Hello from the BMS Art Department!

Greetings Everyone!
I hope your Christmas break is restful and a time for you to be with the important people in your life.  I have been enjoying spending time with my family, eating, sleeping in, and a little shopping.

All BMS Art students have been creating some beautiful pieces, and I couldn't be more proud of their accomplishments.

6th Grade

Prior to break 6th grade students finished glazing their clay emoji rattles.   Students began the project by building a hollow clay sphere from two pinch pots.  Then, subtraction and addition techniques were used to create an emoji expression of students' choosing.  These rattles were bisque fired in the kiln and fired a second time once gaze was applied.  These were some of the most creatively made emojis I have seen!

Students created a hollow rattle sphere by joining two pinch pots together with bits of clay inside.

Addition and subtraction techniques were used to create an emoji emotion of the students' choosing.

6th grade students also completed their stenciled skyline projects.  There are two types of space in art- negative and positive.  Students learned the difference between these as they created their skylines.  Along with space, students also used the Elements of Art-color and line.  Color was added by using cool or warm acrylic paints and a water spray bottle.  Horizontal, vertical, and diagonal pencil lines gave the skyscrapers added definition.  The results of student effort and positive attitudes can be seen in the display cases in the halls of BMS.

Students applied acrylic paint to the skyscraper stencils then sprayed the surface with water.  Gravity did the rest!

After the paint dried, the stencils were removed and diagonal, vertical, and horizontal pencil lines were added to give the buildings more definition.

7th Grade

7th grade students also wrapped up their clay projects prior to Christmas break.  Students created clay ocarina (whistle) animals.  An ocarina is a musical instrument from South America.  Once the ocarina structures were built and apertures added students were able to create an animal of their choosing.  Various techniques were used to accomplish this including coiling and slab building.  After the first firing in the kiln acrylic paint was applied and the ocarinas were sealed with a clear finish.  The pieces look and sound terrific!  

Students constructing and adding details to their ocarinas.

 Details were important in making these animal structures.

 After the bisque firing acrylic paint was added to the surfaces of the ocarinas.

8th Grade

8th grade students will be finishing their glass mosaic tiles after break.  Each student has been creating a 6"x6" mosaic design of their choice.  Each piece of glass is cut to fit the design similar to a puzzle.  Once the tiles are glued in place a grout will be used to fill in the gaps and add unity to the piece.  Lots of patience is required for this project!

                                              Fitting and cutting tesserae to form a mosaic.

A beautiful job!

                                     Students use a variety of different colors in their designs.

Art Club

BMS Art Club members have been busy!  Members had the opportunity to attend a beading workshop at Prairie Beads where they could create a "Good JuJu Doll."  These were created with sculpting wire and fair-trade beads.  FUN!

Art Club members also had the opportunity to spread Christmas cheer and collect money for Salvation Army by ringing bells.  7 amazing students braved the cold and sipped hot chocolate outside of Walmart ringing  their hearts out!  THANK YOU!

The first semester of the 2018-19 school year is quickly coming to a close.  Still a few more projects to create and complete.  I will miss the relationships I have formed with my current students and look forward to the classes yet to come!

Your Enthusiastic Art Teacher,

Mrs. Doro

Hello Portage!

Hello Everyone!

   Welcome to the Bartels Middle School Art Department blog.  The purpose of these postings is to keep families up to date of what is happening in the art room and to showcase my students' creativity.

Mrs. Doro relaxing out on the water.

   This is my third year teaching art at BMS and there is no place I would rather be.  We have an incredible staff and some awesome students.  Room 598 is a great place to be - differences are respected, kindness matters, silliness is encouraged, and gumballs are given.

At BMS students are able to take art all three years. For 6th and 7th grades, art is a quarter long requirement.  8th grade students have the choice to take art for a full semester.  All grades focus on the Elements of Art while creating 2 and 3 dimensional works.  8th graders are challenged to use more complicated materials such as wood burners, xacto knives, and glass nippers.

Please check back often to see what students are up to.  I will try to post at least once a month...

Welcome to the 2nd Quarter of Art!

Hello Everyone!
For my new students and families of 6th and 7th grade students - welcome to the BMS Art Department Blog.  8th grade students and families - thank you for continuing to read. 😀  I post a new classroom blog about every two weeks.  This is a chance for me to brag about my students and showcase the work they are doing.

