This teacher had an Art Opening on a school night

Got some prime real estate on the wall hanging next to some awesome teachers. It was an inspiring night at the art Institute. And they gave me a certificate too!

The other teachers I showed with were D. Aguilera from Doral Academy High School,  J. Alvarez from Everglades High school, W. Alvarez from Ronald Reagan Senior High School, J. Caldwell from Miami Central Senior High, V. Fascie from Norwood Elementary School,  C. Humes Jr. from Barbara Goleman Senior High, G. Obregon from A.P. May Conservatory of the Arts, L. Longton Lindsay from Coral Springs Charter High School, R. Parris from North Miami Beach Senior High school, A. Richard from Shenandoah Elementary School, and M. Suarez from the Ada Merritt K-8 Center

Going bananas

Look what was left in the faculty room?! I just want to steal it and have my students paint it.

What Teachers Create exhibition opening downtown Miami

There has been a long standing worry that artists who can create, do, and those who can't, teach. Here is an exhibition given to honor those art teachers who do, in fact, create! Lord knows I burn both ends of the candle, trying to be the best teacher... a really present teacher, and also an investigating studio-rent-paying artist. It is not always easy, but I know I can't do one without the other.  I find my purpose in both the classroom and alone in the studio. It is what feeds me daily.

I was nominated by a student for the jury pool and got in! So this Thursday, the 12th of March, is the opening reception with one of my recent nautical map paintings included. The painting, called Soundings in Feet 2, (detail above), is of an X-rayed high heeled foot on a coastal map. My colleague Gayle said, "what a clever and interesting juxtoposition of coastal, cosmopolitan Miami women in heels with the nautical... a statement of reality ( locations/ soundings) on many levels (heels). So many women in Miami come from abroad ... and (all seem to be) wearing heels!" So it is not just about me being on my feet all day!

The Art Educators Appreciation show is at the Art Institute of  Miami international University of Art and Design. It runs from March 5th to the 31st, with the reception on the 12th from 5-8pm. 1501 Biscayne Blvd., Suite 100, Miami 
I plan on heading downtown on the Metro rail, which has a stop right near there. Hope to see a good crowd! All in heels?

Pinecrest rainforest holds surprises

The old Parrot Jungle, destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, has been turned into a national historic site, and art destination, called Pinecrest Gardens. This Sunday we took our visiting friends John and Sue over for a stroll of the 20 acre park. Even though it was drizzling rain we were under the forest canopy most of the time and the diffused light brought out details of the terrain, such as the tangled vines, aging roots, patchwork of green leaf shapes and the porous oolitic limestone ground in more clarity.
It was a rewarding full day affair! Outside the gates in the parking lot was a palate enticing farmer's market. Right in the entry was a gallery of student work from the Miami Dade public school system featuring works inspired by nature. We avoided a wedding, and a birthday tea party, bypassing the petting zoo, the splash 'N Play playground and the "swan lake". We marched past abandoned aviaries.
The path we took meandered through palms, past islands of turtles, pools of carp, thickets of cypress, and posing iguanas and flowers of all shapes and sizes. It was intoxicating. I have to go back and paint!

Just when we thought we had seen it all, we came upon giant sculptures bringing 16th century Guiseppe Arcimboldo's  FOUR SEASONS paintings to life!

Philip Haas is a sculptor (and film maker) who worked in fiberglass to transform these 2 dimensional images of the past into contemporary 3 dimensional statements. We were impressed with the lush detail, in texture and colors, as well as the humor, and the scale.

The four heads are installed for viewing in the park until April 6th. The phrase I kept hearing from the other people there as I stood around the giant heads was, "Que lindo!" Surely- "how beautiful"!

I think "Winter" had the most evocative expression. He squinted at us as if weathering across frosty distance. The contrast to the lush blooms about him was wonderful.
I am grateful to have such a wild forest right in the neighborhood. Thank you to the hard workers who plan and fight to keep the "old Parrot jungle" a botanical jewel.

Middle Schoolers bowl me over

I'm just loving my small class of young artists. We went from studying the ellipses and drawing a still life to actually creating bowls. The idea came from my Pinterest browsing. I would be content to stay on the page, but the nature of these kids and of the class calls for some three dimensional work.

Coach Roberts was willing to loan us a bag of basket and volley balls. I let the kids go outside and throw them around for 15 minutes to get that impulse out of their system. (My pet peeve is anything flying through the air in the art room). Once they had settled- we took fabric strips and watered down glue and layered them against the surface of the balls. Of course, we had protected the surface of the balls with plastic wrap. They had to pay attention to how the fabric first layered would be "inside", and that another layer, the last final layer would be the "outside". After two days of layering, the students eagerly eased and pried the new bowls off the surface of the balls. Look at their fabulous bowls.

This kid formed a football!

 See still life drawings on the back wall?

Great job!!!

What a Card

Student's design their own face cards and paint, using acrylic on paper in a limited color scheme.

Here are a few of them. There were thirty three original works of art... all of them great.

My Dad

I'm hoping he feels as good as he looks today!
Three years before I was born, two years before he married my mom, and one year before he even met her, he posed for this picture in Europe. Happy leap birthday, Dad.