When the Skills Aren't There

I have mentioned lately that if people are intimidated by teaching visual arts that they should practice. Well, here is the other side of the coin - teaching music scares me!!! So much. I had the chance recently to see my son perform at Vanier Hall with his choir and although it was such a neat experience, you could tell that there were differences between choirs, quality wise. I'm afraid that one day I will be that person, lacking the skills to teach music and doing it anyway. Unlike visual arts, I feel music is a place where there is some natural born skill required. A music teacher once told me that tone deafness is determined between 3 and 5 years old. All people are born with tone range but depending on what they are exposed to in relation to tone, that can go away around these ages. Unfortunately I have a bit of tone deafness. Not completely but I definitely lack the skills to teach. What do you do in these situations? Maybe those are the times you look to parents. I have an amazing friend that is a stay at home mom who loves to volunteer in the schools and is an incredible singer with a lot of experience. Maybe I'll luck out and find one of those people to help, it is always worth asking. This is a great way to involve family and community in the classroom and school.

Right now I am switching gears to holiday mode. Homework and classes are done and I have a smile on my face. I came across this video this morning and it brought tears to my eyes, it is so beautiful! Please check out this acapella version of "The Little Drummer Boy" by Pentonix. It inspires me to find a way to reach those kids who have amazing skills and need the experience.

Merry Christmas all, especially to my classmates. I hope that you all have a wonderful, relaxing holidays, see you all in January!

X-Tails and X-dreams

This evening I received a special delivery. A friend of mine delivered the first book of a series that her husband wrote.

The X-Tails: Join tis adventurous group of best friends on their thrilling journeys as you learn about friendship, sports, safety and the importance of being a role model. This first book, The X-Tails Snowboard at Shred Park is great. It has a great story, amazing art work and even a moral. Good times. I will definitely be purchasing the rest of these series as they publish them, and can't wait to introduce my kids to new adventures of skateboarding, BMXing, heli-skiing, surfing and mountain biking.

When I see someone following their dream and giving up everything to make it happen I can't help but be inspired by Larry Fielding. I used to have dreams of writing a kids book, even have collections of pages that were going to be my first short novel. I'm not sure if that is my dream anymore but still, it is inspiring. Perhaps when we have more time (Christmas? Summer?) I will take an opportunity to consider further the X-Tails and my ex dreams. For now, I'm going to finish up some assignments and take some time aside to read my kids a cool new book.

Those Who Can't...don't tell.

So I recently made a post about an art experience in school that had a huge impact on me and so I thought that I should mention a course that had an equally huge impact on my love of art. It kind of relates to my last post :) For the second half of grade 10 I went to school in Saskatchewan and because I had already taken Art 10 I took Art 11 in my new school. This course was incredible!! I learned two things in this course and fell in love with doing art. I think that the teacher in my previous class had artistic ability (the learn to draw on the right side of the brain teacher) but she never showed it to us. This teacher was an artist and he was not afraid to let us know. In this class I spent half of the year doing watercolour painting and then the other half doing pottery. I learned this from a man named Ken Guenter who is a watercolour painter and a potter (go figure!).

I think that you can learn math from someone who hates math but it will be harder and you might not learn it as well. The same goes for any subject. I think that anyone can teach art but I think we are much more likely for students to get excited about art if you love it...and actually do it! So this is my theory, if you hate art, try to do some and see if you can grow some fondness (Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain?) If that is something you REALLY don't want to do, at least do the art project before you have your students do it (maybe you  will find it is fun and decide you still hate art but love doing this project). And keep in mind, this is all my theory, don't put to much credit in it. If you can't do any of these things: FAKE IT "TIL YOU MAKE IT. That's it. I think that is actually my theory with all subjects. If you can't stand a subject, don't let your students know. Fake it and maybe one day you will love it, and at the very least, you will not spread your hatred to your students.

For now, I will say that Ken Guenter was one of the greatest teachers that I've ever had. He loved what he taught, he did it well, he taught skills, he made us work for our finished products, he often made us start from scratch and do paintings 10 different times...these rough drafts were actually a requirement for some assignments. He taught me that art skills are just that, skills. They can be built up and refined by anyone. I am taking those theories with me to all areas of education.

