Elves in the Artroom!

This holiday season there have been many Elves in the Artroom!

It all started last year, when a student brought his elf (Crispy) to school so that I could teach his class how to draw his elf. I asked his elf if it would be possible to get an elf for the art room.  I waited and waited, but no elf showed up.  Christmas came and went and I forgot about my request for an elf.  Fast forward to this year. It has always been my tradition to put my Christmas tree up on Thanksgiving. The next day I woke up and sitting on the tree was a brand new elf, Nigel.  He had a book and letter explaining that he was here based on a request from last year.  Who knew that it took a whole year to get an elf by request?! It was such a great surprise!

Meet Nigel.

He has been all over the art room, making sure students are doing what they are supposed to do in Art Class during these last few weeks before break.  He has proven to be the most helpful elf.  He fixed the broken projector that would overheat and turn itself off after 7 minutes. One day when I got to school he was sitting up there on the projector. It has worked wonderfully ever since then.  I guess I really lucked out and got a helpful elf, rather than a trickster elf.

Over the passed few weeks many elves have come to visit Nigel during Art Class. The first was a vintage elf named Drew.  He is much older than Nigel and they spent a lot of time talking about what the job of an elf entails.  He was such a good mentor to Nigel.

Frosty, a Swedish elf, came for a whole week! He and Nigel hung out and had such a great time talking and playing elf games. One day we even had 9 elves and two reindeer hanging out together. Elf Party in the Art Room!!!! 

Nigel is working on getting a girl elf to come and be a part of the TTE Art Room so that he can have some help watching over so many students. One of our sweet first graders asked her evles (Belle and Fudge) if they would help get a girl elf for the artroom so Nigel would have a friend. Santa said that there was a really good elf-in-training that would be perfect for the job!  Maybe she will show up next year when I put up my tree on Thanksgiving!  I can hardly wait!

Calendar Artists!

Last year two artists from TTE were selected to have their artwork be a part of the Colorado Recycling Association's  2015 calendar.   Mrs. Johnston (health) held a contest for students to create a work of art that promoted recycling, resusing, upscycling, ecycling and composting.  She also has a blog now. Check it out at: TTE Health Blog.

Art doesn't always have to be just something pretty to hang on the wall.  Most of the greatest artworks have something important to say.  Creating art for a cause is a great way to make your artwork about something that could effect change. Having their artwork chosen for this calendar is a huge honor as an artists.  The entire community of Colorado now has the opportunity to hear the message by viewing the work of these talented artists!

Hear Me Roar!

Lions, Lions Everywhere!!!

Lookout! There are lions in the hallways of TTE!  First grade artists created these lions using mono-chromatic (one color family) mixed media process.  The most difficult part was actually outlining the face in paint. Painting straight lines is not easy, even for adults.  After adding their mane, students could take their lion to the beauty shop to give him so curls, or crimps or whatever they could imagine. 

Below are some photos of our Fantastic First Grade Lions. 

Sydney's Zentangle Pumpkin!

Sydney, one of our fabulous fourth graders created a real Zentangle Pumpkin! 

Taking what we had been working on in class and applying to a real object, Sydney created a really unique pumpkin this fall!  

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere

Fall has officially arrived at Timber Trail Elementary.

Fourth grade students worked on overlapping objects (in this case, pumpkins).  They then used Zentangles to decorate their pumpkins, taking great care to make sure that they vary the value of each pumpkin section to make sure that their pictures are balanced. The result are elegant.

Spring Art Club Sign Up

Spring Art Club Sign Up Starts Today at 8:00 a.m.!!!

Below are the links to the online-sign up forms.

4th Grade Art Club Sign-Up

5th Grade Art Club Sign-Up

Let me know if you are having any trouble with the form. 

Miss Wilson and Mrs. Berndt Paint Together

Many students have been asking about the paintings hanging in my classroom, so I decided to post about them.  A month or so ago Mrs. Berndt and I went to a painting class called Canvas and Cocktails.  The theme was a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater.  

