What I’m Listening To
29 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in music
Here are some good tunes for you…
Gotye- Somebody That I Used to Know
The Knife – Heartbeats
Of Monster and Men- Little Talks
Friends – Friend Crush
Adele – Set Fire to the Rain
Hunx and His Punx – Lovers Lane
Hub Sneak Peek
24 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in art Tags: hubcap, landfill art
Here’s a sneak peak at my hubcap for the Landfill Art Project….
30×30 UPDATE
15 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in 30x30, art, goal, travel Tags: 30x30, hawaii
UPDATE - 181 days to go…..
Kris’ 30×30
Get rid of things crowding my life that I no longer need, want, or like–- Get over my fear of talking on the phone…anyone want to give me call lol
- Force my husband and myself to meet with a realtor and go house hunting … contacted one, not feeling like that got us much further either
- Buy a house we love… does it have to be on the mainlnd???
- Start exhibiting my paintings again…working on this
- Meet deadlines for art exhibits…like i said above, working on this
- Get to work on the children’s books my sister and I always talk about that are inspired by our Grandmother’s storytelling… lol, one needs to actually be able to be in communiction with the other person to do this. may have to go the solo route on this, i’m more reliable anyway.
Get over my fear of pale skin, stubble, and fat legs and just wear a pair of shorts when it is hot out- Complete another 12 graduate credits in the Arts…3 credits left to do, found a great course on art and different cultures with the amazing Cat Cullen… if you are a teacher in NEPA and want to take a grad course, here’s the info
- Start work an another maters degree or graduate certificate
Get all my cabinets, closets and drawers in my classroom organized; the room looks great, but behind those doors lurk….well lots of unorganized paper, glue and glitter reallyFinish my assigned and chosen readings before my Abraham Lincoln Fellowship starts in July–Go on holiday to Hawaii- Get my tattoo finished
- Write a blog post atleast twice a month…December is an oops with 0 posts
- Volunteer more…yikes, there has been no time, can i count all of the extra stuff i do at work with my kiddos!
See Savage Beauty, the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of ArtEnter the ticket lottery to see a SNL taping- Attend a Colbert Report taping
- Take my adorable nephew Alex to the Philly Zoo
- Dance more often
- Get back to doing yoga regularly
- Find a place where I can take water aerobics, I know it is a little lame but I loved it in college
- Learn to make my mother’s red sauce
Take a long-distance road trip with my hubbyFinish all the unread books on my bookshelves- Get my passport…it’s so lame that I don’t have one but I didn’t need it when I went to the Bahamas and Canada before the laws changed
- Learn to drive stick shift
Go to EatalyDraw in my sketchbook more frequently
Me in Kauai, Hawaii 12/2011
my hubby
Color pencil sketch of the view of Hanalei Bay from our room
Quick pen and color pencil sketch done from the light house at Kilauea Point
Watercolor of the view from our room in Kauai
Sketchbook watercolor of Bali Hai
Local Landfill Art Over My Head
15 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in art, culture Tags: art, landfill art, wilkes-barre
Did you ever have something happening almost on top of you and not be aware of it? This happened to me recently. The Landfill Art Project is a worldwide art project that is the brainchild of Ken Marquis. The socially minded art project addresses suitability in a novel way. Marquis has asked artists to transform a tossed aside hunk of metal, the hubcap, into a work of art.
Hundreds of artists have participated from all over the world, creating some truly inspiring original works. Did I mention Marquis is a local gallery owner and the Landfill Art installation is 10 minutes from my home?
Anyway, I contacted Marquis and picked up my hubcap. I soon hope to follow this post with some great hubcap art of my own. I have so many ideas and am so inspired by the work I have already seen.
If you want to see the exhibit, and find yourself in northeast Pennsylvania, follow this link for more info on the Wilkes-Barre, Pa location. You can also visit the other Marquis Gallery location in Scranton, Pa and have a good cup of coffee at the in-house café.
Cat People
07 Nov 2011 4 Comments
in art, what i'm into Tags: cats
I was pulling together some facts about visual artists for my students this weekend and I came across a similarity; the love of felines. I have three cats myself; Coal, Angelo and Cooper. It seems many of my favorite creative types (artists, writers, musicians, etc.) share my pension for fuzzy pals.
