally cool Palmer.

And check out this beauty by senior Alexis Bilas-Imperial called Wanderlust.

Lovely analogous color choices with a bit of sparkle.

The wonderful curve at the front of the ship that we all loved so much,

and the time it took for all that fraying along the sails.

We end Part I with junior Rachel Kannampuzha.

Impeccably crafted,

this is a true sailing ship with it's bottom fin.

We all really delighted in the fact that she coiled her rigging on the side,

and attached the anchor she built out of wire to the other.

Also check out her main flag at the top.

Doesn't it look like it's blowing in the wind the way she has shaped it.

I wonder if she stuffed it?

I'll have to ask her.

I also really appreciate the gentle patches of white against white,

and that she pinked some of the patch edges to catch our eyes.

Now did you notice the tiny pieces of metal she attached to hold her sails to the rigging?

How dang cool is that?

Well thought out young woman.

Just love showing off your designs.