Art in Paris

For decades, it's been a dream of mine to make it to Paris. The Louvre feels like a a pilgrimage for many artists, and I am no exception. So when my artist husband and I found a good deal we booked a trip and grabbed a couple of our grown children and flew across the ocean to check out the art in person.

First stop was D'Orsay. The Museum Orsay has a wonderful Collection of Impressionism in the amazing refurbashed train station. Three hours is probably the right amount of time to spend there. The cafe at the top boasts the giant clock from Hugo, which you can look through to see the city. I can't tell you how happy I am that my children love art appreciate art museums even more that they've had history of civilization and art history classes in college. It also helps that they've been visiting museums and galleries since they were born.

family Portrait with Winged Victory

Next, the Louvre. We were coming in tired, and I didn't want to be too worn out for this exhausting museum, with miles of walking. We went right after lunch and practically ran through in a few hours to see our "must see" list, which I had actually written down. If I had it to do over, I'd have waited until the 2nd or 3rd day of the trip, and gone Thursday evening when things start to clear out. They're only open one evening a week, but I hear that it isn't so busy at night. I'd intentionally decided to avoid the Mona Lisa with it's crowds, but since so many of my favorites were right by the room where she hangs on the wall, I stuck my head in. No regrets.

Modonna on the Rocks, looking dark

I was sure that my favorite DaVinci was "Modonna on the Rocks, but it seemed very dark in person. Maybe it would brighten up with a cleaning, but his Madonna with St. Anne, was very vivid, so until the restoration, St. Anne is getting my vote. Reproductions are important, but seeing real work in real life provides surprises. The texture, the size, the depth, the frame: There's nothing like the real deal.

The Palace of Versailles is packed with Art. Ceilings were covered with views of heaven and historical scenes painted by artists who probably needed massages or a good chiropractor at least once a day.

The Pantheon isn't an Art Museum, but it might as well be with so many enormous painted panels covering the walls. One of my favorite walls portrayed the story of Joan of Arc. Tres French!

And as a TVI (Teacher of the Visually Impaired) I was happy to discover the final resting place of Louis Braille in the basement, along with other notable French men and women (Marie Curry, Victor Hugo, Voltare).

Our trip included other treasures, but I could have spent an entire week in Art Museums alone. Next time maybe. 

 

Glass Blowing for the Blind

Glass paper weights my students made in a hot shop

 I was so impressed on our recent field trip to Louisville, Kentucky, with a glass blowing studio called Flame Run. There, employees was able to help my students, who are legally blind, create paperweights from glass. 

Each student chose two or three colors that they wanted to use in their piece. The hot glass was "dipped" into trays of specks of each of those colors and heated again. Then students used tongs to pull and twist their glass to create swirls of color. The staff guided hands of students who needed a little extra help for the first few tries.

The colors that are chosen don't look like the ones that are placed on the hot glass. It isn't until the process is over and the chemical process is complete for the desired colors to show. The pieces needed to slowly cool in a kiln to prevent cracking. Sweet, Meg Outland, from the American Printing House for the Blind, picked the finished paperweights up, after they had cooled, and shipped them to Georgia, where my students could finally feel the forms and grasp the process. It's not enough to read about or discuss the process, my students need to experience these kind of things first hand for all that we learn in class to make sense.

APH Insight's Art Contest Awards

The Insights Art contest had 400 submissions this year from across the country, 90 of which made it into the exhibition. There were first and second place winners from about 7 categories, and a few of my students were chosen as winners, in the 10-12th grade category.  In fact, of the eight winners who showed up to the American Printing House for the Blind conference in Kentucky, to receive their awards, four were my students. All four sold their artwork.

The thrill of the airport train

I'm always overwhelmed with the responsibility of taking other people's children out of state. In the planning stages, I wonder if it is worth the effort, but once we are there, I get to see one life changing moment after another. Three of the four students had never flown before, but were willing to face their fear and get on the plane. 

a student describes her painting process

My students navigated 30 foot escalators (which can be more scary than planes), moving sidewalks, automatic rotating doors, and city streets. They shook hands with the president of APH, stayed in a fancy hotel, mingled at the reception, stood in front of hundreds of strangers at the awards ceremony and were interviewed by a podcaster. I'm hoping that by doing worthwhile things despite being afraid, students will take courage later in life, and venture out to live more fully, despite being blind.

The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft (KMAC) had free admission and we always get an outstanding audio description tour. Art is for everyone after all, and it's nice to get some insight into not only what the artwork looks like, but the processes and intentions of the artists.

The Louisville Pumpkin Spectacular staff were also very accommodating, allowing us to enter the wooded park trail to see thousands of jack-o-lanterns 15 minutes before the crowds. The smells, and music in each section made it a multi-sensory experience. 

There are hundreds of real pumpkins, at the Spectacular, that artists have to re-carve every several weeks because they start to decay. I loved that they had a section jack-o-lanterns of famous art portraits, like the ones we had just studied in class.

Weeks after we got home from the trip, a couple of my students made sure I knew that they would never forget the experiences they had that special weekend. I'm grateful I could be a part of that memory for them.

