We started camp this week with the usual introductions and discussion of our class projects. For FIRE, FORGE & FEAST, we have a LOT to get done in a short amount of time. So I need all of my campers to stay focused & engaged in the process. We do a lot of handbuilding in this camp… so there’s a LOT of scoring & slipping to be done.

And to make it one step tougher for them… I threw them a curve-ball by telling them that they needed to design their entire dinnerware set based on a Famous Artist. Somehow incorporating their style, imagery, color palette or characters into their pieces! So we started the class off with some Flash Cards of famous artworks by Famous Artists. Enough for them to get some ideas of who they might want to focus on for their project. Little did they know that the Flash Cards “Game” would continue all week long until they had them ALL memorized!!!

We started glazing everything on Wednesday. For the kids’ terra cotta projects, we use a once-fired color glaze so we can get their pieces back on Friday. The colors are limited, but easy to use… and they will be darker, shiny & more colorful after firing.

As the glazing continued, I set up a fun splatter glazing station for Graham in the hallway. We set out his pieces on a large piece of paper and let him go! Of course he had a full understanding of Gary’s Summer Camp Rule #3… whatever mess you make, you WILL be cleaning up! So he did a great job of keeping his splatters as contained as possible!

And one of the best parts… as he made painter’s palette platters…
he now had JACKSON POLLOCK PAINTER’S PALETTE SPLATTER PLATTERS!!! Say that three times fast!

And while the splattering was going on… Eve had a little more time to make a few more side plates. Such attention-to-detail… as I would expect… as this was her THIRD TIME taking my Fire, Forge & Feast Camp!!!

As the first kiln was unloaded, we got their ceramic handles for the cutlery. They figured out which ones fit best, and then I epoxied them together. Not quite as much fun as previous years when we actually made them in the Metalsmithing Department of Lillstreet… but these desperate times called for desperate measures!

So their dinnerware sets started coming out of the kiln… still warm, bit now more colorful. We started setting them out as a set to see how everything goes together. Unfortuantely, not everything made it out of the kiln… as some of it was put into a “second kiln” that wasn’t quite done by the end of camp on Friday. So the kids had to come back later to pick-up their stuff… and I didn’t quite get photos of everything!

So here are some of the FIRE, FORGE & FEAST dinnerware sets…
based on the work & style of some Famous Artists!!!

ALEXANDER CALDER –

Including a “plate-elevating-stand” based on the Calder sculpture downtown called “The Flamingo.”

JACKSON POLLOCK –
Every kids favorite when they realize the get to splatter everything!!!

JIM DAVIS – cartoonist of the “Garfield” series
Complete with chopsticks as whiskers!!!

WASSILY KANDINSKY –

PIET MONDRIAN –

VINCENT VAN GOGH –

WALT DISNEY –

HAYAO MIYAZAKI – Artist & director of the anime’ classic “Spirited Away.”

And then potluck on Friday… the FEAST portion of Fire, Forge & Feast.
It was questionable as to whether or not we could pull-off a potluck feast during Covid Pandemic times. No such things as bringing homemade treats in any more. No more sharing. No more finger-licking!!!

Luckily, we did it… all with pre-packaged, individual serving foods that the kids brought in. We separated them onto plates so everyone had one of each. They then went back to their “assigned” safe work space to feast! I did have to tell them there would be no sharing, exchanging or passing around of their treats. Once on their plate – it was theirs!!! And it was one of the weirdest conglomerations of potluck food that Lillstreet has EVER seen!!!

At the end of camp, we did a little Pop Quiz on the famous artists that they had been memorizing all week long. They had over fifty artists on the list… so I had them write them all down as I showed the flash cards. And here’s the kicker… they needed first AND last names!!! I told them that spelling didn’t matter unless there was a tie.

After fifty-some flash cards, Jo was the big winner!!!
Just missed one… just one FIRST NAME!!!
Had the last name… but forgot Anish.

So the BIG PRIZE was the demo plate I had made earlier in the week!
Looks like Jo was pretty pleased with the prize!!!
And I was more than pleased with another successful week of Summer Camp!!!

