at last it arrived. water from the sky!
lightening flashed through the clouds. thunder roared across the LA basin.
for hours and hours. silver globes sat on the leaves making every surface glitter. all of the angelenos came out of their homes on saturday morning, smiled, and turned our faces up to the grey sky. we wondered if there would be more. alas, no.
but for a few hours on friday night we lay in our beds collectively shivering and groaning with pleasure. rain. real rain. falling. in our yards. on our plants.
in the classroom the children made explorer portraits. everyone complained.
NO!
it’s too hard.
we can’t do it!
i can’t draw!
mine is ugly!
yours is ugly!
close your traps and copy me. monkey see monkey do.
i made a line, they made a line. pretty soon things were looking up.
some kids went off on their own, others kept the training wheels on.
oops. i made a mistake with christopher columbus’s chin. watch how i turn it into a beard!
wait. does he even have a beard?
he does now!
these were practice. on friday they’ll do another portrait in pen, paint with watercolor, and mount on scrapbook paper one of you sent me long ago. naturally, i’ll show you!
it was a windy morning and afternoon. the classroom was raucous. by lunchtime i needed to meditate. i had a sketchbook in my purse so i took it out, grabbed a thick blue marker and drew what i saw in front of me. all aloney on my owney, just me and my sketchbook. oh the peace and quiet! oh the tranquility! how i love drawing with a thick colored marker.
i endeavor to do the same tomorrow.
if you’re in the florida panhandle i’m thinking of you and hope someone’s looking after you, getting you the help you may need.
take good care.
Enjoyed your post – your thoughts and your students’ work. It reminded me of my own teaching experience: my love of a noisy, chaotic, productive classroom and my ongoing search for quiet, peaceful solemnity.
Some budding artists (or at least cartoonists) in your class!
While checking the tv schedule for the day I found this on our Oregon public tv channel and thought of you: Landscapes through Time with David Dunlop: John Singer Sargent’s Venice (watercolor). Perhaps you’ve seen it but if not, maybe you can find it on tv, dvd or your library.
I love the portraits! Your drawing is pretty nifty, too. Your posts always brighten my day. I savor them like chocolate.
Omg! those portraits are wonderful! I want to draw one now! And yes the rain and thunder was glorious.
I so love your “Slice ‘O Life” posts! I appreciate you Mary Ann Moss!
Love the work your students do. Are you interested in teacher curriculum for the kids who are sueing the government for not protecting them from climate change? Let me know and I can send you a link. I’ll be in Pasadena on 11/1-4 for SketchKon.
Those sketches your students did are absolutely amazing! I hope you are having an art show somewhere on your campus for open house. Parents can fill out comment cards.