What do you see?

My one student made this piece as a part of our large mix-media abstract unit. It's an explosion, and is meant to represent the frustration of expressing oneself in a foreign language. 



To me it just looks like the Leafs. 

Art Class: Earth Work Sculptures

So with my grade 9/10 class I started off the new semester with them by taking them outside and creating earthwork sculptures!

For those of you who are unfamiliar Earthworks started in the 1970's and it is where artist's use natural found objects like leaves and sticks and stones to create works of art in a natural setting. The works are not permanent  but they are then photographed, and then the art becomes both sculpture and photography, making the works simultaneously temporary and enduring. Of course none of my students were able to wrap their heads around that concept. We're working on it...

So once outside we were able to create works using the materials they had around them, It was clear that some of them had never really played outside as children or made a fort, so it was quite the learning process for them. We as i see jungle and think off all the cool stuff I could do with the leaves, and vines, and bamboo they just looked lost. But the over came and by the end of the third day some of the works turned out really well.

The most hilarious thing about the whole thing was that all my student were terrified to be in the sun because they didn't want to get dark so they were all working in 28 degrees and sunny with jacket and long sleeves.  

The Joys of Being "Head of Visual Arts"

So I'm Head of Visual Arts, and before you stat thinking I'm really fancy let me just say that also I'm the only art teacher. But what this means is that by the end of month I need to complete the order for all international supplies. Now because art supplies don't really seem to be in the Philippines, it means that I have to basically order everything, half way through the year and before some courses have really even started.

Now this isn't the worst problem I've ever faced in life, its more of a kid in the candy store situation where I want everything. I'm circling a lot in the catalog  and its all needed. The problem is that I've been given a budget of around $3000, and to get a decent sized paper cutter its $900...

First Day Back!

Why Today Was Awesome:

1. When I checked my mail box expecting to find the usual bills I came across not 1, but 2 amazing Christmas cards sent from 2 of my very amazing friends in Canada. Who doesn't love mail, let alone international mail!
2. One of my students brought me back a souvenir from their Christmas vacation to Singapore. It was a  key chain because he said I always am carrying around my keys but they're not very colourful, and as an art teacher I need colourful keys. 
3. My one student who struggles with art over the break went to an art show where he was super inspired and created a slide show to show the class all about the sculptures he saw. It was amazing. 
4. While all the teachers scrambled to get in their final grade and comments for 4 pm, I could relax because I had finished mine before I left for vacation!
5. The carpenter came by and dropped off stretcher for the art project 2 weeks early!

Things that made the day less awesome...

1. Having to reexplain how my laptop got stolen over and over again.
2. Finding out that the school will not reimburse or replace the laptop because it was not stolen on school property. 
3. The giant stack of bills in my mailbox
4. The fact I don't have functional sinks in my classroom. 
5. There are only 2 students left in my grade 8 art class, the rest switched to drama...

Back in the Philippines

I arrived home last night at 3 am, which gave me a grand total of 34 hours in travel if you include the rides to and from the airport. Now this was one of my least favourite trips, not just because of the 34 hours of travel, but also because the brand new laptop that I got at the being of the year from my school was stolen in the Hong Kong airport. Just to piss me off a little more this happened just after I finished typing up the lessons and handout for the coming week in school. Which means a full days work is gone. 

So I was in the airport waiting in between flights and I had my laptop in my hand after going through security where you have to remove your laptop from your bag while it goes through the scanner. So I get to my gate, find a seat where there will be a plug near by, I put my laptop down on the seat, go into my bag to find my power cord and then I turn back and the laptop is gone. It was stolen a foot away from me in the 10-15 seconds it took me to go through my bag. The gate was fairly empty, and no one seemed to see anything. I go to the gate and tell the person what had happened, then comes the long process of me trying to understand people with really thick Chinese accents and filling out incident reports.  The security guy was just angry with me and the incident report lady was overly perky and optimistic. The last thing you want to hear is that "it will probably turn up or maybe the person who took it will return it. It could have just been a mistake." Because lets be honest that thing is gone, and really all I want is for you acknowledge that the situation sucks, and that I'm allowed to be upset. But no the universe decided to sick Chinese Mary Poppins on Prozac on me. The spoon full of sugar song does not apply in this situation. 

After all this I take another flight then arrive at my house tired, and cranky super late. This morning I go to get some things out of my bags and discover that a bottle of conditioner and a thing of paint exploded in my luggage. in two separate bags. So that was fun to deal with. After that I went and bought a lot of chocolate.

On a brighter note, here's a picture of the Rockies.

Hockey on the Lake

In Canada even the dogs play hockey.