Mrs. Bernd painted her pictures exactly like the instructor did.  She is a very precise artist. Most of you know that Blue is my favorite color, so I changed mine to match my own artistic tastes.  Mrs. Berndt and I both learned a lot about how we approach art during the process.  Mrs. Berndt is more precise, organized and meticulous, while I tend to be more expressive, unorganized and messy.  

Below are pictures from our evening of painting. You will notice that even Mrs. Johnston showed up to hang out with us for a bit. 

Charlie Chaplin

Many students have been asking me about the Halloween Costume that I wore Trick-or-Treating with my niece and nephew. At school, everyone saw that the Specials Team went as Day of the Dead characters. I always do a different costume for Trick-or-Treating.  This year I was Charlie Chaplin.

For those who do not know who Charlie Chaplin is, he was one the first widely known film comedians. He played the same character in many films. This character was known as "The Little Tramp."  Below are a few pictures of Charlie Chaplin dressed as The Little Tramp.

Below are pictures of me dressed up as Charlie Chaplin for Halloween.  

Day of the Dead Sugar Skulls

Day of the Dead Skulls

I LOVE these!!
We began by researching Dia De Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) and it's purpose in Latin American Culture.  Students began by drawing a skull.  We talked about how to decorate the skulls with symbolic imagery (organic images, curved lines, flowers,etc.) and about the symmetry in the skull.

When they were done drawing in the skull, third graders used colored sharpies in a limited color palate, leaving the background white. After, they cut out the skull students painted their skulls with glue and  used special glitter to "sugar" our skulls.  We would have used real sugar, but no one thought it was a good idea to invite ants into the artroom, so we used special glitter that looks like sugar The results were stunning!  Below are just a sample of what is currently on display in Town Square. 

Museo de las Americas Santa Fe First Friday Art Walk

Dia de Los Muertos

The Museo de las Americas is having a belated Dia de Los Muertos celebration this coming Friday for the First Friday Art Walk on Santa Fe. Third graders learned all about the significance of the Sugar Skulls in the Dia de los Muertos festivities.  If you've never had the opportunity to visit the Santa Fe First Friday Art Walk, this would be a great opportunity to check it out.  Below you will find the information about the special activities the museum will be having in honor of Dia de los Muertos. The museum is located at 861 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, Colorado 80204

Highlands Ranch Library Art Show

It's Fall Art Show time again!

Timber Trail Elementary is proud to be a participant in the annual Highlands Ranch Feeder Area Art Show.  The show will be at the Highlands Ranch Library from November 1st through December 3rd.  We have many creative pieces at the show this year.  Please stop by the Highlands Ranch Library to see all of the fantastic works of art on display.

Square 1 Art

Square 1 Art packets and order forms go home in this week.  

If you choose to submit your order through the school they are do back to the front office by November 5th.  If you choose to order online please do so by November 5th as well, as our school will get a lower percentage of fundraiser money on any orders after the 5th. 

Thanks in advance for participating in the Square 1 Art fundraiser. The money we raise from this funds our entire art class budget for the school year. The more money we raise, the more art supplies we can purchase! 

Have a great day!!

Daniel Gonzales

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending an art show at The Outnumbered Gallery that featured my friend Daniel Gonzales.  Daniel used to teach art at Rock Canyon High School. Maybe some of your older brother and sisters took a class from him there.  He left teaching to pursue a career as a professional artist full time. His work is amazing. If you get a chance to visit the Outnumbered Gallery and check out his work...you will not be disappointed.  Below are some pictures I took at the show, as well as a link to his website.

http://www.danielsartwork.com/

Daniel and my favorite piece from his show, "Stargazing." 

Daniel and I.

"Stargazing" 

 Detail from "Stargazing"

 Nocturne

Virgin Mary

Zentangle Car

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful Fall Break!

This article came across my Facebook feed via a friend of mine who works for the Smithsonian.  For all my student who LOVE Zentangles as much as I do...check out what this artists did her husbands car!  Click the link below to see the entire article and start-to-finish photos.

http://www.boredpanda.com/car-art-sharpie-pen-drawing/

Pumpkin Patch

One of my favorite things to do during Fall Break is to visit the Pumpkin Patch with my family and choose a pumpkin for Halloween. Below is a picture of me with the pumpkin I chose. Now to come up with a creative idea for decorating it!

