Welcome 2013-2014 Art Students!

I am still trying to wipe off the summer cobwebs, how about you? It's going to be a fantastic year here at the Art Alley and I am getting so excited I can hardly stand it. That's what art does, makes me kind of giddy.

I will be posting blog information weekly on what's going on. Here is what's been happening the last five days:

6th Grade: Learning all about the color wheel, how to make secondary and tertiary colors from those three, much reliable primary colors: red, blue and yellow! Did you know these pigments come from minerals and plants?

7th Grade: Learning how to draw. Yep, ANYONE can learn how to draw, it is true, and there are 70 7th graders becoming believers (it is so rewarding!).

8th Grade: Reviewing the color wheel, tints, shades and monochromatic colors in preparation for our coveted mural project in the ART YARD. It's indeed a privilege, and it takes lots of discipline and team work to be able to paint outside so we are practicing our painting skills before this project begins.

LEGOS!! In preparation for our Trimester II mural project, we are asking those in the community to donate legos. Yep, any size, color, or shape, we aren't picky! If you have Lego's to donate, please drop them off at the MMS office. Thank you in advance!!

Sculpture Garden: We will be continuing our Sculpture Garden fund raising again this year. We are asking for donations of cake mixes and canned frosting. Again, we aren't picky, and will GLADLY accept anything you can send our way. Brownies work great too!

Here's to a great year everyone! I would LOVE to have you subscribe to this website. I will be posting photos of student work and lots of cool links and artsy stuff too.

ART NEWS: Mona Lisa's bones found. . . http://www.nbcnews.com/science/mona-lisa-skeleton-her-kins-remains-are-due-dna-testing-6C10874613

Food for Thought: The Majestic Plastic Bag

Trimester II Art Show

Trimester II has come and gone. The weather is getting warmer (thank goodness) and we are off to a great Trimester III. I didn't want too much time getting away without posting a few of our Trimester II Art Show photos. Enjoy!

8th Grade Surreal Drawings

Some students chose to draw cartoons for this project



7th Grade Self Portraits 

Sample of one-point perspective rooms

The Amazing Paper Mask

Scissors, glue, construction paper and a whole lot of 6th grade imagination makes for some amazing paper masks! Watch a quick video of this project!

For the past week our 6th grade students have been working with the element of form. With simple paper manipulation and placement they experienced how shadow can play an important role in making a simple paper mask look extra special.

At the conclusion of our mask project I took the students to the Art Yard for a special photo shoot showcasing their creative projects.

Progress in the Art Yard. Mural Transformation Continues. . .

WAY. . . WAY. . .back in 2007 we started the Art Yard, a series of murals reflecting an urban city street front. The progress of this project continues as our 8th grade students enjoy learning the responsibility of planning and painting murals. The mural project would not be possible without a whole lot of trust from the administration, AND we have a lot of great students who are mature and responsible, and let's not forget---creative!

We are planning a photoshoot of the students in costume in front of their masterpiece mural in about three-four weeks, weather permitting. The students are looking forward to their photoshoot, and rumor has it, Mrs. Burger is going to display these photos in the MMS hallway.

Students working on the French Cafe applying faux bricks to the facade.