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

Greetings...

Hello Everyone,
Fourth quarter is well under way and the art room is a really busy place.  Trying to find storage for all the projects is a challenge since 6th, 7th, and 8th all use the same room.  The full shelves and tops of cabinets are a reflection of the creativity being produced.

6th grade students finished their Radial Name Designs and are on display in the 6th grade hall.  Students also finished the construction stage of their emoji rattles.  This is a shorter project packed with lots of new skills.  Students learned how to wedge clay, create pinch pots, score and slip pieces together, and use subtraction and addition methods to create the emoji faces.  Now we wait.  It will take a week to 10 days for the clay to dry fully before they can be bisque fired in the kiln.

Some 6th grade clay emojis drying on the shelf.

7th grade students finally finished their first project - the Op Art Cubes.  This is by the far the biggest and most time consuming project of all three grades.  The finished projects look great and are hanging in the 7th grade hall.  I am SO pleased with the quality of work!  The next project will be coil pots.  Students will learn various coiling techniques while creating a 4 inch tall coil pot.  Like the 6th grade, they will learn how to wedge clay, score and slip pieces together, as well as rolling coils.  It is a challenging project!


The 8th grade students have taken on a huge project - a permanent mural for BMS.  I am so excited about this project - students are working collaboratively to create a small piece of abstract art based on an action word.  The design was created in cardboard first then cut out of Masonite board (it took about 9 hours of cutting in my husband's shop!) before students primed and started adding color with paint.  This project concentrates on shape, color, line, and form.  Once the pieces are finished, they will be combined together on a wall in the lunchroom creating a large abstract action mural.  Every shelf and cabinet is full of abstract pieces.

                                    8th grade students working on the abstract actions mural.


Congratulations to Sophie Denure!  Her cover design was chosen for the Bartels Middle School Awards Ceremony program.  I think she is enjoying her set of 48 Prismacolor colored pencils!  Along with designing the cover Sophie was awarded the Artist of the Year Award.  This award is given to an 8th grade student exhibiting dedication, passion, and talent for art.
Two other art awards were also given at the ceremony last Thursday night.  The Polished Artist award was presented to Emma Moll.  This is given to a student who really strives to learn new techniques and materials. Emma is willing to put in the extra time to perfect her art.  The last award presented was the Love of Art Award.  This went to Chloe Saalsaa.  Chloe has this huge creative spirit that is very contagious!  She really pushes herself to think outside the box in all her work.

                                                                                          Your Enthusiastic Art Teacher,
                                                                                           Mrs. Doro