6th Grade

6th grade students started off the quarter by creating their own sketchbook covers to be used for their Bell Work assignments.  They were asked to focus on color and texture while they painted and added a piece of plastic wrap to the covers.  Once the paint was dry, the plastic wrap was removed revealing a really cool texture.  Super easy!

Their first project of four for the quarter is a Positive and Negative Cityscape.  Students learned about space and how artists use this in their work.  They also learned a little bit about color theory by using cool or warm colors.  We just finished these projects last week and I am very pleased with the effort and positive attitudes put forth.  It shows in the overall quality of work.  You should have seen the smiles on their faces as they finished!

6th grade students working on their cityscapes.

7th Grade 

7th grade students also took the first few days of class to design their sketchbook covers.  They used art paste, acrylic paint, and various tools to make texture on their covers.  

The first project for 7th grade is to create a Pop Art Self Portrait.  After much groaning and complaining about having to take a picture of themselves 😏 students got to work.  They learned about the Pop Art Movement and various artists such as Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and Roy Lichtenstein.  Students used bold primary colors, Ben Day Dots (just ask them), and an onomotopoeia in their portraits.  They will be finishing these up early this week and move onto everyone's favorite medium - CLAY!

Pop Art Portraits being created.

8th Grade

My 8th grade students AMAZE ME!  The bat house project was a huge success!  After Mr. Burr's class finished building them, my students created some beautiful images on them using woodburning.  All of the houses are sold and I even have orders already placed for more this spring.  I think students enjoyed the presentation given by the DNR bat biologist as well.  The fruit bat was impressive!  

Students are now working on building a personal story pole modeled after Native American totem poles.  Students will be creating 5 clay objects that represent themselves and 3 beads incorporating wire and glass beads.  These beads and objects will be stackable forming a story pole.  So far, the creativity is flowing....

A sample of some of the finished bat houses.

Intervention

During my day I also teach intervention to a combined class of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students for 20 minutes.  This is an enrichment class for students that are at their benchmarks for reading and math.  I chose a small project that is near and dear to my heart working with the Columbia County Humane Society (I have 4 dogs, 3 are rescues).

Students were able to choose an adoptable dog or cat from the CCHS's website for their project.  They have been working on making portraits of these animals from paper collage.  Once the artwork is complete, they will be giving these to the new owners of the pets upon adoption.  Columbia County Humane Society has also agreed to feature the student artwork on their website.  What a great opportunity to pass on a little kindness.

Intervention students working on their rescue collages.

Art Club

There have been three Art Club meetings so far this quarter.  What a fantastic group of students!  This is a really big group with 35 students and everyone seems to enjoy being in each other's company.  On Saturday, December 9th look for Art Club members in the Portage Living Windows event downtown.  Art Club will be decorating gingerbread houses and stringing garland all dressed up in Victorian era clothing.  There is also another event for Art Club member this month - a bead workshop at Prairie Beads.  Students will be able to create a "tree of life" using various metal and beading techniques.  There will be more opportunities like this throughout the school year.

As you can tell I am a really busy lady, but as I told my students, there is nothing I would rather be doing.

Your Enthusiastic Art Teacher,

Mrs. Doro

Finishing 1st Quarter

Greetings Everyone,
I am sad to say 1st quarter is coming to a close.  I have enjoyed teaching your students so much I hate to let the 6th and 7th grade students go (8th grade students have art for a semester).  I have had the pleasure of creating with some outstanding individuals!

6th grade students will be finishing up their Upcycled CD Mandalas this week. (Thank you Mr. Kibby for the donation of CDs!)  Students worked hard creating radial symmetry with line, shape and color while doing a bit of upcycling to keep used CDs out of the landfill.  As I walked around the classroom I was amazed by all the unique designs I saw taking shape.

6th grade CD Mandalas

7th grade students have been very busy creating sculptures, glazing pottery, and working on one point perspective.  I have put a lot of thought and time into developing the art curriculum for 7th grade students.  The projects are beautiful, but very time consuming.

The Aboriginal Abstract Sculptures are on display in the showcases throughout BMS.  These are some of the best displays of art I have ever seen!  The dedication and effort many students put into their pieces really shows. 👏

The last 7th grade project for the quarter is working with one point perspective to create a cityscape of skyscrapers.  Students are learning about vanishing points, parallel/perpendicular lines, and orthogonal lines.  They will continue to work on these this coming week.