After finishing their Robert Indiana inspired letter sculptures… and sending them off to the kiln!… my Summer Campers re-focused to start their new larger sculptures! We discussed options & ideas with a little bit of brainstorming. Then we covered how were going to build them… discussing process, materials and options. We all worked together to finalize our plans, and the kids drew pictures of their sculptures.

We then started building the basic structure & inner armatures for their sculptures. I helped them with the structure and power tools… but it was their creativity & inspiration that led the way. After building their armatures, they set-off on filling them in & bulking them out with lots of newspaper & masking tape. Their challenge was make it look as much like their “intended” sculpture with minimal supplies. A lot of crumpling, folding & taping in place.

After filling the armatures, we started covering the newspaper with a thin layer of plaster gauze. Think “industrial-strength” paper mache! It’s the same stuff they make plaster casts out of at the hospitals. A bit of water, several sheets of plaster gauze… and they were able to add an outer layer to their sculptures.

After a full day of working with plaster gauze, we were ready to clean-up for the day! Yes… back to Gary’s Summer Camp Rule #3... “Whatever mess you make, you WILL be cleaning up!” So they did… on their hands & knees scrubbing the floor to get the plaster dust & splatters off the floor before it dried too much.

The next day, we came back to the plaster gauze… this time adding details, patterns & textures. The goal was to make them as “realistic” as they could… and easily identifiable for what their plan was. The perfect chance to bring their sculpture to life!

After building the sculptures and getting them to dry overnight, we started painting them with acrylic paints. So much fun to see them really come to life in technicolor!!! And a little bit of color-theory… as they only go primary colors to work with. They needed to mix & blend their own special colors!

On Friday, while the paint dried on their sculptures, we pulled together a quick Gallery Show Opening Reception. I had them make a large poster for the door to our classroom, as well as small “art gallery tags” to put next to their artworks. Basically just a show for their parents as they came to pick-up their kids. Tough to do while keeping the quantity of people in our classroom down to a small number. But we did it… and the kids LOVED showing off their work in their ART GALLARY (sp)!!!

So here are most of the final sculptures in our ART GALLARY (sp)…

AVERY – Desert Cactus Flower

CICI – Red Fox

FELIX – Koala Bear

ORI – Quilted Bed

TALI – Magical Pegasus

JANE – Colorful Peacock

Another great week… kicking off what will hopefully be a great Summer at Lillstreet. This whole panademic crisis has been so weird for all of us… it just felt AMAZING to be back teaching the kids in-person. Hoping that the whole summer goes by without incident at Lillstreet. I think this week went smoothly… and we all learned a LOT about how to teach a class of kids during these times of Covid-19.

A LOT OF HAND DISINFECTANT & MASKS!!!

So we started with a little “art introduction” of sculptor Robert Indiana and his works. We discussed his style, design & concept…. and they all got excited to build their first sculpture based on his work. So the challenge for each of them was to build a large version of this sculpture using their own names!!! A LOT of handbuilding… but I was confident they could do it!!!

The campers started by drawing out the letters for their names. I encouraged them to have some sort of style & design… like maybe adding serifs to the letters?! Then the kids started making their slabs and cutting out their large letters. To make them a 3-dimensional letter, they needed to cut-out two of every letter to make the front & back.

Some of them were so pleased with their letters… and even the canvas covered boards that they worked on. Making an overlapped letter outline masterpiece!!!

After a quick demo on how to assemble their letters, they all set off for a LOT of scoring & slipping! I kept telling them that I can “pretty much guarantee” that of they don’t score & slip… their piece will fall apart! So they were all very diligent with their assembly!

At the end of Day One, I made sure that my campers did a full cleaning of their workspaces. Each kid with their own dedicated space to be safely distant from the other campers. And as part of Rule #3… whatever mess they make, THEY will be cleaning up… and that includes the FLOOR!!!

After stacking & assembling their name letter sculptures, the kids started painting them with glaze. It’s a special glaze that we use for some of our Summer Camp projects. They can paint it on “raw” terra cotta for a single firing. The colors will be darker & shiny when they come out of the kiln!