Mrs. Aaslie, You Rock!

Well, lately I have been focusing on the Art Show...and inspiration. I thought I would combine those thoughts today and talk about what inspired me in the art show :) My cohort did, of course! All of you facilitated amazing projects in your class. Beautiful, meaningful projects. Recently a teacher in my school asked me what I thought of my cohort - what kind of people they are. I was proud to say that I think that you are all great. I said that we work together well and that I think that there are soooo many great teachers in the cohort, they really make me happy about the future for students. I might have not sounded quite as gushy as that sounded but really, that is the truth, I have come to respect you all so much. This event really enforced that respect for all of you.

As an example, Mrs. Aaslie rocked this art show. Now, Laura inspires me all the time. She is a great teacher, amazingly dedicated student and a loving mother. She has given so much to be here in Prince George and in the end, it will be her students that get the advantage from that price paid because she is going to be such an amazing teacher. Her art work that she brought to the show was amazing. Inspired. Beautiful. Every piece of art was frame worthy and some were far more than that.

If that wasn't enough, there is more! There was a really great lesson to accompany this art. Students were able to learn about identity, First Nations culture and hard work, among many other lessons I'm sure. It was such a neat experience to hear Laura talk about each of her students and their process towards their masterpieces. You could tell that she was invested into each and every one of them. 

So, kudos to you Mrs. Aaslie. You have inspired me and many others. 

Right Side, My Friend

I first started to believe that everyone has artistic ability in high school, this belief came in relation to a school art class. I did the majority of this program when I was in grade 4 and then did it again in grade 10 and I absolutely love it.

If you have never done it, I encourage you to do it. If you think that you lack artistic ability, do this in your spare time. That might sound lame but I am serious. If you "can't" draw but can honestly say that there is a chance that you may have not invested time into this before deciding you "can't", I think that this is a valid thing to do in your down time (lol - down time). In the beginning of the program you draw a face and then you do a ton of assignments that seem to have no value (in the eyes of a child). You cover perspective, shadow, symmetry, among others. At the end of it you draw the same face again and see your progress. I encourage you to google "Drawing on the RIght Side of the Brain" and see the before and after photos. When thinking about this I though "I have some stuff from this program in my portfolio" and so I decided to check. It turns out that I have the WHOLE program worth of assignments saved. I am not sure if I have even one other thing from my elementary or secondary schooling but I have this whole course full of assignments, that is saying something in support of this program, right there! This is my before and after of my faces.

At 14, this evidence of developing skill blew me away and developed my philosophy on artistic ability. It was so neat to see some people in the class go from one extreme to another. I think that this program has a completely valid place in school, especially intermediate classes and secondary. I will also re-iterate what I said in the beginning: If you are reading this from the perspective of a teacher that is freaked out of art - pick up a copy from the library and try this!! I am hoping to find bucket loads of extra time over Christmas and do it again.

While I was looking through this course of assignments I found this picture. I was talking with a classmate about this technique so I thought I would throw it in. It is created with making tiny dots of ink (we had an old school pot of ink and pen that you dip in - I thought that it was the coolest). I think that it is called pointillism.

Inspiration

When I was on practicum a couple of the teachers in the school told me about this great blog called "That Artist Woman". I LOVE this blog. She has so many wonderful projects that are totally do-able in the classroom and as an added bonus are really nice looking finished products. Another thing that I really like is that the projects are categorized into seasons and also into medias. Such a great resource! I couldn't leave it without a picture so I will add this one - I can't wait to do this project one day. It involves a wet on wet watercolour painting technique, which is great, but my favourite part is that the trees are painted using a blowing technique where you move the paint around by blowing through a straw. Can you even imagine the different things you could link this to? How seasons change, forces of nature (wind), creating with different techniques...PLUS it is gorgeous!

