Gecko Magic by Terry
Want a way to show off what you have been creating over the summer? Well, here is your chance. October 1 is the deadline for the next Art For Homeschool Art Show. The show is going to be handled differently than the ones in the past. This time the show will give no awards. The purpose of the show is to provide a no pressure place to share your artwork and any comments you might want to make about the process. I guess you could call it a “show and tell”. Students may enter five pieces of artwork instead of the usual 2. This way homeschoolers and parents can show off several different types of media.
When all the entries come in, I will post a gallery of the work. Visitors to the site can make comments of encouragement to these student and parent artists as in the past. This time we will not vote on anything. There will be an awards show in April 2014. So put that on your calendar. The April show will give away $140.00 worth of gift certificates donated by our sponsor Dick Blick.
Not sure what type of art work can be entered? In the October show you can enter any type of media, two dimensional and three dimensional. Just take a picture, crop it so that there is no background showing and upload it to the Art For Homeschool Flickr group. Tag the art work in the following manner:
For students:
Art For Homeschool
Student Name
Age
Title
Medium
Parents tag their art work as follows:
Art For Homeschool Parent
Name
Title
Medium
I would like this art show to be a learning experience for all of us. So, when you upload your work to Flickr please take the time to make a comment about your art work. It would be nice to know what inspired you, why you chose the subject you did, what your purpose was, what you were trying to say, etc. You can even tell us what you learned or even if you had any problems with the supplies, or any technical information that might me helpful.
For instance, the art work at the top of this page is titled Gecko Magic. Gecko Magic is a painting that I did last spring. I created this piece by first painting an abstract painting with watercolor, splashing and throwing color down. Then I drew the geckos on the page. I then painted around the geckos to make the background darker. After the painting dried I drew on it with permanent markers in a sort of “doodle” type method. Creating this painting was more fun than work. I had a great time playing with it in the evenings after teaching all day. My purpose for this painting was to create something playful with cheerful colors. I was inspired by the geckos I had seen in Hawaii. Watching these little creatures scampering about always makes me smile.
This is just an example of what you can include with your work. It is certainly not necessary to say so much. A sentence or two is okay as well.
Art means so many things to different people. To me, it is always interesting to hear what the artist was thinking as they made their work. So, please share your thoughts with us in the new Art For Homeschool October Show.
I look forward to seeing your work!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Deadline October 1 at midnight CST.
Future of the Art For Homeschool Art Show
The May 1 deadline for the Art For Homeschool Art School has come and gone. There was a theme for the show. I knew that having a theme would cause the entry level to go down, but I had no idea that there would be no entries. Yes, no entries. Wow!
So, I am in contemplation mode. Why no entries? What happened? What did I do wrong? Did I do something wrong? What is the issue? Is their an issue? I am a thinker and I look at everything from a million angles. Maybe having four art shows a year is too much? Maybe the months I chose for the shows are at a really busy time? Maybe the awards are not enticing enough? Maybe this, maybe that….
I began this online art show to give homeschool students a place to show off their work and to try to create a little art community. I think it has been a good forum for the children. We have had some really wonderful work entered in the shows over the years.
Since I began teaching full time in public school I have not had the time to devote to the site that I would like. Sometimes I feel like that is a factor, but my subscription numbers for the website have continued to grow. So maybe an online art show isn’t something that is important to most people. Maybe the art lessons and art project ideas are more what you are looking for.
Maybe the art show should be an annual event? Just thinking.
If you have any ideas or suggestions or comments, you are welcome to leave them in the comment section or email me. I am open to all ideas. I appreciate all my subscribers and members. I appreciate all the people that have supported this website in one way or another. I look forward to receiving your feedback. The Art For Homeschool website will grow and evolve according to the needs of the homeschool community, parents, and students. Have a wonderfully blessed day.