Benediction

When I was a young boy,

my father showed me how to draw two things.

First, there was the ribbon from dots:

Then, trees from a continual line:

It was my first art lesson.

Who could have known that one day I would be giving art lessons?

Unbeknownst to my father, he had shown me the crux of drawing;

the core elements that form all drawings- dots and lines.

A line, after all, is just a dot

that kept going. As I think about it,

the best lessons are built on simple principles.

My Classroom

"To know much and taste nothing- of what use is that?"

Bonaventure

We've been busy. My 1st Period is Photography- pinhole cameras from shoeboxes, coffee cans, oatmeal boxes and one yogurt container. We've mixed the chemistry for Cyanotype prints, but the sun is not cooperating. 2nd and 3rd Periods- Painting. After looking at the history of fresco painting we painted minature 'frescoes' (on sheetrock). This week we will begin a contemporary Icon on Birch panels (provided by one of my student's Dad). Periods 4 and 7- Printmaking, finishing a serigraph (silk-screen) print. 6th Period- Sculpture. We worked with vines (from the woods behind our home), making portraits. Of course, Emily asked if she could make a horse. And, of course I said yes. She posted a photo of the finished piece to her DeviantArt page and was an instant success- several thousand views in a matter of hours. She now approaches 20,000 views. Well done Emily!

My Valentine

Emily Prozinski

It snowed, again. Here are a couple of photos I brought home:

Our backyard

Winter

through my window

leafless limbs

and yet, beyond i see

evergreens

do trees sleep?

they sway

to songs i cannot hear

'the wind blows where it wishes'

He says

the wind is blowing