7th Grade Abstract Aboriginal Sculptures

Onto 8th grade!  Usually, 8th grade students work with more complex materials since it is an elective class.  The current project in no exception.  Each student will be using wood burning to decorate their own bax house.  Mr. Burr's 8th grade tech. education classes built 40 bat boxes as part of their mass production unit.  They did a fantastic job. Thank you Mr. Burr and all of his students.  We were fortunate to have some of the building material donated by Portage Lumber and the Lake Delton Home Depot.  Thank You!  My art students have been practicing their wood burning skills on scrap pieces of wood the past week and are ready to tackle the bat houses.

Each bat house will hold about 40 bats and are for sale for $20.00.  Half of the money will go to the tech. ed. department and the other half will go to the art department.  Students' families and friends get first chance to purchase a house.  Many have already been sold. 😀

We will also have some visitors at Bartels on November 17th.  A representative from the Wisconsin DNR will be giving a presentation to 8th grade tech. ed and art students explaining the importance of bats in our community.  She will also be bringing her live brown bats as well as a couple of fruit bats to share with the students.  VERY EXCITING!!!!  If you are interested in purchasing a bat house please let me or your art student know. 👍

8th grade students preparing their bat boxes for wood burning.

This spring the first Annual Bartels Art Show will be taking place.  I am determined to have at least one piece of art displayed from each of my students.  Because of this show, not all student work will be handed back at the end of quarter.  After the spring show all artwork will be returned.  A date for the art show will be determined soon.

Art Club will be starting 2nd quarter.  A letter was sent home with all enrolled students with a list of dates.  There is also a list of meeting dates posted outside my classroom door.  Art Club members will have an opportunity to participate in the Living Windows on December 9th in downtown Portage.  I have also spoke with the owner of Prairie Beads and we are planning 3 mini field trips to her shop to make a project after school.  More information will be available soon.

Congratulations to Naomi Saalsaa!!!  She was chosen as Art Student of the Month for October.  She is a well deserving candidate for this award.  

Your Enthusiastic Art Teacher,

Mrs. Doro

Greetings from the art department at BMS

Hello Families!

I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoy teaching your students.  I look forward to opening the door of the art room everyday, anticipating all the creativity, humor, and kindness that will take place in the next few hours.  I truly LOVE my job! 💗
The first few weeks of school have been very busy getting to know each other and learning new art skills.  Many 7th and 8th grade students noted the changes in the art room immediately.  I was here all summer painting, cleaning, and organizing.  The results are worth all the effort.

6th grade students have been busy completing their first project - Positive and Negative Space Cityscapes.  Students learned about negative and positive space in art and the difference between cool and warm colors. Their work is on display in the 6th grade hall, I have received many compliments from other faculty and staff on how well they turned out.

6th Grade Cityscapes

6th grade students also finished constructing their clay projects this past week.  Clay emoji rattles are always a favorite project.  They are drying on the shelf getting ready for the first firing in the kiln.  I am so impressed with the construction and craftsmanship of these.  I have some really talented students!  I will post more about these emojis once they are glazed.

6th Grade students creating their emoji rattles.

7th grade students finished their Pop Art Portraits last week as well.  After lots of moaning and groaning about taking pictures of themselves students got busy creating work based on the Pop Art movement of the 1950's.  Students were only able to use complimentary colors and skin tones for this project, Pop Artists such as Roy Lichtenstein used only these colors in his work.  Students also incorporated an onomatopoeia describing their personalities to their portraits.

Some examples of 7th grade Pop Art Portraits.

7th grade students are currently working on their clay projects with much success.  They are coil pot creatures.  Students are required to build anything they like with coils.  The piece must incorporate an opening in the design, have a coiled interior, and be at least 5 inches tall.  They are tackling this with lots of positive attitudes and effort!

7th Grade students creating their clay projects.

8th graders have been busy as well.  Since this is an elective class for 8th grade and a semester long, we really start to develop skills and learn about many art mediums.  They started the year learning how to marble paper and how to bind a book using a Japanese method.  Students created sketchbooks using these new skills.  They turned out beautifully!

