Color Expressions

Today was my second of 4 sessions scheduled to field test my new art residency with my teacher partner Sandra Alger. I taught the second graders 3 paper decorating techniques to create unique textures- paste paper, and watercolor using plastic wrap and salt. We explored how color expresses ideas about people, places and events. The kids really got into the lesson. The papers will be used later to make pictures of their special relative.

Every Picture Tells A Story

I started field testing my new residency "Every Picture Tells A Story" at Longfellow Elementary School in Howard County with a 2nd grade class. My residency was developed in a five-day seminar designed by the Teaching Artist Institute (TAI) in Baltimore. My teacher partner and art teacher at Longfellow, Sandra Alger will collaborate with me in her classroom.

During this first session I talked about how pictures convey visual information about people, places and events. I shared my picture book Grandma's Purple Flowers and the class helped to identify characters, setting and events in the story. Towards the end of the session I asked the students to identify a special relative that was significant to them. Sandra and I passed out a worksheet that we developed. Students wrote the relatives name and information about activities they did together on the sheet. The students then drew 3 simple thumbnail sketches on a second sheet that will be used later to develop their visual narratives.

Success With Paper

I started teaching art workshops at another Juvenile Detention facility in Maryland in December, through the non-profit organization, Class Acts Arts in Silver Spring. Classes were held Christmas eve and I wanted to introduce a project that was fun and meaningful, in addition to teaching them new paper decorating and folding techniques. We made cut paper ornaments from shiny foil paper and then made others that they glued on the front of blank cards or simple accordion books. They used rubber letter stamps to form messages in the cards. I then taught two folded paper techniques to make long garlands from wrapping paper that could be later used to decorate the tree that was on their unit. Each girl experienced some level of success as they cut, tore, folded and embellished paper.