Challenges

Sometimes challenges hit you head on. My response to that was to keep on keeping on until I lost all power and ended up on the side of the road.

Mistakes, Ethics, Citings, Giving Credit

I make mistakes all the time. Usually I try to not obsess about them. Life goes on. Some mistakes, however, need corrections. Sometimes, too, we don't realize we have made a mistake until later on.

I'm new to this whole blog thing. I'm giving it a shot, at least. I realized after I had posted my last few entries that I should be giving credit where credit is due on this blog site. I have to admit, I felt like a kid in a candy shop with an unlimited budget when I went to Google Images to spiff up the blog page. Really, though, I should be citing my sources.

According to Tekmom at http://www.tekmom.com/cite/#Image, I need to cite my image sources like this:
Two beluga whales. [Online image] Available http://www.seaworld.org/beluga_whales/beluga_col.gif, January 5, 2000.

Now that I know this, I would like to credit my earlier sources. I cannot quite figure out how to go back and edit the page so these sources appear next to the image, so this is the best I can do.

For the beautiful fall photo in the Fall Colors entry, the citation should read: Fall trees lining road. [Online image] Available http://www.superiortrails.com/upcolor/2006-1062m.jpg, November 6, 2008.

For the colorful reproduction of the abstract painting, the citation should read: Abstract painting by Kandinsky. [Online image] Available http://www.abstract-art.com/abstraction/l2_Grnfthrs_fldr/g0000_gr_inf_images/g029b_kandinsky_tr_ln.jpg, November 6, 2008.

The image below should read, Collage of musicians by Romare Bearden. [Online image] Available http://www.itsablackthang.com/images/2008-calendars/2008-Romare-Bearden-calendar-front2.jpg, November 6, 2008.

The pencil portrait drawing should read, Self portrait by Colin Harbut. [Online image] Available http://www.colinharbut.com/drawing-images/self-portrait-missing.jpg, November 6, 2008.

Whew. I think that catches me up. Thank you to the artists for their images you have given us.

Thank you, for reading this. Are there any mistakes you have made that you can sort of correct? Are there any mistakes that are looming in front of you that have created a challenge for you or someone else?

Challenges

The new quarter is upon us as well as about six new inches of snow in mid November. To all you advanced art students in this new quarter I have asked the question, "What are your challenges?" I have been thinking about how I would answer that question. When I'm sitting in that classroom I draw a blank, but here at home--and at midnight--these challenges are crystal clear.

I don't have enough time in the day.
I need too much sleep in order to function properly during the day.
My children are growing up too fast. I will miss them terribly when they grow up and leave for college.
I have too much homework and I'm falling behind on my grading.
And I volunteered to play the piano accompaniment for my child's trumpet solo on Saturday; and I'm not a very good pianist!!

Hmmmmmm......... how could I put that all in a painting?

Do you have better ideas for school when you are not in school?

Fall Colors

The wind kicked up just outside of the art room during 6th hour today. The wind swirls in some unpredictable directions out there. The leaves were blowing up. I found out later that they were also blowing into my car, right on the driver's seat.

Have you had a chance to notice the color of the leaves in these past weeks? What if we made a painting using only the c olors we see this time of year. Try squeezing the colors above onto your paint pallet. Is it possible to create a painting that doesn't scream AUTUMN using these colors?

Self Portraits

Art I, II, and III students, you been creating different pictures of yourself and your family in very different styles so far this year.

We have used circles to represent your family.

We looked at Romare Bearden's collages.

Now you are creating self portraits with pencil and/or charcoal.

Which assignment feels like the most accurate portrayal of your subject? Can you give me three reasons that explain your answer?

Pushing into New Energy Range

I came across this Steven Hawking quote today from the October 11, 2008 issue of Science News.

We don't know what we will find when we run the LHC.
If we did, it wouldn't be worth spending all that time and money of doing the
experiment. The most exciting result would be something we don't expect. That
has often been our experience in the past when we have pushed our studies to a
new energy range.

-Steven Hawking told BBC on September 9, the day before
researchers successfully sent a beam of protons around the large hadron
collider's 27-kilometer tunnel.

Are there thing in your life that you are so devoted to that you "push your studies to a new energy range?"

Have you ever gotten so into an art or ceramics project that you felt like you had pushed yourself into that new range? Were the results predictable?