The next project was a Japanese paper cutting called a Notan.  Students learned about positive and negative space and how to create art with balance and contrast.  They also learned how to use an x-acto knife correctly and SAFELY!  This lesson always makes me a little nervous. 

8th Grade Notans

8th grade students are currently working their way through the Value and Form lesson.  They learn how to create the illusion of form by using value.  They also learn how to use drawing pencils and related materials.  The project will close with students creating a logo relief and redrawing this from observation incorporating value.

CONGRATULATIONS to Ezra Laufenberg for being chosen the Art Student of the Month for September.  I chose Ezra because he is one of the most dedicated, polite, and creative students I have ever taught.  He brightens up the art room as soon as he walks in.  Ezra is always on task and asking questions, he is a joy to teach!

Art Student of the Month - September

Ezra Laufenberg

As you can tell, the art room at BMS is a hopping place - I wouldn't want it any other way!  

Your Enthusiastic Art Teacher,

Mrs. Doro

A new school year is almost here...

Hello Everyone!
        Let me introduce myself to those of you that are new to the middle school...I am Mrs. Doro, the art teacher at Bartels.  I teach all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade art classes, about 150 students a day (whew!).  This will be my second year in this position, prior to teaching art I was a substitute teacher and special education paraprofessional.  I have a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point (go Pointers!).
        I have been working diligently since the middle of June painting, organizing, and cleaning my classroom.  I feel like a child on Christmas morning - waiting to show all my students the new room.  Along with a snazzy new room, I have revamped and created new and exciting lesson plans.  It will be a FANTASTIC year in art class for your student.
        Some of these projects require materials that cannot be purchased in stores or online.  If you would have any of the following items laying around your home I would gladly take them from you...

• wire coat hangers
• thicker (canvas or denim) aprons
• old CDs
• empty manilla file folders
• nylon knee high stockings (no holes or runs)

      Open house at Bartels will be August 30th from 4:00 to 5:00.  PLEASE feel free to stop in the art room to say "hello" and look around.  Art is located in the small tan building behind the main building.  Hope to see you on the 30th!

Your Enthusiastic Art Teacher,

Mrs. Doro

       

Happy Summer Break!

Hello Everyone,

What an incredible year I have had as the art teacher at BMS.  I have learned so much and met so many wonderful human beings.  If your student is moving on to the High School, I hope they will come back for a visit.  My mind is already full of creative things to teach next year's students.

The 7th grade classes finished their Pop Art Candy projects with a lot of success.  Students learned about Pop Artists Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol and the history of the Pop Art movement.  They started with an observational drawing of a piece of candy.  Attention was paid to the shape of the candy and the style of font used. Next, students added vibrant, flat color using acrylic paints.  A black outline was finally added to give definition and emphasis to the shape of the candy.  I wish there was more time in the school year to be able to display these pieces...the students did a fantastic job.

7th grade students hard at work.

                                             Some finished 7th grade Pop Art Candy.

8th grade students have been working diligently on their Keith Haring inspired t shirts.  Students were able to choose a Keith Haring image or design one of their own to screen print on a t shirt.  With just a few inexpensive items (embroidery hoop, mod-podge, organza fabric, paint brushes, and ink) students learned a bit about the process of screen printing.  This is a technique that can easily be done at home (in case of summer boredom)!

8th grade screen printing projects.

6th grade students used positive and negative space along with cool or warm colors in their last project for the year.  They were able to create their own unique cityscapes using Protecto Paper (an adhesive paper).  Color was added using acrylic paint and a water spray bottle.  Students really seemed to enjoy the process of adding color.

6th grade positive/negative space cityscapes.

Art Club students finished the school year with a fantastic field trip to the Baraboo area.  We were able to tour the newly restored Al Ringling Theater.  It was absolutely incredible.  I knew the students were enjoying it with every "Oooohhh... and Ahhhhh...."  Students also toured the Dr. Evermor Sculpture garden just outside of Baraboo.  It was an amazing site filled with scrap metal sculptures, some over three stories tall.  Our day ended at Mirror Lake State Park playing games, drawing, hiking, and just soaking up the sun.  It was a very quiet bus ride home.  😊

I hope you enjoy your summer and find lots of time to relax and enjoy your family.  I am looking forward to spending time with my family traveling, camping, and just being together. 

See you in the fall!

Your Enthusiastic Art Teacher,

Mrs. Doro