FAST FORWARD TO FRIDAY : The Last Day of Sculpture Camp
And also the day that the kid’s sculptures came out of the kiln. Always exciting when there are no “explosions” or severe breakage during the firings. Sure, we may have lost a couple feet off the bottoms… but everything still stood up well. And maybe next time they’ll remember to score & slip a little better?!

NEXT UP : My Summer Campers had to shift gears to start another sculpture for the rest of their week. This time, much larger and made with plaster gauze!!!

So now we’re two weeks into the Fall Session of classes at Lillstreet… but I’m still not over Summer!!! Nor am I over the fun we had a Summer Camp this year. Sure, it was a little “different” for all of us to keep everyone safe, masked & socially-distant. But still… it was just a little bit of “normal” that just made me happy every day! I mean, who doesn’t love working with kids, teaching life lessons & making art every day?!

So… every day this coming week I’ll be featuring another week of Summer Camp 2020! Get ready for a week full of Summer Camp Flashbacks… so much fun!

I LOVE SUMMER CAMP!!!

This past week was another wonderful week of Summer Camp with the kids! It was FIRE, FORGE & FEAST where they each make a full thematic dinnerware set… more photos & stories to come! We had to make a few “alterations” to the usual FF&F plan due to the pandemic & more, but they adapted & did a great job.

And then somewhere along the way,
I apparently got a little sidetracked & addicted to making spoons?!!!

So I squeezed in a little stamping between sunrise & summer camp this morning! I’ve still got a few more bowls to stamp… but I had to go quick as my campers were arriving soon!!! Happy that I got one done at least… stamped one-by-one-by-one… and the stamp that did all the work!!!

As part of my Sculpture Summer Camp, I like to teach the kids some art history along the way… this time focused on famous sculptors! I made a set of flash cards for some famous sculptures – many of which are in Chicago that the kids might have seen. I also tried to show them at least two pieces by each artist so they weren’t just memorizing one photo… but trying to get them to learn about their style, subject matter and time period. And just to keep them on their toes… there are a few duplicates along the way!

The trick to using flash cards is to make it a game… so at some point, they’re so excited to play a game that they don’t even realize they’re learning stuff at the same time! By the end of the week, most of the kids have memorized all of the following artists… first and last name!!!

Like this game on Friday where I turned it into the classic game of “MEMORY” where they had to match up the cards – finding two cards by the same artist. Keeping safe social distances with a LOT of hand sanitizer along the way!

HOW MANY OF THESE FAMOUS SCULPTORS CAN YOU NAME???
Not the sculpture name, but the actual artist… first & last name!

I must admit I had to Google a few of them myself.
I mean… do you know who made the Venus de Milo???
… and his name is NOT Milo!!!

After finishing their terra cotta sculptures on Tuesday, we started our larger sculptures on Wednesday. We had a big brainstorming discussion about what they wanted to make. And then we discussed how we were going to make them and that they needed a good pose, posture & environment. We discussed the armature they were each going to need inside their sculptures to get them to stand up and hold their shapes!

So we started with some “individual consultations” and I helped each of them build their initial armature… as it required some power tools & construction materials. After I helped them build the armature, they started “fleshing it out” with newspaper & masking tape. Trying to give their sculptures some shape & bulk. So much fun to see their vision coming together… and their blind-faith that it will all work out in the end. They each had a plan… and I’m just there to help facilitate their vision!!!

Once they had filled it out with newspaper & tape, we started adding a layer of plaster gauze over the whole sculpture. Plaster gauze is pretty much like industrial-strength paper mache’!!! It’s actually the same material they make casts out of at the hospital. You take a sheet of plaster gauze, dip it in the water and then place it on the sculpture… rubbing it together to spread the plaster. Layer after layer, sheet after sheet… eventually they covered their sculptures. And you could see it all coming together even more!

