new classes (and a peek at the pass around journal project)

Here are the classes I'm offering in the month of August:

Fabric jewelry class

We will work with needle, thread, fabric, and beads

Ages 6-9

August 18th and 19th, 10:00-1:00

Pack a lunch, healthy snack provided

$40.00

Plein Air Painting Class in the Wissahickon

We will take off from Northwestern stables and paint the landscape of the Wissahickon.

August 21st

10:00-1:00

$30.00

Pack a lunch in a backpack, healthy snack provided.

Here's another peek at the pass around journal project, more here.

the class moves outdoors

On the second day of the plein air painting class we got our sunshine. When we pulled up to the trail we felt raindrops, but decided to press on and be brave hikers. I'm so glad we we did, because fifteen minutes in the sun broke through the clouds full force.

The big rock was a great place to paint and lots of fun was found on the little hidden beach below us.

Looking out at the river (which happened to resemble chocolate milk after all the rain)forced us to tackle perspective and the children made some interesting observations as they laid out their composition.

approaching the landscape in a new way (plein air class moves indoors)

Today's plein air painting class had to be adjusted because of a couple hours of heavy rains this morning. Instead of painting in the Wissahickon, we worked indoors creating mixed media landscapes. First we made patterned paper, added it to a collection of interesting scraps, and then assembled a landscape using stitching into the paper as a final detail. We even took a break to float paper boats in the giant puddles.

Ripping and cutting shapes from the landscape will help the students tomorrow when they look out at the landscape and need to make initial decisions about composition. Working with pattern and color very freely opened up possibilities about how they see color in nature.

U selected a piece of paper for her sun and when she cut it out she saw it was blue on the reverse - making an excellent moon. U said she wanted a way to keep it reversible, so J brain stormed with me about how we could make it happen. We came up with hole punching it and letting it dangle by a piece of string. It's these moments that remind you why it's important to get them working as a group; the energy is buzzing and they're excited about what they're doing.

Can't wait to get in the woods!

children's papier mache class - day two

Although the day was sprinkled with intermittent chicken and chihuahua adoration, we still had plenty of time to paint and make some accessories for our little paper dogs. One has an ottoman and the others have food dishes or bones.

They are all adorable and I'm thrilled with the fantastic colors.

The group worked so well together; I loved to see them offering each other a hand when they could, sharing ideas, and encouraging each other.

The next group of classes will be the plein air session in the Wissahickon, July 20th and 21st.

New papier mache classes will be listed next week.

children's papier mache class

We're back from the mountains - greeting the city in the grips of a heatwave. 103 degrees feels very different bouncing off asphalt. My garden is hanging in there and the chickens are panting and digging deep into the dirt to keep cool.

My first children's papier mache class was moved indoors today due to the heat. We did venture outside for a little bit to visit the chickens as we toured the menagerie looking for inspiration. We also visited the finches, the turtles, the cat, and the dog. Frida Paloma(the chihuahua) stole the spot light and everyone ended up making dogs.

These pictures are from step one. Tomorrow we detail, reinforce, and paint.

I love how different each dog's personality is - we even have a flying dog! More pictures tomorrow.