Taking down the Sunflower Bench

It is finally time to take down the Sunflower Bench and send it to Cloud Ceramics to be flash fired.  As we took down the levels, I drew out the outline of  each level of the brick layers as well as taking photos of the levels.  I also numbered each brick with the level number and brick number, ex: 6 bricks in the top level became M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6 from left to right.  I also marked which side of the brick faced the front and which ones faced the back and the left and right ends.  This might have been overkill, but since we lost our dear brick mason, James Cyphers, recently, it may be a year before I can get the bench installed.  I want to make sure that there is enough information that it will be easy to reconstruct the bench for the new mason.  Here are some of the photos from taking down the bench.  My two wonderful, hard working work studies, Destiny Gunder and Diane Kooser, were great help.  I don't know what I will do without them next year.

Art Appreciation Composite Value Study sp12

Every semester I have my Art Appreciation students work on a charcoal drawing where one photograph is cut into approximately 1"x 1 1/2" sections and they are asked to enlarge their one section to a 4"x6" section.  They have been taught to sight lines and edges and have also learned to match and duplicate values.  Then their sections are put together to form a 24"x36" charcoal drawing.  Remember that most of these students have never had any art before.  They are non-art majors who are learning all these new skills by the fifth week of the semester!  The students are always amazed at what they have accomplished.  Hope you enjoy their success as well.

The students in the fall, 2011 Art Appreciation class were:
Brandy Bedingfield, Meagan Boeckman, Jason Gardner, Darian Glover, KaNesha harrison, Leah Hill, Karie Jackson, Dana Johnson, Dawn Johnson, Joshua Kipp, Hannah Mahin, Courtney McConnell, Danielle Moulton, Marie Mvoto, Chayla Parsons, Patrick Raab, Megan Stagner, Shelby Stehle, and Astrea Walker.

A baby between mama's booted legs

Painting I, spring 2012

Some of these paintings are all "firsts" for each of the students.  Their first non-representational, first landscape.  Other students had had painting in high school and were allowed to choose their own subject matter.  Hope you enjoy the variety of subjects and styles.

Shane Hubert's first landscape

Jade Holt's first landscape

Jade Holt's first painting, a non-representational

by Logan Stallbaumer

by Logan Stallbaumer

Logan's car paintings shown together

The next two paintings are a collaboration by Kayla Bartlett, Chapman, and Andrew Horn, Mankato.  They had been tossing around some ideas for a collaboration and came up with this nine panel painting of a cup of coffee.  Each took half of the panels to paint, trying to meld their own styles, Kayla's very loose painterly style with Andrew's very structured, detail oriented style.  It was interesting to watch them work out their different styles into one that worked for both of them.  After they completed the successful painting, we discussed how they were going to hang it on the wall.  While we were talking,  we started talking about puzzles and Kayla and Andrew started switching the panels around.  We decided it would be fun to be able to display this piece in multiple ways, so i suggested mounting the panels on small strips of wood with velcro attached on the back of the panels.  That way the panels could be mounted in any order.  They loved the idea and finished the painting be painting 1"x 2" boards black, adding adhesive backed velcro to the boards and the middle of the back of the panels.  They are thrilled with the results and have several ideas for future projects of multiple panel paintings mounted in this way.  

Painting I Spring 2012 faces and last projects

The Painting I students are required to do at least four paintings during the semester, the last of which is a 30 x 40 inch stretched canvas painting of a face.  I find that using the large format to learn the subtle contours of the face is a great way to learn all the complexities of the face--skin, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair.  I think you will find these beginning paintings to be wonderful representations of the human face and form.

by Jade Holt

by Andrew Horn

by Logan Stallbaumer

by Kayla Bartlett

by Shane Hubert

by Denray Ottey

GCC ITV Art Appreciation, April, 2012

I teach two ITV classes on the Concordia campus, with students from the Geary County Campus joining us through the ITV.  On April 21, I visited the GCC campus and taught the ITV classes from there.  The students printed their first block prints from foam dinner plates!  The following photos are some of the students as they print their first prints!

(l-r) Perry, Zeyu, Katrina, Kevin, Puja

Bryan, Steven, Cheryl, Rashmi

Denita and Linda

 students observing the first prints  

Gladys, Lisa & Cheryl

Elizabeth & Lisa

Lisa, Srijana & Gladys

Puja & Kyle

Steven & Bryan

(front right) McKayla & Katrina Timms

Kyle Converse and me, Barbara Converse Stevens!  It is the first time in all my years of teaching that I have met another 'Converse'.  We are trying to figure out if we are related.  It was fun to meet face to face.

Each semester the Art Appreciation students work on a class project where each student has a one inch square of a photograph and have to transfer their values and images onto a larger piece of paper.  All the squares go together to make one composition.  None of the students know what they are drawing until we put the squares together.  This is only the second one that the GCC classes have completed.  They did an incredible job.  Remember these are not art students.  Art Appreciation is a general education course so very few of the students have ever had any art classes before.  They do this project around the 5th-6th week of the semester.  They all work so hard to make the piece a success for everyone.  GREAT JOB!!!

The students in this ITV class who worked on this project are:  Kimberley Battersby, Kassiddie Buettgenbach, Denita Carter, Kyle Converse, Rashmi Dahal, McKayla Gonzalez, Zeyu Guo, Steven Hayden-Felton, Cheryl Henderson, Linda Littler, Srijana Mainali, Perry McLeod, Bryan Naber, Shametrice Newby, Lisa Nickerson, Kenneth Perez, Gladys Serem, Katrina Timms, Elizabeth Van Vogelpoel, and Chao "George" Wang.

detail of satin and pleats

detail of face and shoulders

The second start ITV class students (start in mid-March and meet for only 8 weeks) are:  Katrina Autry, Michelle Barnett, Manuel Bueno-Vazquez, Navdeep Kaur, Joseph Riddick, Puja Upadhayay, Kevin Valvo and Wen Wang.  

Drawing II, April, 2012

Drawing II students are also working towards their finals and experimenting with last minute ideas.

Aundrea Gardner, collage

Aundrea Gardner, pencil

Shane Hubert mixed media

detail of frog mixed media

detail of tadpoles

Denray Ottey, pencil

Denray Ottey, pastel on velour paper

Denray Ottey, charcoal

Denray Ottey, charcoal

Kelsey Kahre, collage

Kelsey Kahre, collage

Shane Hubert, mixed media

Drawing I, April, 2012

The students are continuing to experiment and work towards their final project.

Dakota Webber--this piece is a pencil portrait of Dakota's niece.  

Kayla Bartlett--Kayla is wanting to do a fantasy piece for her final on the romance between the sun and the moon.  This piece is an experiment for the "moon" girl.

Shannon Hansen--this is also a portrait of Shannon's boyfriend.  Before the critique, several students in the class recognized the portrait.  

Tasha Young, collage