After we finished the first layer of gauze, we did a bit of clean-up… again Rule #3… “whatever mess you make, you will be cleaning up.” And they did!!! Gotta get the drips & drops of water cleaned up before someone slips on it, and before the plaster dries on the floor!

After lunch, we finished up the plastering… and added a few more details to their pieces. Textures, patterns & details to bring their pieces to life! Always fun to see the creativity & energy at Summer Camp! These kids have unbridled enthusiasm… and I’m just there to foster it and encourage them to channel that towards their artwork!!!

When they finished all of their plaster details on Thursday, we put them in front of the blowing fans so they could dry completely overnight.

On Friday, we started the day by painting the sculptures with acrylic paint. They only get the primary color, black, white & brown. All of the other colors they need to mix to get what they want… a bit of color theory along the way!

When they finished painting their sculptures, we cleaned up our workspaces and started turning our classroom into their Art Gallery… or maybe ART GALLARY??? Two of the kids made a sign for us to post on the door to welcome our guests!

After the kids had finished painting their sculptures, and making their signs, we were ready for their “Gallery Opening”… which really just meant showing off all of their work for their parents as they came to pick up their kids! The kids were so proud of their achievements… and the parents were impressed by all they had made in such a short time!

Thanks to this group of great kids for making our first week of Summer Camp at Lillstreet a success!!! It felt so great to be back at camp… I LOVE SUMMER CAMP!!! And especially for making it feel like we’ve taken one big step towards a little bit of normalcy… masks included!!!

More Summer Camp to come… I have three more weeks scheduled!!!

So we finally started Summer Camp at Lillstreet Art Center. A lot of new rules & guidelines for all students… and for the kids coming to Summer Camp! A lot of cleaning, disinfecting & sanitizing throughout the day. And of course MASKS for everyone!!! So exciting to have the kids back… the energy, the fun, the creativity!!! But still kinda weird at the same time to not be able to see their cute little faces!!!

Since this was Sculpture Camp, I figured out two-day clay project would be inspired by Robert Indiana… stacked dimensional letters. Some of the kids had never heard of him… but they sure knew him and a LOT more famous sculptors by the end of the week!

The kids started their project by drawing out their letters on a piece of paper to use as a stencil on the clay. They needed to cut two of each letter… for the front & back of each piece. So we made plenty of slabs. Plenty of tracing letters & cutting them out on their little canvas-covered boards!

After cutting out all of their letters, we let them set-up for a bit on a large sheet of paper. Then they started assembling their letters. A lot of scoring & slipping as they added a slab strip around all edges of the letters to give them some depth. Once the sides were on, they needed to add the top layer to close off the box. The biggest trick was to score the correct side of the letter so it lined-up with the box… I think about half of them did it backwards the first time!!! HA!!! Easy to fix… it’s just clay!

We started Tuesday by finishing & refining their letters. After they were all cleaned up, we started stacking them and designing their final layouts. Keeping Robert Indiana as their inspiration, they each figured out different configurations… and then decided on their final stack. I helped them assemble their sculptures with some “strong” scoring & slipping!

Once they were all stacked, they start to paint their sculptures with color glazes. One of the benefits of working with terra cotta in Summer Camp is that we can do a single firing and get their projects back by Friday!

Always part of the process… and “Gary’s Summer Camp Rule #3”… Whatever mess you make, YOU will be cleaning up!!! And they do without complaint. It’s just an “understood” part of the process. You tell them to do it. They do it. Giddy-up!

On Friday, their sculptures came out of the kiln. They finally got to see their sculpture masterpieces!!! So adorable!!! Sure, there were a few minor issues where something didn’t stick together… “did I tell you to score & slip?”… but no huge errors! No explosions! No major breakage! I consider that a success… especially because THEY LOVED THEM!!!

Last week was our first week back at Summer Camp!!! Lillstreet Art Center is finally re-opened for classes & camps… and it was so fun & exciting to have “people” back in the building. The energy. The creativity. The smiling faces… or well, at least I assume they were smiling behind their masks?! Anyway… summer camp was AMAZING as always. I had a wonderful time with a wonderful group of kids!!!!