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...]
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...]
Why Teach Art?
"Why teach Art?".... Okay, this seems like a logical question, since some of you may already be wondering this, and if you're not, I know there are people out there who are!In these days of "not enough time or money to teach all the things things that need to be taught", why should Art make the cut? Why should our already limited resources be further divided to provide … [Read more...]
Welcome to My Blog!
First of all, this blog is a work in progress. I realized that if I waited to post anything until it felt perfect, it would never happen. As a friend of mine likes to say, "Accept great. Perfectionism leads to procrastination." Since those are two character traits I'm constantly working to overcome, I decided to just go for it with my blog. So, here goes! "TeachKidsArt" … [Read more...]