Students explore the expressive potential of oil pastels through projects that emphasize both technical skill and experimentation. By introducing foundational concepts such as layering, blending, color harmony, and texture through mark-making, I guide students in developing a deeper understanding of how materials can be manipulated to achieve a range of visual effects. Students are encouraged to experiment, take risks, and reflect on their process.
My Art Appreciation class and Advanced Art classes visited the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City, Indiana, and it was a valuable experience to see contemporary art in person. We explored work by Maria Bundunarena as well as an immersive installation by Luftwerk, which transformed the gallery space with light and color. The students also created artwork inspired by the exhibition. Overall, the trip gave students a chance to connect classroom discussions about contemporary art to real-world experiences, sparking thoughtful conversations.
This semester, my Art 1 and Advanced Art students created ceramics, exploring handbuilding techniques like pinch pots, coil building, and slab construction, as well as experimenting with glazes. Along the way, we discussed the work of notable ceramic artists, from famous artists like Maria Martinez to contemporary local artists like Laurie Sharkus. Seeing how these artists use form, texture, and glaze to communicate ideas gave students a framework for thinking about their own work and encouraged them to take creative risks.
My Art 1 students just finished their Surrealism Drawing Project, and it was an incredible way to see how much they’ve grown this semester. After studying artists such as Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, and Remedios Varo, students explored dreamy ideas of their own within their sketchbooks.
Using the drawing and colored-pencil techniques we’ve practiced throughout the semester, students created surreal scenes filled with visual metaphors and unexpected combinations. They began by brainstorming then sketching a contour outline from imagination. Next they developed a value map and planned their color scheme. Once prepared, they moved into shading and coloring.
Even though the project allowed for a lot of creativity and fun, it also challenged students to think critically and to use the drawing skills they developed throughout the semester.
The final artworks showcased their growing technical skills and offered a glimpse into their developing artistic voices. I’m proud of their hard work and excited to share the results.
Right before Thanksgiving break, my advanced students completed a mixed-media collage project focused on identity and gratitude, a chance to further develop their artistic voice as they reflected on the people, experiences, and values that shape who they are.
To ground the project in real art practice, we looked at the work of Romare Bearden, whose collages pull together memory, community, and personal narrative through layered imagery. We also briefly explored other artists who use collage and mixed media to express identity such as Faith Ringgold, Lorna Simpson, and Mickalene Thomas. This helped students see how powerful and expressive this approach can be.
For their own pieces, students combined photographs, drawings, textures, text, and found imagery to build a visual story about what they’re thankful for. They were required to include at least one element that they drew and at least one 3D element that they crafted.
The final collages feel inventive and full of personality. I love how my students used this project not only to practice mixed-media techniques, but also to express who they are and what matters most to them.