Time Well Spent

I have to say - there were times that I didn't LOVE the process of planning the Art Show. Don't get me wrong, I felt it was a completely valid event and experience but there was something about trying to get a whole class of people to give honest input into things like date, refreshments, budget etc. It seemed like it was hard to be heard, hard to come to decisions and hard to discuss anything without it sounding like we were arguing and complaining (which we have all made a pointed effort not to do). Everyone had such valid concerns or desires, it is so difficult for 28 people to go from nothing to a planned event by discussion.

HOWEVER, the event was awesome. I think that it came together so well. Everyone had such unique and beautiful projects, the snacks were sufficient, the violin playing was really great (one of my favourite moments was seeing a students holding her baby sister in her lap, sitting in a chair right in front of the violin player and just mesmerized - I was most inspired by the "art" of that moment), the decorations were wonderful. I was so impressed with the graciousness of the whole cohort to all of the visiting students and families. Everyone was eager to jump in and help students find their project or talk to visitors about their own projects. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole three hours. It was neat to see it go up so fast and equally neat to see it come down so fast - like a pretty little moment in time.

Class Masterpiece

I was really happy with the piece that my students created for the Art Show. The last week of practicum I was able to embrace Remembrance Day in my grade one class by focusing on a theme of peace. We had done multiple lessons embracing the theme and a few different art projects.

For this lesson I had my students paint a sunset sky together. We went out in groups of four, each group painted one colour and had to be mindful of what others painted before them and what others were going to paint after them. We used Peter Reynolds book Sky Color to inspire creativity while painting a sky with colours other than blue. On a side note - I just LOVE Peter Reynolds books. The students traced their hands to their elbows and cut them out to create a forest of trees at the bottom. We talked at length about how alone we are each an individual but together we create something bigger, a "forest" or a community. We talked about how we feel when someone is missing or is not wanting to be a part of our group. We feel like there is something missing, like there is a hole. I really enjoyed the lessons and really love the project that they created. 

Wonderings from a Hippy Heart

A few weeks ago a classmate mentioned that I am approaching this blog like a hippy, that I am trying to find beauty in everything and just talk about it. He said it in a "no offence" sort of way but little did he know, even if offence was meant, I will take it as a compliment. You see, if having a "beauty is everywhere" sort of approach is my crime then I am okay with that. In fact, that is kind of who I aim to be. So welcome to the most hippyish post you will read on here. It may sound like I'm joking but this may get a little personal so if you are reading this today to get some inspiration for an elementary art project, look away, today all I have is wonderings from my hippy heart.

I started this practicum differently than most. I started by stopping. Not just practicum, but life. The morning of October 21st, just as I was about to get my kids off to their care facilities so that I could start my first day of practicum bright and early, my life came to a halt. You know those moments when you know something has happened but you think that there is no way it could be true without confirmation? It was one of those moments. About 5 minutes later, when I was doing a final mirror check on my way out the door, the phone rang and my fears were confirmed. My brother Joe had passed away. My brother (in law) had been fighting a horrific battle with pancreatic cancer. This man....this man was much more than a brother in law. This man had been my big brother, my comforter, my friend, since I was seven. He was a such a big part of every phase of my life, from childhood, through my teen years and then, when I became an adult he became an anchor, in my life and in the lives of my family. Although I know some amazing men, in my heart there has only ever been four. My Grandpa, who was a light in my life; my husband, who is my other half; my father, who is my guide; and my brother Joe, who has always been a pillar in my life.

So what does this have to do with art? Well here comes the "peace and love" aspect of my thoughts. What is art? I feel that there are some criteria by which I judge all things to consider if they are art or not. First: Does it make me feel? Does it make me feel good, scared, happy, abandoned, alone, a part of something....does it make me feel anything???? I could stop right here, because this question is the basis for many other questions. Do I value it? Do I think that the world is better, deeper, for hearing the message contained in it? So this all leads to the question that I have been pondering...can I consider our lives art?

Is there any way that WE are the medium, our actions the equivalent of brush strokes on a canvas? Do the things we do send a message, open to interpretation by the beholder of our art?

