July 31, 2020

Multitasking!

Multitasking during our back to school online inservice today! Was able to repaint 12 tulips!! We are “Tulip” Grove Elementary & use the tulips outside our doors w/ teacher names on them & clips so info can be left without bothering the classes. When a teacher leaves, gets married, divorced, or enters the witness protection program (that hasn’t actually happened...and if it has I couldn’t tell you!!!!!) ...I am tasked with repainting it and writing the new names on them (I’ll start that next week!). My 20th yr doing these!
When I arrive at Tulip Grove, the flowers were spray painted red or blue...and the leaves green. I repainted mine....one day the principal popped into my room and said...”I like it...now redo everyone’s!“ 20 yrs later...I still am!!

July 30, 2020

Things aren’t always as they appear!

Don’t look at pics of actual/virtual classrooms & compare. We all have our own style, teaching situations, & time we can invest into our spaces. What I want to know ....do you love your kiddos, are you doing your best for them, do you love what you do?


July 29, 2020

When you see it....

You ever work on something so closely that you don’t really see something that is extremely obvious?
So today I was cutting down a rather large display I obtained from Michael’s a couple years ago. It was just not serving much of a purpose and was taking up valuable floor space.  My favorite color is green..so I decided to save it and the sign to use on my bulletin board where I’ll be recording my virtual classes! 

Do you see the issue in the first picture? I literally jumped when I saw the other crayon’s hand still on green’s “shoulder”.  Haha! 


I painted over it with acrylic( it is made of plastic like a political sign ). Need to touch it up a bit more then put a varnish on top. 

July 27, 2020

Scaring Myself In The Art Room


Today was the first day we were allowed back in our school (there was a change over in custodial companies...which left no one to strip and wax our floors for part of the summer).  We are doing virtual school for at least the first month, and many teachers are opting to teach online from their classrooms.  I went to do basics....put furniture back and place & start getting all the things I packed up in a hurry in March back in the proper places. 

Well, I thought I’d be funny as I was getting ready to leave and put my hair dresser’s dummy head in my door window to freak out passers-by.  I ended up deciding to stay longer, and ran out to get lunch. When I returned and opened my door.... I about let out a scream!  Laughing it off, I went about working for a couple more hours.  Before leaving, I decided to use the restroom at school.  When I returned to get my things....you guessed it...I almost screamed when I saw the head!  
 
WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?!?! 
You would think I had learned my lesson at this point....but I left it! We will see tomorrow if I let out a scream or not?!?!?! 





July 26, 2020

Sunday Devotional With Mr.E: Mirror

  

When I have my students draw self portraits, they will often default to a simplified human face.  Even though they have lived with their own face their entire life...they don't seem to truly "know" it enough to translate it into a drawing.  It is very interesting because it happens at different schools, in multiple grade levels, and with children from diverse cultural backgrounds.With a basic set of instructions in how to draw faces, students will create very similar portraits.  However, once students are given  mirrors...their work begins to develop characteristics that are unique. Their portraits truly start to resemble them.  It is amazing when we are faced with ourselves...how things can change!


What happens when we find ourselves out of the habit of reading God's Word, spending time in prayer, finding opportunities to serve God, praising God for his many blessings, and being in fellowship with other believers?  These things are a mirror in our relationship with God.  If we are not face to face with those things God desires for our lives....we are face to face with the world.  We begin to look like, act like, talk like, and think like the world.  We need to reflect on the things of God in order to continue to grow,  renew our mind, and carry out the things he has for us.  When we look deeply into those things, we will not only see God clearer, but we will see ourselves clearer. 




July 24, 2020

Looking Out For You

At a professional development I led up in Elizabethtown,KY....I was given a face shield to wear.  I knew about the mask, but was surprised by the face shield.  However, I'm a rule follower....and if that what they wanted me to do....I'd do it.  Within a minute or so.....my face shield was completely foggy.  (I've since been told to try bar soap to the clean the inside, lipstick, and/or shaving cream! There is also a product divers use on the scuba masks to keep them from fogging up!).  I ended up not having to wear it for long.....because it POPPED off my head!  I have a very large head....and it broke the band across the face shield!!  ha ha  It got me thinking though about when we do go back in person.  We are going to need a few masks each day to make it through teaching.  They become moist from talking/teaching...and it would be uncomfortable to try to make it through an school day with only one mask!  If we have to wear face shields...hopefully you can try out one of those things to prevent fogging up (and get one that actually fits your head! ha ha)  




July 22, 2020

PD In Elizabethtown, KY

I had the privileged of leading professional development for a district up in the Elizabethtown, KY area.  It was a little over 2 hrs to get there...plus a time change....so I left Middle TN at 4:30 in the morning!  TOTALLY WORTH IT!!  This was an amazing K-12 group of educators.  I used the same content from my one day version of the Art With Mr. E Summer Workshop that I posted a few posts ago.  It is really interesting how the same projects have so many outcomes when you allow individuals to express themselves.  





















