Art at RMS

Cloud Coordinates

Sometimes the purpose of an artist’s work is to raise awareness. Art can make a person see things in a new way, see things previously overlooked or see things from a new point of view.
As my group of guerrilla artists headed out with spray cans in hand, ready to take the role of “writers” (a term for graffiti artists), “E” looked up and said “Look! Someone in the sky likes math! There's the X and Y Coordinates! ”
Heightened awareness - RMS style.

9 year old "H" practices an italic hand using a calligraphy fountain pen.

A new mini center has recently been made available in the art room. The center contains cartridge style fountain pens, ink cartridges in many colors, dip style calligraphy and drawing pens and nibs, India ink in jars, and feather quills. There are several books about calligraphy, showing different “hands” (alphabets), lined paper, treasure map paper and graph paper.
I demonstrated a simple italic “hand”, telling students that to get good at this style of writing takes practice. Several students were interested in trying things out. Some found that just holding the pen correctly so that ink would flow was a challenge. Others set to work and began committed practice.
As is the case for most centers in the art room, this offering will remain available through-out the year for students to access.

Students have been collaborating on a group weaving. I suggested that they think about it when they were out and about, and keep their eyes open for unusual things to weave into the design. “Bring something in that we haven’t thought of before”.
Here, Two students work to weave bicycle tires into the project “My Dad is always getting flat tires” says “T”, age 6.

"D" develops his "Tag"

Two practice panels by middle school students "F" and "L"

Is it art or vandalism? Students are investigating graffiti and the concept of “Guerrilla Art”, which we have defined as “hit and run” art, or unauthorized art in public places. Students have designed their own “Tag” and practiced using spray paint on large cardboard panels to create contemporary images and convey original ideas. Students have gone outside to explore the use of naturally occurring materials to produce public art within the Rocky Mountain School environment, and have begun to search for opportunities within the school to alter and comment on their daily surroundings. Students are working individually and collaboratively to initiate and execute artistic commentary, and hope to take a field trip to look for examples of graffiti and other forms of Guerilla art in the greater Boulder area. A planned final collaborative project will impact the entire RMS community

Grafitti as social commentary.
"Red Rain"By "S"

"Tirehendge"

Making temporary public art using natural materials.

Shaping

We were fortunate to have a visit and demonstration yesterday from an RMS parent and potter. She demonstrated all the steps involved in “throwing” pottery on the wheel (when a pot is made using a potter’s wheel, it is called “throwing.”) She showed students about “wedging” (kneading the clay to prepare it for the wheel), “centering” (getting the lump to spin in a balanced way in the center of the wheel-head), “opening” (making a hole in the center of the pot), “pulling”(lifting the clay to make tall and wide sides) and “shaping” (altering the shape of the pot by pushing it in or out). She cut a pot in half to show the evenness of the clay walls, demonstrated a cylinder shape (for a mug or a vase) and then how to make a bowl. She also brought in some of her own work in various stages of completion for students to see. I took pictures through out the demo to use later in a “how to” menu, which will be hung in the clay center for reference.
THANK YOU to this parent for joining our RMS Artist Community!

Opening

Centering takes practice and patience

Wedging the clay to prepare it for the wheel.

Here is our group weaving in progress. Anyone who is interested may add to it.

"T " from Miss Elynne's class decided to start a box loom weaving. He knows it will take more than one day to finish. He wondered if he could weave some objects into his design, and found that he could indeed.

Classes were introduced to the Weaving/Fabrics/fibers Center this week. A group weaving project has been started and several individual projects have been launched. One student learned to sew for the very first time so that he could construct a pillow. He learned about pinning the fabric in place and threading a needle. He learned two different stiches and chose the one he thoght would work the best. He asked to bring it home to continue work, and showed up the next day telling me it was all ready to be stuffed. He went off with a bag of pollyfil with a decision to make: turn the pillow shape inside out to hide the stiching, or leave it as is to show the stiching off.

ONE LINERS
Students in several art classes last week (Mandy’s , Mr. Martin’s, Mr. Bee’s, Kim’s Nancy’s) got a chance to try out an art-game I call “One Liners”. Students endured a “one liner” joke (“my daughter is SOOOOO skinny, she has to wear snow shoes in the shower so she won’t go down the drain!”) and then were shown a little book called Picasso’s One Liners , which features several one line drawings, and one line quotes.
The game goes like this: Each student in turn calls out a “thing”, and we all draw it, using just one line. When each player is done, they put down their pen. When everyone is done, we all hold up our drawings and ooh and aahh. Play passes to the right, until everyone gets a turn. The last move is to make a fold-over portfolio to hold all the drawings, and label it with one’s name…using just one line.
“If you know exactly what you are going to do, what’s the use of doing it?” ~ Picasso

I will be away from school October 6th and 7th to present at the Colorado Art Education Association annual conference in Pueblo. My presentations, titled “Welcome to My Choice-Based Studio” and “Cold Case Renaissance” will relate innovations from the RMS art program to art educators from Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. I will also chair the Independent/Charter/Private Schools Division meeting at the conference.