The Art Table... a real buffet of creativity.

This year in the advanced afternoon class, there are more people doing traditional art to complete illustrations than in any year since I have been at DJCC. There are talented students painting and drawing, there are even some really cool mixed media pieces that are being created. Typically, a majority of the projects done for our spring competitions are digitally produced. This year, we have a lot of students intrigued with doing some of their work using non-computer technique mixed with digital. It is a great way to work, and I am glad that the students understand the relevance of all the tools that they have at their disposal.

In the studio is a conference table with a nice working surface. Students in the PM class come in around 12:30 or so and sit there for half an hour before we start class and eat lunch together and share conversation. It is a nice time of the day where they can talk about art topics and just spend a little while discussing whatever they would usually discuss with friends before we get back to the business of working on the SkillsUSA projects. These kids are always happy to get in the studio and to set about the business of creating something new. I have seen lots of very positive work being done, and sometimes one student will have an idea about art that will give another student an idea. Some days, that table is magical.

Other news... it was my son's birthday today, so I raced home after school to get his favorite meal on the table before he came home for dinner. He also got a personal sized chocolate cake to enjoy. That has been his favorite dessert since he was a toddler, and now he is 22. I guess I am realizing today just how quickly time flies by. One day you are convinced you will never hit a certain milestone, and the next... well, let's just say 20 years later is not as long as it once was. My son was always full of life as a young boy, and he still is, 20 years later. (He's just much hairier now!) Happy birthday, son.

The RSVPs are starting to come in for the wedding of my other son, and we are going to have quite a few relatives coming into town. I am very happy that we will have a sort of family reunion, and that we will have such a wonderful occasion to center it on. I am going to have to get serious about getting the details of the rehearsal dinner decided this weekend. I have a place in my mind that I need to look over on Saturday and see if it is available. I can't wait much longer, the wedding is not long off now.

If the weather clears off tonight and it is warmer tomorrow, I will have several errands that I need to run. It will be one of those weekends that will just fly by. I'll post again tomorrow and we will see how far I got! Feeling comfortable if not super about the past week. There is a ton of work to do this month, and we are a long way from the end of a short month in terms of accomplishment of our goals.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The happiness train is back on track today!

Image
Ahh. Like a breath of fresh air, my mood is back to usual today. I don't like feeling down in the dumps. The happy train is back in the station, and boy is that a relief. What can you do to elevate your mood when you are feeling glum? Sometimes stress can actually cause you to feel sick. If you have a lot of stress, I have come up with some very simple ways to feel instantly better. These work for me, they may not for you - but if these don't work, there are probably some that are just as easy to accomplish that would work great. Really, all you have to do is ask one question. If someone looked at you and said, "Hey, tomorrow there will be no jobs that you have to get done, no chores, and no one is depending on you at all. You can do whatever you want to do for one 24 hour period, just because you want to do them." If someone gave you that permission, what would you choose to do? I have a few... I would take a long, relaxing bath. I would go to a florist with
Read more

A new topic...Mark has been facing a new challenge.

Image
Just for the eyes of our family: the challenge of prostate cancer. Since the beginning of May, last spring, Mark has earned so much respect from me. He has bravely faced his diagnosis of prostate cancer. He had surgery in July, and now in August, he is recovering from that. I am so proud of how he is dealing with the whole thing. He (thankfully) seems to have caught it early, thanks to his regular yearly physical. His PSA was slightly elevated and his biopsy came back showing cancer in four of twelve cores in his prostate. He had the option of radiation or surgery, and he opted for surgery. We are now post-surgery by exactly one month, so I can report good progress at this point. We have a follow-up appointment coming up soon, and are hopeful that the reports are good. Since I have not discussed it since the diagnosis and surgery, I felt that I should start the dialog here. He is being so proactive and is working hard to do everything he can to get past it all. His diet has flip
Read more

Conner keeps hitting them out of the park!

Sometimes people just get on creative hot streaks, and Conner seems to be on one right now. First he created a new logo for the Dale Jackson Career Center. Then he created an awesome motion graphics typography-based piece in After Effects. Then, when asked to create a new logo for the Career Center East, he created a unique and professional logo AGAIN! Conner, we are proud of what you do every day in terms of your relationships with your classmates and your high standards, but now you also deserve serious respect for your professionalism as well. We are very honored to have a talent like yours in our studio every day. Conner designed this motion piece in After Effects that features the logo design that he created in animated form. The logo is a symbolic representation of a pathway to the top of the earth. The slogan is "Paving the Way" and it is capitalizing on the switch to "career pathways" that we are using in Career and T
Read more