Did artist Jackson Pollock write hidden messages in his artwork? A new theory proposes that he did! For those who are still itching to create abstract expressionist artwork, check out this article on Pollock’s work, Mural and see if you can decode the message.
Special thanks to Ms. Wright, history teacher across the hall, for sharing the article with me! Super-arty sleuth award!! 
~Mrs. A
The Blue day classes were able to experience installation art today…and the woes it brings! Students in Mrs. Anders and Ms. Gonzalez’s art classes participated in the international Pinwheels for Peace activity to raise awareness about global peace in our world. Students decorated and exhibited their artwork in the atrium…until the rain started pouring down! Mrs. Anders rushed down to save them but unfortunately the rain had already gotten most of the pinwheels. On a plus side, it’s always really interesting to see how marker reacts with water…we now have many tie-dyed pinwheels! 
Below is a gallery of what they looked like before it rained on us…maybe we’ll have sunshine all day next Sept. 21! (at least we didn’t have a hurricane this time…!!)
~Mrs. A
Can you believe it’s the fifth week of school already?! Time is really flying this year! It was so nice to see so many parents and former students at our Open House on Thursday, Sept. 17. I also really enjoyed seeing the work of student artists who chose to participate in the first ever Open House Quick Draw contest! More info on that to come…
My purpose in this post was to recount all the excitement of the last few weeks. We started out the school year looking at art supplies and various ways of comparing and contrasting artwork in visual organizers. There were some very unique approaches beyond the basic Venn diagram!
The following week we explored the art element of line and the works of abstract Expressionist, Jackson Pollock. (unfortunately Mrs. A had just moved and still couldn’t find the digital camera at this point…so no pics 
). Students created their own abstract expressionist artwork using only line which they made by blowing watercolor throw a straw. Later, we added lines with markers, cropped, and mated our artwork. I will get pics of the finished artwork up soon!
The next week we moved on to shape (and I found the digital camera!) where we discovered the art of M.C. Escher and his fascinating work with tessellations! Students created their own tessellation by making cuts into index cards. This project also involves many principals of geometry and symmetry…mathematics! But I thought I’d beat the math teachers to the punch! After all, art involves more than just making pretty pictures!
Jose Sanchez's sketchbook assignment on symbols of peace.
This week the Blue Day classes will be putting out their pinwheels as part of the Pinwheels for Peace project. This is an international project that was started to promote awareness about peace in our world. First, students were asked to investigate the meaning of the Peace, or CND symbol and other visual representations of peace. Take a look at this sketchbook journal! The International Day of Peace is Monday, Sept. 21. Take a moment to reflect!
Not to be outdone, the advanced art students have been discovering more about art techniques, as well as a little bit about themselves in a project called Me in a Box (BIG thanks to Tricia Winnard at the Rice Pre-AP Summer Art institute for this project…outstanding!!). I’ll be getting some pics up on those as well.
So the weeks are flying by…and we’ve really only just begun! Keep an eye out for more exciting student work and outakes from the studio. Also, for those who were wondering, Mr. Anders made it through his surgery on Thursday just fine. He had to have his appendix removed. He’ll be out for a few days, resting at home. I will be back on Monday, with open studio resuming on Tuesday.
May all your days be arty!
~Mrs. A 
One week down…how many more to go?!!
Just kidding…we’ve really hit the ground running this year! Lots of exciting new technology in the studio makes teaching and learning even more fun. Big thanks to Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Harrell for the overhead mounted projector and the portable “clicker”…now I can walk around the classroom while showing slides without having to run back and forth to the computer (though, it was a good workout regime…)
I’m hoping that after this weekend I’ll find my digital camera and be able to start posting some photos from the studio…our adventures into action painting DEFINITELY need to be documented…I can’t wait to see how they all look when we’re finished! And speaking of action painting…anyone looking for more fun with Jackson Pollock really needs to check out this site.
Not to be outdone, the advanced art classes are working on some very personal pieces and learning some awesome new techniques. Be sure to keep an eye out for some of their introspectives.
I look forward to seeing lots of faces in the studio. Have a great Labor Day weekend!
~Mrs. A
Welcome back bears!
I am hoping in the coming days to see some of your responses to the following:
Some of my highlights included traveling to Mexico City with the Houston Symphony Chorus, performing Video Games Live! at Jones Hall with the Houston Symphony, attending two workshops for art, singing in a friend’s wedding, visiting family in New England, and Mr. Anders and I bought a new house! So it’s been a busy couple of months.
But now it’s time to shift gears and get back into the swing of school. Please check back here for updates on projects and exciting news from the art room.
Glad to have you all back,
Mrs. A
Artwork from the Pre-AP Art workshop at Rice University.
Mrs. A gets her yoga in at the pyramids in Mexico City!
Mrs. A amongst the brightly colored shops and vendors in Mexico City.
Mrs. A visits the MFA in Boston.
A big congratulations to Phuc Dinh!
His artwork for the Dr. Mari Jon Filla Student Art Exhibit was awarded a blue ribbon. You can click on the link to see more award-winning artwork. See the art in person at Reliant Center Thursday, July 16 through Sunday, July 19, 2009, continuous until 4 p.m. on Sunday in Hall C.
With so much great artwork right at the end of the school year I almost forgot about our Mini-Monets! The 7th grade Advanced Art students finished out the school year strong with their Mini-Monet canvases. While students worked from photos, these grid paintings are by no means exact duplicates, but rather, in the spirit of Monet. I loved watching them mix their colors, learn more about blending, and really, learning to “let go” of making a precise shape or an exact duplicate. Monet was known for his ability to capture the moment and my students really got into the paintings. Cavnas sizes are 9×12 and we used acrylic paint.
Enjoy!
~Mrs. A
Mrs. A will continue to work on various projects over the summer and will be posting imagery to the Mrs. A’s Canvas link, so feel free to check back often. Also, if you have artwork you’ve done and would like to share, feel free to email me at landers@pasadenaisd.org and you might find it on the site!
Happy Summer!
~Mrs. A
As we wound down the 2008-09 school year, I had my students engage in a project I called “Reflective Portaits.” For this assignment, students were given a piece of drawing paper, a portrait mirror, Prang 6B sketch pencils and their choice of think markers or pens. I gave students a brief introduction to facial features and proportions as well as shading and creating value. Students had the remainder of the time left in school to draw their reflection in the portrait mirror and then reflect on their school year in the negative space. I asked students to write their thoughts, feelings, and emotions from their school year in the background, following the contour of their head. Some students wrote lyrics to songs that were significant to them, others provided insight into their personal memories from home or school. Some students got creative with their backgrounds by adding patterns or multiple colors, others spent more time of their portrait.
I was very proud to see students engage in this sort of reflective imagery. I know that for many, it was a challenge, but my hope is that years from now you will look back at this assignment and you will remember all these little things that were important to you now. Thank you to all my students who opened up and shared a little bit of themselves with me this school year. Have a restful and wonderful summer and keep in touch!
~Mrs. A
On Wednesday, June 3 the 8th grade advanced art class put the finishing touches on our 2008-09 mural project. Student artists added a black border to the outside edge in addition to signing their names with silver Sharpie markers. Their work will live on as a positive response to crime and continue to inspire students and teachers alike with their positive messages of hope, peace and prosperity!