I'm so grateful for my friend and co-chaperone for sharing the adventure.

Introduction to Portraits in Art History

Last week, in Art class, I finished teaching a unit on Still Life and began a Portrait unit, starting with some of the most famous portraits in Art History. We discussed everyone from Rembrant to Picasso, Valesquez to VanGogh.  

Rembrandt, Margritte, and Vermeer paintings came to life in my Art Class

My students picked a favorite painting to personify, and dressed up as the subject. It was a lot of fun tryinig to scavenge for beads, black t-shirts, gauze, crepe paper, wigs, hats, fabric, and flowers. I brought Halloween make up and scarves from home Monday morning and between that, the box of prom table runners, and another teacher's supplies, I was able to get the students what they needed to put a quick costume together. By Tuesday, almost everyone had been photographed. 

We had no shortage of Frida Kahlos and Mona Lisas. Lichtenstein style portraits were also popular. But I was impressed by students who took initiative like the girl who brought a short dress and long skirt to dress as Sargent's Madam X.

These students pose as Lichtenstein, Warhol, and Munch paintings

The Makin Macon Art Project

Ocmulgee River runs through the park on the edge of Macon on our giant community made map

California artist, Kiel Johnson, who has made art projects all over the world including projects for Disney, Vans, and TedTalks. His latest project is called Makin' Macon. He painted a giant, almost accurate map of Macon on wood and brought it to the Wesleyan College's Leadership Lab, where the entire community was invited to help make iconic Macon buildings and houses to add. Sky lifts, dog parks, ferris wheels, and enormous cat towers were added as locals used their imagination.

Our totem poles stand in the sensory garden near a flagpole, bird bath and a couple pavilions

GAB Art students were invited by the director of the Leadership Lab to participate in this community project, and so we did! We made GAB's Admin building, Hendricks Building, Green House, Cottage Six, Sensory garden totem poles, a bus, and the gym. Some students used their imagination to make towers. One student made the twin towers on 9/11, while another made a chocolate palace. The project will be featured at the Leadership Lab on Cherry Street, Macon through October, so bring your family and add to the fun!

One of our dorms, the greenhouse, and the gym

Original building designs from boxes & blocks

It's fun to place for my students to show their work starting the very week that their show came down at GA College and State Universiity. And there's more to come because just as the Makin' Macon project comes to an end, my Art students will decorate a tree at the Museum of Art and Science. I'm so proud of these young people for being a positive part of our community! 

 

Value Still Life Drawing with Graphite Middleground

Using gray paper as a middle ground is a great idea, if you have gray paper and white colored pencils or pastels, but you can accomplish the same goal with a white sheet of paper and a pencil and eraser. I taught my students a technique using graphite as a middle ground in this drawing assignment of a highly reflective still life.

The trick is to learn to use soft pencils (4B-8B work well) and control the amount of pressure to get various values. For the middle ground, hold the pencil almost horizontally, I even hold it like I'm picking up a pencil off the floor so that I can get the side of the pencil point. Then I draw lots of lines close together going one direction, then another, on top of that, and then maybe even a 3rd and fourth, until it looks like overlapping patches of woven fabric. Rubbing a crumpled paper towel in circular motions can blend fill in any patchy spots. 

The drawing can be done on top, with any mistakes being erased, and then grayed back into the flat starter surface. Lines are hopefully turned to edges and planes as value is onto an object or surface by shading with a pencil. Highlights and lighter areas are created by using an eraser as a drawing material. I like the white plastic erasers like Mars for this task.

value drawing by a totally blind student

Because my students are visually impaired, we stuck to two or three objects per student. This allowed them to have a personal still life that they could see or feel right in front of them. My students who were completely blind actually traced their objects with Wiki Stix. They barely stuck to the graphite long enough for me to trace their "drawings" in hote glue and then they followed instructions as to where to shade and where to erase.

At the end of the day my students were able to tell me that artists create the illusion of space through use of value, vertical placement on the page, objects overlapping, by making closer objects larger, and through the use of perspective. I think this drawing assignment helped reinforce these concepts, and gave them another technique in their "value drawing" toolbelt.

 

GAB Student Mini Exhibit at Georgia College and State University

My students from last school year were able to start school year off with a resumé line thanks to Art Professor Forrest. He hung a min-show of their work in Ennis Hall at GCSU. It is always nice when you can get a little mileage out of student art. Below is the statement by Mr. Forrest describing the work.

The Georgia College & State University (GCSU) Art Department, in collaboration with Kristen Applebee, the Art Teacher at the Georgia Academy for the Blind (GAB), is proud to present an exhibition showcasing the creative works of by over 10 students from GAB. This exhibition features cyanotypes and soft sculptures that uniquely integrate Braille script machines to add texture and depth, allowing the artwork to be experienced through both sight and touch. The cyanotypes, created using traditional photographic processes, capture the delicate interplay of light and shadow, while the soft sculptures are enhanced by the tactile patterns produced by Braille. This collaboration reflects a commitment to accessibility and the belief that art should be a multisensory experience, opening new avenues of creativity for all artists and viewers.

-Matt Forrest

It's nice to start the new year with a resumé line for last year's art students (most of which I still teach