Art Blog - Tales from the Art Side

The title of this article might suggest that I'll be exploring some kind of compelling Freudian doctrine concerning moral phobias. I'm afraid, however, that my topic is nowhere near as intriguing and will entirely circumvent discussing either the id or the ego. This is a blog about teaching kids art, and thus the values of which I speak are the light and dark variants of tone. Admittedly, the concepts of tint and shade appear rather innocuous, but it has been my experience that these artistic principles unsettle the nerves of a vast majority of beginning drawers. While this fear may be more pronounced in some students, it often manifests itself in the same predictable behavior… Continue reading… 2 comments

My slightly askew and easily distractible mind often compares the process of teaching kids art to swimming against the current of a rapidly churning river. The implications of this analogy might suggest that I feel some kind of affinity with salmon and the determined effort they make swimming up stream each mating season. The fact is, I do not. The salmon perseveres so that they can eventually spawn, whereas I would simply like a teenager to be able to tell the difference between an abstract painting and a non-objective one. But before I get myself hopelessly off topic, allow me to try and illustrate my point. Teaching kids art, or any subject for that matter, is similar to paddling across the current in that it requires an exorbitant amount of effort… Continue reading… 6 comments

Originally published March 29, 2008 http://artid.com/members/mize/blog/ I have found that one of the unexpected by-products of being a professional educator is that I'm also afforded the unique opportunity to be a professional learner. It has been my experience when teaching kids art, that with a sufficiently open mind and a healthy amount of humility, I have a chance nearly everyday to learn something from the same students I'm there to instruct. What's even more fascinating is the variety with which these occasions present themselves. Sometimes it will be in the unique perspective and clever thinking of an individual student. Or it might be something I overhear while two kids exchange ideas and offer each other advice… Continue reading… 0 comments