  




July 19, 2020

Sunday Devotional With Mr.E: WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?



Have ever looked back on past work and wondered..."WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"  Art work can be an interesting snap shot of a specific time and place that you were in mentally, emotionally, relationally, and artistically.  When we look back at that time in our lives, it can feel like someone else's life. We might view ourselves as immature at that point in time.  Whatever our reasoning for that "season", it was created from where our minds & hearts were focused.  Art is an expression of the artist.  It only makes sense that it would capture that "period"(Picasso Blue & Rose Period anyone?)


What we allow our mind to entertain can often give direction to our mental, emotional, and relational state.  Are you feeling overwhelmed? Is stress infiltrating every area of your life. Are you finding yourself speaking & perceiving things in a much more negative tone?  There is so much going on in our world & in our own lives that we can begin allowing it to change us.  The reality that "life" is happening to us that is beyond our control is just that....LIFE!  What you do with that is on you.  If we focus on the negative...we become negative.  If we focus on the stress....we become stressed.  I'm not saying we bury our head in the sand, but we do have a choice of where we focus our attention and energy.  Philippians 4:8 tells us the things we should be thinking about! In this world we will have trouble....that's scripture...that's truth.  However, if we chose to reside in those things....our life will reflect it!  We are not denying the bad things that happen...but we are choosing to to live in the truth that God's love, God's faithfulness, God's provision is enough to meet all of my needs.  

What are you thinking??



July 17, 2020

Artist Spotlight: Delta Martin

I wanted to feature African American Artists on my blog to encourage the art/art ed community to start searching/researching such artists to use as inspiration in their work or their classroom.  Students need t see those who look like, live like, and experienced life like them.  Great Art goes far beyond the old dead   white guys most students are taught.  We must make sure to share the art, artists, and stories of  the African American community!  I hope that those of you in the art room will use this time to explore the amazing work of those groups you might have neglected in the past.  


Please use this as a jumping off point for learning more about the life & work of Delta Martin! 
I included some questions that can be used as writing prompts or classroom discussion.  I added some images by Kehinde Wiley to compare/contrast with the work of Delta Martin.

     

July 16, 2020

PLANS?!?!

So what are your school districts' plans?!?
I'd love to hear how other districts are handling the start of the school in light of the ongoing pandemic. I feel like we have to be very grace filled & flexible during this time. Our leaders have never been faced with this situation....and they will NEVER please everyone with the choices they make.  

Is this how you feel about the start of the school year?
 ha ha YOU ARE NOT ALONE! ha ha

July 12, 2020

Sunday Devotional With Mr.E: Time Wise

When you pursue art as a passion and/or career, you must be wise.  You must be training/ skill building wise.  You want to learn from those who will nurture and challenge you as you seek to grow as an artist. You must be money wise.  Supplies can be extremely expensive.  You want to invest in those things that are good quality and beneficial to your art making.  You must be time wise.  Using your time to research, develop your skill, try new ideas, investing into what is most important, following through with concepts, and finish your work are all pivotal to being an artist.  You also need to be time wise in regards to letting things go when needed and being able to say no to things that will distract you from what is most important.


Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
 Reminded me that my days are number- 
how fleeting my life is.
Psalm 39:4

At first read, this verse can come across as a bit morbid.  Most of us do not enjoy contemplating our "end".  The truth is that we do not know the number of days we will be given.  The author is not writing this with a sense of dread or depression.  They are writing it as a reminder of the urgency to LIVE. We are given today.  What will we do with it? 

 If someone is in need....should we wait till tomorrow to help them? 
 If a friend needs to talk....do we ask them to call us back later?
If someone needs a hug....do we figure someone else will meet that need?
If we feel God calling us to pray with someone....do we choose not to because we aren't comfortable praying out loud?
If we see a need in our church....do we figure someone else will meet it?
If someone seems down...do we try to ignore it because we don't know what to say?

Do I want to get to the end of my days being able to say I watched all the movies I wanted to watch, played all the games I wanted to play, slept in often, and enjoyed my life???

OR

Do I want to say that I trying to make a difference each and every day.  I looked for opportunities to be the person God made me to be as I lived my life (that He gave me). 

Are you being time wise?   Maybe you can take an honest look at your life.....tomorrow?

July 06, 2020

Updated My Art Page




I talked to our local tourism council today...and they are trying to have 20 murals created in our county during 2020. I’m sure the virus has delayed that goal a bit.  I’ve always wanted to creat an outdoor mural. So I updated my page so they can see a diverse selection of my work!  Not sure if my style/skill is what they are looking for...but I’ve been trying to put myself out there more! Never hurts to try...right! 


July 01, 2020

WHAT ARE YOU CREATING?



Summer is such a great time to create, experiment, and play! What are you creating this summer? Trying new media? Trying new techniques? Making things larger or smaller than usual?