After School Art- Assemblage!

We just finished a 4 week assemblage project in my after school art class. The children did a fantastic job! I am just amazed with their creativity and imagination. We used mainly repurposed materials. Jewelry that I collected over the years, scrabble tiles and inspiration from the fantastic Lynn Whipple (my old studio pal from McRae Art Studios), corrugated cardboard from my husband's warehouse and more that I can't remember to list. Enjoy! Here is a definition of assemblage;

assemblage -  a collection or gathering of things or people : a wondrous assemblage of noble knights, cruel temptresses,and impossible loves.• a machine or object made of pieces fitted together : some vast assemblage of gears and cogs.• a work of art made by grouping found or unrelated objects.• the action of gathering or fitting things together.

Picasso did quite a few assemblage pieces. Here is a link to an example of one using similar materials;

http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=34095

There are really no rules in assemblage, just the limits of your imagination! You should try one!

[gallery type="rectangular" columns="2" ids="370,367,369,362,371,363,373,372,364,365,366,368"]

To see more of Lynn's great work: http://www.lynnwhipple.com/

Website of a great co-op art studio in Winter Park, FL. http://www.mcraeartstudios.com/

Whale Song

This past week I received a vision for a woman who's totem was "Whale" which I had not personally encountered before during a reading. I definitely saw a Ballen whale, the ones without teeth. They strain sea water through bony plates, feeding on the plankton or sea life within it. Also, the whale was a humpback which are noted for their beautiful song. These characteristics were telling the woman to look to her inner depths and express herself  more through song, poetry and words. She should also look at her diet and perhaps change it to reflect fresher or more local foods.

Whales use a form of sonar or echo-location. People with this totem are good at using energy vibrations to determine where people are "coming from." Sometimes people with this totem are very creative but must re-anchor themselves in the world, they must breach, breathe out of the water. Whale is a large and beautiful beast, creative and practical, it travel deep oceans but also surfaces to the air for breath. Duality and balance in both worlds.

Native cultures saw the whale as a gift form the Great Spirit. It allowed them to survive in a harsh climate. They used every part of the whale to live and gave thanks to the Great Spirit for it gift.

Whale symbolize;

• communication
• music
• emotional sensitivity
• creativity

When whale appears to you it is time to examine the use (or lack of use) of your own creatively. Are you tuning into the sounds and frequencies around you so that you can navigate life better? Are you awakening to new creative depths and resurfacing to daily life with a new breathe?

For more information on Patricia Carroll's work visit; http://www.ascentaspirations.ca/patsbio.htm

Maitland Montessori Art Show

I teach art at my daughter's school and every year in May we have a school wide art show displaying the art created throughout the year by the children. Here are some picture's from this year's show. It's fun to see them grow and get creative! Their parents always look forward to it too and invite relatives and grandparents to come to the show.[slideshow] For those interested, I am holding a art and clay summer camp July 9th thru July 13th. I will be at Maitland Montessori School, 8:30 am to 2:30 pm. My friend and great clay artisan, Katherine Mathisen will be helping with the clay portion of the camp. We always plan some fun projects and split the time up nicely between 2d and 3d projects.

Contact me for further details; genasemenov@gmail.com

Katherine's awesome website: http://www.katherinemathisen.com/