Paul Lucas, Grade 9 Artist

Here is a student of mine's photographs.  He took my grade 8 art class last year and has managed to sneak in a few truly stunning photos in his set titled, First.  None to shabby for a grade 9.  *smile*

On Beauty

When I watch these kinds of talks, I have two main responses:  1.  I always feel less alone in the world when I see that other people, smart people, value the same kinds of ideas that I value.  The consequences of this feeling may be good or bad...bad in that it encourages me to seek out sources that validate my own opinions, which I like to masquerade around as "evidence-based" and therefore superior to the less well researched opinions of others.   Good in that my need for a sense of shared reality, connection to others, and intellectual engagement are met.  2.  Knowing how literally fundamentally important beauty is to us humans, how can I help my students have beautiful learning experiences particularly when a typical learning environment is so...well....*not* beautiful.

1 Point Perspective Video--Mark Crilley

I am teaching a unit on light and 1 point/2 point perspective.  I found this video useful for my grade 8 students who generally have a hard time understanding how much work and detail go into a finished piece of art.  We've done some drawing from observation with basic geometric shapes and one strong light source.  We are headed to a project where they need to create realistic lighting and apply 1 point and/or 2 point perspective.  I will do blackboard, step by step demos with them before showing them this video.  I'll try to post the lessons for this semester's class in order at a later date so you can see the progression