Snowpeople Selfies: K-2nd

I posted at the beginning of December about the day I had taken double classes (see link below)...

http://www.artwithmre.com/2018/12/50-kindergartners-by-my-self.html 

and here are the results of that day!  

SNOWPEOPLE SELFIES!!!!

They turned out super cute...and are now hanging all over the school. 

Their little personalities are undeniable!

Christmas Edition Devotional With Mr. E: Respond

I wanted to get this posted at the start of Christmas day...but that did not happen. 

I hope you enjoy this special edition!! 

It is amazing to see how different people respond to art work.  So many factors go into individual responses.  Personal preferences, mood, context, association, exposure, and historical background all play a part in how one will react/respond to a work of art, a collection of art, or an art movement/style.  While a painting may move one individual to tears... the same work may elicit no response from another.   It doesn't mean that the unresponsive individual is lacking artistic understanding or basic human emotion (too dramatic..I'm an artist! ha ha)...it is just their response (a lack of response is still a response).  It also could be that they are having an internal dialog/response concerning the work, but do not show it on the outside.  Not everyone is a verbal processor or wears their heart on their sleeve.  If they feel the need to share....they will.  

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.   Luke 2: 16-20

I love the dichotomy found within these verses.  We see the response of the shepherds after their encounter with the angels, and the response of Mary after giving birth to Jesus & hearing the shepherds share their story. 

The shepherds can hardly contain themselves! Do you blame them?  I think if angels visited me & shared this amazing news...I'd have a hard time being quiet too! 

 I also understand Mary's response.  Her life has just changed.  She is a new mom.  Her child is the Promised One.  She's in a stinkin' stable! Shepherds just shared the most amazing story with her.  Yes, this might cause me to turn inward & contemplate all that is going on in & around me. 

How do you respond when God does amazing things in your life?  How do you respond when you are struggling, confused, or hurting?  How do you respond when your life just seems to be coasting along?  There is no perfect/right answer......but there is a genuine response which comes from within you.  That response may be seen by others at times...or may be between you and God at times.  However, our world is longing for genuine responses to life....not over inflated...not under inflated...not fake....not covered up....just real people responding to real life. They need to see us in our good times...and in our bad.  Doing so allows others to see how a relationship with God impacts life for the believer.  How will you respond?

Merry Christmas 2018

Hoping you all are having a wonderful Christmas....and a well deserved break! 

Stay tuned...I'm still posting over the holiday.

Sunday Devotional With Mr.E: Content Not Constrained

Artists can be very emotional & passionate people.  Their artistic expression can be an outpouring of that emotion & passion.  They often create from the extremes they experience in their life.  However, if they were constrained to create only from those extremes, their body of work they would be limited in what & how they worked.  Art is a discipline that is cultivated over time & practice.  It is an ongoing journey that can pull from both the good & bad times of one's life, but often exists in the in-between.  This allows the artist to develop their skills and artistic behavior so they are able to sustain their artistic endeavors no matter their season of life.  They are content to create because it is who they are, how they process, and the language of their life.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.  Philippians 4:12-13

Our lives can, at times, feel like a series of extremes.  The highs are amazing.  The lows are devastating. However, it is in the day to day that we see the faithfulness of the Lord, and can develop our relationship with Him in order to make it through our times of extreme.  If we are constrained to praise him on the mountaintops or cry out to him in the valley....we are missing the beauty of a true relationship with the God.  He wants us to come to him with everything.  He wants us to trust him with everything.  He wants us to rejoice in the blessings.  He wants us to cry out to him in our pains & sorrows. No matter how big or how small the praise or the pain....he wants us to come.  When we develop this response of going to God in our daily life....we learn to trust him....we learn to rest in his arms.  Then...when life becomes "extreme"...we know where to go....we know what to do.  It is a part of our life....who we are, how we process, and the language of our life.  We can be content in knowing our God...in the good times & the bad times. 

Clay Project: 4th Grade

II tried something different with my 4th grade clay project this year.  I left it very open ended.  I gave them a lid to work on (which gave them a basic size requirement), and asked them to use addition, subtraction, coil, and texture.  This gave them an opportunity to apply the skills we've worked on K-3rd.  I loved seeing the variety in their work. 

They used tempera cakes to paint their clay after it was fired. 

Sunday Devotional With Mr.E: Not what I expected...

Artists often have a picture in their mind of what they want to create before they even pick up a paint brush (or whatever media they use). Many will sketch out or create mock-ups of what they wish to make before beginning the final piece.  I've seen so many be able to reproduce their ideas perfectly.  I, however, seem to be unable to actualize my initial vision.  It always morphs & changes.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing.... my final work is just not what I expected.  Maybe my initial vision/sketches aren't strong enough?  Maybe my ideas change because I realize I don't have the skill to carry out my first thought?  Maybe I realize I don't have the right colors, brushes, or supplies after I begin working? Or is it possible...that ideas are meant to change and grow as we live with them and apply them?   Sometimes things not being exactly how you expected is a good thing.  

As Jesus walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.  They were casting their net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people."  At once they left their nets and followed him.  Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John.  They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets.  Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.  Matthew 4:18-22

I can't imagine that Peter, Andrew, James, and John went to fish that day expecting to switch careers. Fishing was in their blood. It's what they knew how to do. It was very much apart of who they were. However, meeting Jesus change people. It changes minds, attitudes, interests, perspectives, relationships, and sometimes careers. No...they probably did not expect such a change to happen. They probably had a vision for what the rest of their days would look like.  Thank goodness they had open hearts to what God wanted for their lives.   If we are too possessive of these things...we can miss out on God's best for our life.  Even when things seem to be "for" God...we have to make sure that we approach it open handedly.  We have to be able to accept things that are "not what we expected" ...because in the unknown we can see the most growth happen.  It is where belief, trust, faith, and action meet.

Do you need things to be as expected?
Can you use a bit of faith stretching change?

I'd love to hear how God has/is shaking things up..and the results of it!

12 yrs ago....

12 years ago I was preparing for one of the most important days of my life.....

...my wedding!  

Decorating the church...making sure all the details were taken care of...greeting the wedding party (as my side was coming from all over)...rehearsal.....rehearsal dinner.....trying to sleep.......there is just so much that goes into the BIG DAY!!  

But what was most important....who my BIG DAY was with! 

I feel very blessed to walk this road with my beautiful wife...with ups & downs...twists & turns...joys and sorrows.  She is THE ONE...each & every day! She encourages me, challenges me.....loves me!! 

If it wasn't for her...you might not even know who I am!! She was the one that encouraged me to get my masters....and that is where I was challenged to start this blog. I know God's hand was in it...and is still in it!!  I do not consider myself "lucky"....I consider myself blessed.  

12 yrs ago I was busy with details of getting ready for a wedding.....

not knowing the amazing journey that was in front of me! 

More Abstract Expressionism: 3rd & 4th Grade

Three weeks ago I posted about the abstract expressionism pictures my 3rd graders were creating.  My 4th graders loved the examples on the board so much...they asked if they could do the project as well.  Since I wanted to give them a chance using our new tempera cakes....I agreed.  I LOVE WHAT THEY ARE CREATING!!  We looked at many examples of abstract expressionism....from many different artists.  I feel the variety is wonderful!  I left the images larger so you can see them better. I hope you enjoy them!!