Wednesday, June 29, 2011

My Artroom is a Dangerous Place

School let out for summer break weeks ago. Although the special area teachers have an alternate schedule the last week of classes, time to clean and organize the art room for the summer is not possible. One thing or another usually has me running around constantly.
As a result I'm in and out of my room all summer. Some of what I do is actual work, some of it is play, some of it is experimentation.This is my home away from home. All schools built before and since ours have a plethora of built in shelves, cupboards and drawers. I have only one area of built ins in the actual classroom. (There are 2 storage rooms in here). There is storage around and above the sinks. Otherwise I have bought and/or picked up storage pieces from every which way. As a result, this room is an ADD nightmare. There is stuff everywhere to look at. I love my room but the green-eyed monster does emerge when I visit other art rooms with built ins... Do I really have much to complain about? Not at all.

My room is extremely dangerous at times. Today was one of those days. Let me tell you why.This week I've been in the room cleaning up and clearing the floor to have the floors waxed. There were things all over the tables. I'd clear a table off and then move it out to the hallway.I came across this cover art on a 1983 issue of Arizona Highways. I got lost in the detail of these wonderful woodcuts.Upholstery swatches. I pulled these hoping to use the lines and patterns as inspiration for drawings and collage.Get a load of these slides. The cards will go into my handmade books. Old books are the best.Textured wallpaper swatches. I've set these aside to use with clay.Speaking of clay... these were made last summer for garden sculptures. The picture doesn't due the glaze justice. There are more to glaze and now I'm going to make more pieces with red clay. Why I never thought to use colored glaze over red clay until now is beyond me. I am itching to spread out and create!!!!My 5th graders make coiled pots. Everytime I clean my kitchen counter I want to make one using this technique with little feet to keep next to the sink for scrub brushes, etc.This is what got me drooling and tripping over myself to begin with. After a couple of summers of looking, I found the paper plate plastic plates to use as stencils. Then I found some Easter Peeps packaging which is a perfect stencil that continues to feed my circles addiction.Did you think I was done? Last one, I promise. More swatches! Chartreuse this time. Hmmm... Where did I read about a call to artists with a chartreuse theme????It's a wonder I ever leave this place. It's a wonder I ever do get something done. It's a wonder my head doesn't explode. It's a wonder I can find anything including the door...
Some of these projects will get done. Some will take time like the clay bead garden sculptures. Some will always stay an idea floating in my head. Thank g-d for ideas, huh?

Now, what what was that that I brought home with me???
Marissa

3 comments:

  1. Wow - never seen your room w/o it's 'clothes' on...At least you got to clean n sort after school got out - I have to wait until July before they let us back in...

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  3. Naked art room. No wonder the clean up is so traumatic! Yeah and then i can't find anything once I clean up...

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