
I'm embarrassed to have been away from here for so long. Lots has happened in the interim:
got married
spouse retired (a bigger deal than the former, since we'd been sharing a domicile for about 8 years)
embraced the Holidays
did some teaching
produced and snail mailed an extra long Nature Printing Society Winter Newsletter to 300 plus members
traveled to North Carolina in October for the annual Nature Printing Society Workshop
assumed the reins of organizing for the 2013 annual NPS Workshop: in Charleston, Oregon, this September
completed a 1000-piece gorgeous jigsaw puzzle in January (an annual ritual)
printed a few octopus scarves (image to right)
Yes, you read that list correctly. My work, meaning my art output, has been last on the list and quite neglected. But I have felt creative and engaged with life, so I can't complain.
I want to report on the wonderful experience I had last month at a delightful new school, L'Etoile French Immersion School, in Portland. It is the second French immersion school that has hired me for teaching gyotaku. The French American International School found me with a Google search, this one by recommendation of the the first. I don't speak - or understand - French, so it's an interesting experience to spend a morning in these classrooms.
The children I worked with this time, over two Friday mornings, were very young – pre-K and kindergarten. It was all fun, but working with the kindergartners, in a small, cozy classroom of only 10 students, was a peak experience for this old teacher. I followed my usual system, working at a small table with two children at a time: one printing and the other examining a clean specimen. The subject was octopus. I'll let some photos tell the tale. The photos can be viewed as a slideshow; click on any one to enlarge it.
If you think this looks like fun, get in touch with me. I go to classrooms and I can teach in my studio. I've given up on scheduling regular classes, but am available to work one-on-one or with a small group (adults and/or children) by appointment.
got married
spouse retired (a bigger deal than the former, since we'd been sharing a domicile for about 8 years)
embraced the Holidays
did some teaching
produced and snail mailed an extra long Nature Printing Society Winter Newsletter to 300 plus members
traveled to North Carolina in October for the annual Nature Printing Society Workshop
assumed the reins of organizing for the 2013 annual NPS Workshop: in Charleston, Oregon, this September
completed a 1000-piece gorgeous jigsaw puzzle in January (an annual ritual)
printed a few octopus scarves (image to right)
Yes, you read that list correctly. My work, meaning my art output, has been last on the list and quite neglected. But I have felt creative and engaged with life, so I can't complain.
I want to report on the wonderful experience I had last month at a delightful new school, L'Etoile French Immersion School, in Portland. It is the second French immersion school that has hired me for teaching gyotaku. The French American International School found me with a Google search, this one by recommendation of the the first. I don't speak - or understand - French, so it's an interesting experience to spend a morning in these classrooms.
The children I worked with this time, over two Friday mornings, were very young – pre-K and kindergarten. It was all fun, but working with the kindergartners, in a small, cozy classroom of only 10 students, was a peak experience for this old teacher. I followed my usual system, working at a small table with two children at a time: one printing and the other examining a clean specimen. The subject was octopus. I'll let some photos tell the tale. The photos can be viewed as a slideshow; click on any one to enlarge it.
If you think this looks like fun, get in touch with me. I go to classrooms and I can teach in my studio. I've given up on scheduling regular classes, but am available to work one-on-one or with a small group (adults and/or children) by appointment.