My Ang
Coal & Cooper
“If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.” -Mark Twain
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- Artist Alberto Giacometti
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- Poet Allen Ginsberg
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- Poet Allen Ginsberg
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- Aritst Edward Gorey
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- Data
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- Musician David Bowie
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- Musician David Bowie
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- Author Dr. Suess
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- “Little” Edie Beale
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- Singer Edith Piaf
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- Artist Edward Gorey
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- Writer Ernest Hemingway
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- Writer Ernest Hemingway
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- Writer Ernest Hemingway
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- Artist Frida Kahlo
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- Artist Henri Matisse
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- Artist Henri Matisse
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- Artist Henri Matisse
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- Singer Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse
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- First Lady Jackie Kennedy
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- Actor James Dean
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- Actor James Franco
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- Artist Jean Michel Basquiat
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- Musician Jeff Buckley
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- Actress Jenna Fischer
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- Actor John Cleese
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- Musician John Lennon
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- Singer Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
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- Actress Liz Taylor
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- Actress Liz Taylor
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- Artist Marcel Duchamp
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- Actress Marilyn Monroe
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- Writer Mark Twain
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- Writer Mark Twain
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- Actor Morgan Freeman
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- Artist Pablo Picasso
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- Artist Pablo Picasso
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- Musician Roger Waters
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- Artist Romare Bearden
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- Artist Salvador Dali
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- Comedian Steve Martin
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- Actor and 4th Doctor Tom Baker
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- Actor and 4th Doctor Tom Baker
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- Actor Viggo Mortensen
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- Imagineer Walt Disney
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- Artist Wasilly Kandinsky
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- Writer Zelda Fitzgerald
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- Writer Truman Capote
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- Musician David Bowie
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- Artist Gustav Klimt
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- Actor Kelsey Grammer
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- Singer Lana Del Ray
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- Actress Liz Taylor
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- Writer Mark Twain
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- Comedian Steve Martin
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- Comedian Steve Martin
Turning Obstacles into Inspiration
28 Oct 2011 1 Comment
in education Tags: art education, national disability awareness month
This October my art kids and I looked at the work of several artists for National Disability Awareness Month. We talked about turning obstacles into inspiration and that all people are equal and have value. A goal in sharing this series on artists with disabilities with my students was to improve their ability to relate to individuals with various disabilities. I hope these artists will be as inspirational to the kids as they have been to me.
Here are some of my favorite artists from the series:
For more inspiring stories, check out the Creative Growth Center that works with individuals who are differently abled and create art.
A (Soggy) Peace Day
08 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in education Tags: peace day, pinwheels for peace
Our International Peace Day celebration on 9/21 went great. The kids seemed to really respond to the message and the pinwheels made for the Pinwheels for Peace Project by the entire school building looked amazing when we installed them the previous day. We have had a very wet year in northeastern Pennsylvania, record breaking in fact, so it was no surprise when it rained on Peace Day and our pinwheels were a soggy tie-dyed jumble. Admits the waterlogged pinwheels was one lone work of art that persevered and spun through the rain. I think that solitary pinwheel could be symbol …hope…it only takes one…etc. Regardless it was a encouraging sign.
Peace, Peace, Peace & Trail Mix
19 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in art, education Tags: art education, peace day, pinwheels for peace
Wednesday is International Peace Day and I spent the evening putting together a collection of peace themed songs for our upcoming celebration. My students have busily been creating works of art for our art and social justice unit. They’e made monuments for the 10th anniversary of 9/11, folding paper cranes, decorating pinwheels for peace, and creating graphic designs that express messages of harmony, tranquility and freedom. The kids had to write statements to share at our peace fest that could be in the form of a poem, rap, song, essay….one of my favorites is a rap that throws in a reference to snacking on trail mix, another is from a young girl who suggests that we lock up the world’s weapons and toss the key in a volcano. I LOVE these kids!
This is my first attempt at stop motion; I made it for a promo about Pinwheels for Peace for our morning announcements.
Enjoy…. (some songs from our peace fest playlist)
Goghdarte
14 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in art, fashion Tags: art, fashion, rodarte, spring 2012 rtw, van Gogh
Where is my Modernism note book, hoodie and pencil? The Rodarte Spring 2012 RTW line takes several pages (some quite literally) out of a van Gogh text. Other prints are more subtle, as If they were an impression or a memory you had of a van Gogh painting from the MoMA the Philly Museum of Art. With Vincent popping up in Season 5 of Doctor Who and in the Art Barbie series, it seems he might be giving Andy Warhol a run for his money in the pop culture arena.
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