I can barely remember my first experiences with art. But I do have some early memories in this 49 year old mind. I went to a two room red brick country school house in western Kansas for my elementary school years. I was surrounded by the colors of the plains. Bright, green, beautiful winter wheat was all around me in the dark, drab, colorless days of winter. Warm, rich, golden wheat rustled in the Kansas wind in the summer. My moms lilac bushes bloomed right outside my bedroom window and I could smell them drift in and circle me when I went to bed.....and they were the first thing I sensed in the mornings when I woke up during the spring. So, from an early age, my senses were surrounded with beauty!
I can remember that I loved to look thru my "mom's box." My Mom was a natural at drawing and in high school she loved to draw horses. She had a box of her drawings and as often as I could I would coax Mom into letting me look thru her box. I would marvel at how talented she was. Of course, at that time she was busy being a Mom and a post master of a small rural post office....and keeping my very busy sister and myself......well, very busy. But my Mother's love of drawing was easily passed on to me. I can remember how much I loved art in my two room country school house with Mrs. Walk and Mrs. Cupp. We spent most of our time on reading, writing, and arithmetic, but when we did write poetry or do art.......I just absorbed myself in it. I remember one day we all painted Holstein cows. We had read a Robert Louis Stevenson poem about cows and we had to draw and paint cows. I remember that even at the age of nine I was shocked at how good my cows looked. I had just drawn them free hand and painted them.....and I have never forgotten those cows. My teacher put them up on the board. She liked them too. And they stayed there for many months. I looked at them every day. What a marvel those cows were! I enjoyed my artwork right there for everyone to see, but especially for me to see! As school came to an end and we cleaned out our desks and headed off for the summer panic set in a day or two after school was out as I realized I had forgotten to get my cows. I raced back down the dirt road on foot to the school to retrieve my precious cows, but they were no longer on the board. The janitor was there cleaning, but she had not seen my cows either. She said she thought some of that had been thrown away. I remember tears rushing to my eyes. I vividly remember walking home that day, kicking the dirt with my Keds, so heart broken that no one thought my cows mattered enough to save and give back to me. I missed those cows for a very long time and on and off over the years I thought of those cows....as I grew up and became an adult I still thought of those cows and how much I wish I had them. And, then one day.......about 20 years later I was going thru some things my Mom had given me....and low and behold....there were those cows! I still don't know how Mom got them back or when she got them back. I'm not even sure she knows! But this 40-ish year old woman squealed with delight when I saw those cows in a box of mementos. You would have thought I had won the lottery!
Our artwork is a part of us. It comes from within us. It expresses our thoughts, and memories, and moods, and the bare essence of our thoughts. My Peacocks and Rainbows Art Room is a beautiful place for students to create their perfect pieces of art. While this blog is still being built, I just wanted to take you on a trip down memory lane with me. Anything done well takes a bit of time to do. I look forward to sharing some great moments of creativity with you as 2011 unfolds.
This past year, at the age of 49, I began to reflect on my life, as I suppose many do as they near 5-0. (Whew! How did that happen!) I've been blessed with a wonderful life, great kids, and so many blessings. I've been able to travel all over the world. I've been able to teach school in other countries. I've gone to design school in France. I've painted on the steps of the Sacre Couer in France. I've taught theatre and art. I've pushed myself to learn so much about technology and graphic design and have done yearbooks and newspapers. I've won design contests. And....so much more. But the accomplishment I am the most proud of is making a difference in the life of a child. I was so very blessed to have wonderful teachers and leaders outside of school that mentored me and pushed me to be better than I ever thought I could be. As the next decade unfolds......I am excited to spend it being creative.....and, who knows, what is hiding inside, ready to come out with the next tube of paint and paintbrush!
I'm excited about this blog. I'm excited about helping art teachers all over the world come up with creative, innovative projects in the art room. And, I'm excited about encouraging new generations of teachers to remember that teaching is about so much more than the agenda at the next faculty meeting or some typed words on a lesson plan. Teaching is about making a contribution to the world. It's about leaving a legacy. It's about painting a "masterpiece" each and every day in something we call a student!