I have to tell you, I think that Joe's life was a work of art. This man was not great in the way that traditional people consider greatness. He was not abundantly successful to the point of obscene wealth. He was not a public figure. He did not surround himself with hoards of people. But this man was great. He did things that stopped you in your tracks and made you reconsider everything. He was well known for being able to drop a couple of words (an by a couple I really do mean just a couple) into a conversation to create hilarious humour - mostly through puns. Does this sounds "great"? Nope. But the way he did it was. People could have been heartbroken or depressed, or just disconnected, and with only a couple of words he could bring them in, make them smile, and most of all, reconsider where they were at. This man would drop anything for those that he loved. He would take a child skating, sledding, teach her to drive a stick shift (properly...she knew how to drive it, just not properly), he would fix her car, he would give her a place to live, he was a friend, he was an anchor. On more than one occasion, when I was sick or super pregnant and I would look outside to see him de-icing my driveway because he didn't want me to slip. Once I saw him doing this in the early morning, when it was still dark out. "Well, this guy sounds like a giver," you may say. That's the funny thing, most of the world thought he was...well, they certainly didn't think he was a giver. Most of the people in his life had no idea whatsoever how much he was taking care of everyone in his world. He did most things silently, without recognition. He would most often deny anything that he had done that would bring attention to himself, saying flat out that he would never do these things. I feel like I cannot put into words even a fraction of the amazingness that he did. When I read over what I have wrote it reads like a ingredients list of shepherd's pie - there is nothing in particular that moves me. I have to tell you though, he was an enigma, and he ALWAYS moved me.

When he and my sister had a son I saw a new and amazing side of him. It is a lovely thing to see someone you love in a different light. To see my brother, tough as nails, become a father, was incredible. He protected his son with his whole being, he loved him and invested into him with everything he had. He fell in love with my nephew. When I had a son I got to see Joe in a whole new light yet again. I realized how much he loved me when I realized how much he loved my child. I wouldn't say he loved him like his own child but I would say that he loved him in a way that is more than family - a deep connection and investment. He became and incredible god father to my three children.

Like I said, not every one fell in love with him, not every one saw his goodness, but I think that is how it is with art. I think that two people can look on the same piece and one can fall to their knees and another can keep on walking. I looked at his life, the intricate details, and I was moved. Every day I was moved. I loved knowing him in his life and it broke me to see him in his death. For six months I saw a man that I adored waste away. I saw someone strong, healthy, fit, turn to someone I didn't believe could be the body of a 42 year old man. What I didn't see, was a diminishing of spirit. The last time I got to spend alone with him I fed him. The first meal he ate in a few days and one of his last. He was stubborn, he was funny, he was independent, he let me love him, he let me help him, it broke my heart and uplifted it at the same time. To see a man who was always doing for others and not letting anyone help him, allow me to feed him, it altered my universe.

So...maybe it's a lie. Maybe my heart's wonderings are just lies. Maybe our lives are not artwork. Maybe I am just a broken person who wanted to talk about my brother. However, I have been pondering these thoughts for six months and needed to put them somewhere and where else to put your pondering of life being art than on an art blog? And really, the point is not if we can agree that life is art the point is really, isn't it worth living it in a way that when you are gone someone might consider that your life was a masterpiece?

For now, I consider it true, life is art. The lives of those I love are art. I feel like I am standing in a gallery, hung with some of the most incredible works of art that could ever be. However, for this time...I can't help but stand in front of a gaping hole on the wall. I know that the works around it are great but as people bustle past me and life is happening, I am just staring at this hole where a wonderful painting once hung. I know that in time I will be able to take a step back and enjoy the whole gallery but for now I can't. I know that I will be able to step back in time because there are other holes...there are the holes of friends who died too young, of grandparents who nurtured my soul, of my first, third and fifth children who passed on before I could hold them...holes. Big holes. Holes that I stood in front of for a long time before moving on. Holes that I still see but when I glance int their direction I also see the art that once hung there. Beautiful art. In time I will take a step back and the hole that is now consuming me will not hurt as much. Oh, it will always hurt but I won't stand here. I will walk past and remember what was once here...I will smile when I remember the beauty. But for now, for now those smiles come with so many tears.

Never to be Forgotten
2.28.71 to 10.21.13