If you love kids' art, you've probably had the experience of being totally charmed and inspired by a book written and illustrated for kids! And chances are, the book that captured your attention will have the same effect on your students... especially when your enthusiasm shines through! Why not capitalize on the wonder and magic of that special book and use it as the launch … [Read more...]
New Year – New Beginnings
It's a new year, and along with that comes new beginnings. People often choose January as a time to start something new, or to stop something that isn't working for them. It's a time for resolutions and changes. This new year brought big changes to my family, but unlike resolutions, they weren't changes made by choice. Shortly before Christmas, my dad passed away.... just … [Read more...]
Murphy’s Law in the Art Room
The end of the year is a good time to reflect on what we've learned over the last 12 months. For me, this reads like a "Murphy's Law* in the Art Room" list! So here's my "Top Ten Lessons Learned (and Sometimes Re-learned!) This Year" *Murphy's Law: "If something can go wrong, it will!" 1. If you plan painting projects for "Picture Day", the kids will all show up in … [Read more...]
Going for the 90%
Most everyone has heard the inspiring education statistic, "We remember 10% of what we hear, 20% of what we read, 50% of what we do, 75% of what we discuss and 90% of what we teach." Well surprisingly, I learned there is actually no scientific basis for these percentages! (For one example, check out the article: "Debunk This: People Remember 10% of What They Read".) Even so, … [Read more...]
Fighting Perfectionism? Picture This…
"The Persistence of Memory" by Salvadore Dali One of my lifelong goals has been to become less of a perfectionist. They say that a goal should be specific and measurable. And this "goal" is neither of those. I don't expect to completely conquer perfectionism, but just to become more and more okay with "not perfect". It's more like a target to be aiming for than an … [Read more...]
Inspiration for a New Year
Copyright 2008, Simple Truths I love a good quote! It’s amazing how words can inspire, encourage, motivate, and even change lives. Here is one of the many quotes that has done this for me: “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” ~Robert Brault Whether you spend your time teaching Art to kids or doing something entirely … [Read more...]
Creativity takes courage!
"Creativity takes courage."~ Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954)Still Life with Fruit by Henri MatisseFrench painter, Henri Matisse, is considered to be one of the most important artists of the 20th century. He tells us that "Creativity takes courage," and he should know! His flat shapes, expressive abstractions and vivid use of color was highly controversial in his day, earning him … [Read more...]
What Is Art??
So what is Art, anyway?? Not to get all philosophical or anything, but you have to admit that's a good question! If you ask 100 people, you're likely to get 100 different answers. I recently attended an exhibit at the Denver Art Museum titled, "What is Art?". This question was posed to exhibit viewers who responded on sticky notes that covered an entire wall. Reading … [Read more...]
“What If We Treated Driving Like We Treat the Arts?”
Here's some food for thought, from the book, "The Creative License" by Danny Gregory. This destined-to-be-a-classic book is about giving yourself permission to be creative. It was recommended to me by my friend, cartoonist Bridgett Spicer, one of the most creative people I know! When I first read this book I underlined about half of it. And I keep going back to it and finding … [Read more...]
Every Child is an Artist
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." ~ Pablo Picasso Art Phobia....many adults have it, but it doesn't seem to be something we're born with. Have you ever seen a three year old intimidated by a big piece of white paper and a huge brush loaded with gloppy paint??? Art Phobia appears to be an acquired deficiency, … [Read more...]