Colorful calico clouds crossed the sky this morning. We went through a couple different colors as the sun came up, and eventually decided to hang out behind the clouds! Dark & moody… pastoral pastels… vibrant colors… golden hues… and then just CLOUDS!!!

Tonight my Beginning Wheelthrowing students tackled trimming, handles, mugs & stamp-making! It was a busy class… and they’ve now completed their first mugs!!! And it’s only Week #2!!! They’re off to a good start.

A few more wall pocket planters making the greenery hang higher! Specially made with some drainage holes for soil & plants… usually I make them without holes for flowers in a vase. Loving how this trio has some cascading vines working their magic. Thanks Patty for sharing your green thumb!

Looks like my coleus cuttings are really taking hold… who knew it was this easy??? Just water! I think I’ve just effectively doubled the number of coleus plants on my front porch!!!

Another quiet morning along the lakefront.
Not a lot of clouds… but the few we had did a wonderful job of making a sunrise splash of color!!!

Another layer of bricks coming off as the kiln cooling continues… encouraged by this new view into the kiln! Especially on this another Mugshot Monday!

Popped the top. Cooling the kiln… getting ready to unload tonight!

Barely a cloud in the sky… just a cool breeze blowing in off the lake along with the waves. A beautifully quiet start to another week.

Uh oh… well THAT doesn’t look so good…

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!!!