Hey, folks, it's been a while. I had planned to keep up with this blog, but, well, summer & life happened! I have gotten a lot of writing done, plus a bit of art, and plenty of family time and sunshine. So, no complaints here!
At the (very!) end of last school year I was able to squeeze in a mural project that I had been hoping to do since I started teaching at my current school with the plain white-walled hallway leading to my art room door. It was so much fun to collaborate with our school psychologist and see her work with small groups on it, and for me to work with 5th graders on designing the letters in "courage" and seeing them paint it all. And to see how the younger students reacted to the hallway transformation! Definitely worth it.
The only problem is that it's a tight space, so it was challenging to get a decent picture. Here's the panoramic view:
It's one of my favorite quotes: Henri Matisse said, "Creativity takes courage." So true, right? And I think it's super important for kids to know that yes, they need to be brave to try something new and to share and explore their ideas. How else can we grow?
Also true that, while I am NOT a perfectionist, it was (maybe more than) a tad difficult at times for me to let the kids go at this thing, and not chase behind them fixing uneven edges and unintentional drips. I had to be brave to let their creativity shine, too, I suppose.
Pretty sweet, isn't it? And SO much better than a white-walled hallway!
Then this summer I was able to work with my 10-year-old who has been wanting a painting with his name for his bedroom. We decided it would be way cooler to paint a mural right on the wall, than a small painting on canvas. So much fun. And it really didn't take too long.
By the way, the background is not a gridded galaxy... it is -- wait for it -- any Minecrafters out there have a guess? --
Yup, they are Minecraft Sculker Blocks. (Whatever that is, LOL!) If anyone actually guessed that, I will be both impressed and concerned. Unless you're in the 6-12 age range. Anywho...
I hope to do more murals in the near future. It really is tons of fun. And I love working BIG so it's a good fit for me, artistically speaking.
I'd also love to share this book with my students next time we work on one at school... (and -- bonus! -- there's a version in Spanish! My bilingual and Spanish-speaking students would love this!)
Until next time, take care. And be courageously creative!
~Alana