Exciting News!!

The DCSD is finally having a Faculty Art Show!  We have been pushing for this for quite a while and we finally found a venue.  The Art Teachers hung the show last night at the Highlands Ranch branch of the Douglas County Library.  Below is a picture of me hanging my oil-painting for the show.

All fo the fantastic works of art created by the a awesome DCSD art teachers will be on display until October 24. If you get a chance, you should check it out...there are many very cool and unique creations to see at the show.  Click hear to read more abou the DCSD Faculty Art Show.

What are we working on in Art Class? 

(Click on photo for a larger view)

We are currently working or artwork for the Square 1 art budget fundraiser.  Above is a photo of what we are doing for the fundraiser at each grade level. In Kindergarten we always paint flowers. First graders are making portraits of snowmen.  Second graders are working on cute penguins dressed up for winter.  Third graders are drawing their favorite desserts.  Fourth graders are using prior knowledge of hot and cool colors to create a really fun sun/moon drawing. Fifth graders have a choice between a colorful reptile/amphibian drawing or an illuminated letter, such as an initial. Our hope is to have these completed in time to mail out by October 3rd.

Every year we try to do some sort of All School mural in the beginning of the year. This year we did a Bird theme. Each student created a bird. These could be realistic or completely made-up. Students have had so much fun looking for their birds in the mural.  This year the mural is in the town square near the front office. I still have about a hundred or so birds to hang.  Below is a picture of some of the fantastic birds TTE students created. 

Welcome Back to Art Class!!!  

I am looking forward to a fun and creative year in Art!! I have so many new fun and exciting things to share with you! 

Italy

 Summer sure went by quickly this year!!  I am looking forward to seeing everyone next week.  While I am busy getting ready for all of your creativity...I thought I would share a few photo's from my trip to Italy. Yes, I went to Italy this summer.  What an inspirational place to spend the summer! I had so much fun taking in all of the great works of some of the most inspirational and innovative artists.  Below are some pictures from my trip.

This is the view I had as I emerged from the metro underground, the massiveness of the Milan Duomo took my breath away. 

 For a fee you can climb the tower to the top of the Milan Duomo and so this picture is from the top. 

Venice, what w beautiful city. 

Painting a mask in a Venice workshop

My finished mask.

 View of Tuscany from the top of the Gimingnano Tower.

 LOVED the unique beauty of the Siena Duomo 

Siena was such a nice place to relax. 

"Leaning" on the Leaning Tower o Pisa.  ;)

My favorite dome was in the Pantheon in Rome. That whole in the top is open to the sky. 

The Colosseum in Rome was amazing for so many reasons. I wasn't sure weather to smile for a photo in a place where so many people were slaughtered for sport. 

Mom and I in front of the Colosseum in Rome. It's had to believe that it was built in 70-80 a.d!

This is just one of the amazing ceilings in Vatican City.

One of the most beautiful and pristine floor mosaics. It's located in Vatican City.

Another amazing ceiling from Vatican City. 

Very old mosaic. My finger is there to show size. Below is detail so that you can see how small the individual tiles are. 

 Detail to show how tiny the tiles that comprised this mosaic were. My finger is there for scale. 

I saw magnificent works of art and amazing buildings that were built ages ago.  It made me realize just how much of  a baby my country is....we are so young compared to most of the world. I was unable to take photos of Da Vinci's "The Last Supper" or Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel due to regulations prohibiting the photographic  reproduction of those masterpieces, however I was able to enter the rooms where they they were both created in their respective cities of Milan and Rome. I was able to view "The Last Supper" from only feet away and I was able to spend a good deal of time in the Sistine Chapel looking at all of the fantastic fresco's. It was a fabulous trip! I learned so much about the history and culture of Italy as well as about the various artists and their work. If you have a chance to go, it is well worth the trip.