Merry Christmas!!!

We are finishing our Christmas crafts and listening to Christmas carols all week. Here is Ben and Billy finishing their gingerbread houses.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

Seventh graders are busy toning their canvases to paint on.

St. Helen's is very fortunate to have received a donation from the Greenwalt family. James Greenwalt was a local artist who painted beautifuly. The donated items came from his studio after he passed two years ago. This donation consisted of many stretched canvases, paint brushes, portfolios, rulers, 6 easels and many, many, beautiful art books.

Thank you to Mrs. Pinzone for storing them for us while the art room was being constructed.

Draw Like An Egyptian

6th grade just got finished with their Ancient Egyptian unit. The class learned how to draw figures in the "frontalist" style, just like an ancient Egyptian artisans.

Our 3rd and 4th graders have finished their "Haring" posters and are now doing some basic figure drawing. The picture above shows a student posing/modeling for the class. Students then try to draw what the model is doing. It is a very difficult assignment but our students are rising to the occasion and producing some wonderful drawings.

2nd Quarter is Under Way

Everything is off to a wonderful start for the second quarter:

1st graders are working on their costumes for the Christmas play

2nd grade started some beautiful watercolor paintings

3rd and 4th grades are learning about the artist, Keith Haring and will soon have a display up in the main hall way showcasing what they have learned

5th grade is making stunning jewelry to wear

6th grade is learning hieroglyphics to add some interesting detail to their Egyptian collages

7th and 8th grades are studying value and perspective this week, next week we will start on a projects that puts into practice what they have learned.

Above is an ink drawing that we just finished with in Jr. High. Erin did a great job!!

The Cleveland Museum of Art is having a wonderful show, it is titled "Artistic Luxury" and it is definetly luxurious. Above are two pieces that are highlighted in the show. They were created by renound French jeweler Rene Lalique. The 5th grade studied his technique of using beautiful jewels to color his pieces. They then used seed beads and model magic to create their own unique necklace.

Fall Extravagnza Projects

6th grade project


1st grade project


3rd grade project

Things are Getting Pretty Spooky Around Here

First grade is working very hard on their Halloween silhouettes. Everyone is very excited for our grand Halloween party tonight. Hope to see everyone there. I will be working the "fishing" game, please stop by and say HI.

Working of Fall Extravaganza Projects

Pictured are some of our seventh grade students working on their quilt for the Fall Extravaganza on November 1st. This quilt is made out of the students old jeans and t-shirts. The design is based on one of the Quilts of Gees Bend.

Look whats new in the art room

We have almost moved all the way into the art room. Classes are going great, as you can see. The first grade class is gluing a design for their personal emblem. They are doing a great job. Friday the new kiln was brought in. It will be hooked up this week and I will be doing testers very soon. Students are busy working on their Fall Extravaganza projects also and they are doing wonderfully.

We are off and running!!

A new school year has begun and we are off to a great start. Students are still having classes in the cafeteria, but that will soon change. The art room is finished and we are expected to start classes in the new facility at the end of the week. Kindergarten and first grades are starting to study geometric shapes, second and third are using oil pastels to create a night scene (I was inspired by the black out). Fourth, fifth and sixth grades are using new gel pens to create a beautiful Autumn masterpiece. Seventh and eighth graders are working on a collaborative project using negative space. I will be displaying these works of art when they are finished.

ART IS BACK. The Cleveland Museum of Art has reopened its 1916 building after three years of renovation and construction. It is a wonderful experience to walk through the galleries and view the incredible works of art that are displayed throughout the nineteen galleries. The Museum of Art is FREE and opened Tuesday thru Sunday. If you have a chance to visit, I highly recommend it.

Things are going great with the new art room. The new floor is in and supplies for this coming school year are being ordered, but before I start talking about the new school year, take time to enjoy your summer!!!

A Look Inside the New Art Room

Everything is looking so nice in the new room. The accent wall color is called "baked clay". How appropriate since this year we will be getting a kiln and starting to introduce each student to the joy of creating art out of clay.

Summers here and the time is right...

School is out and supplies are put away till September. I won't be posting as often as I intend to do during the school year. When I get into the new art room I will post pictures of how the room is progressing. I am very excited to create art in this new space.

Also, if you have not heard. The PTC has been very kind and generous by providing school supplies for this next school year. So no more searching for Prang watercolors, or Fiskar scissors!! All the supplies that each student will need will be provided for them, including art shirts.

I hope all of you laugh, play and have a wonderful summer!!

Congratulations Class of 2008

Congratulation to the class of 2008. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to teach you. Keep being creative and looking at the world with your own unique vision. Best wishes in your high school careers.

Pastel Landscapes

Here are a couple of the landscapes that the 3rd grade created after looking at artist Tracy Helgeson's work. Above is Nina's work and the Emily's, they are beautiful. The whole class did a great job. Unfortunately my scanner is not working well and I am only able to post 2 pictures. Thanks to Mr. Mills though, next year we will have a new scanner to go into our new classroom.

Things are coming to a close for this school year. It sure has gone by quickly. Students will be getting there second term work this week to take home. I can't believe that it is almost over.

We're getting messy in 3rd grade.

The 3rd grade class has been finishing there landscapes. The class viewed the artwork of New York Artist, Tracy Helgeson (check out her website by clicking on her name). Each student then studied a picture and drew the background, midground and foreground lines. They went over the lines with liquid glue. After the glue dried, they filled in the area with soft pastels, layering the color.

Art Around Our Neighborhood

Cheyenne, Megan and Shannon did a great job painting Mangia, Mangia's window last week. The design was a collaborative effort between the artists. Each artist gave up their afternoon to paint this mural. The time and talent that they put forth sure paid off. It turned out beautifully!!

Congratulations Brian!!

Congratulations Brian, for winning 1st place in painting at the Regina Art Show. We are sooo proud of you.

Congratulations also goes out to Lyndsey for receiving an Honorable Mention for her mixed media work.

Welcome to Our World

8th grade Fall Extravaganza Project

Hi All!!!
I decided to start a blog about the activities that go on in art class. Why, you may say. Well, because I have seen to many really good art projects end up in the school trash because they did not fit in a book bag and I have also had parents ask me what their children have been doing in art because they have not seen anything come home. So, in response to this I have set up this place in cyberspace so parents, student, friends and family can see what we do.

I also feel that St. Helen's has so many talented students that the bulletin boards just don't give everyone justice. I am hoping to update this blog on a weekly basis through out the school year. I will also post any homework that needs to be done. This, usually, only pertains to the junior high students, and happens infrequently. But, it will be posted here in case students have lost their instructions, forgot the due date, missed class..... and the hundreds of other scenarios that may occur.

So here goes our venture into the world of blogging. Hope you stop back frequently to check out what goes on inside the art room.