Thank you Gallery 4463!! We were thrilled to have five of our fabulous Ford Artists represented in the student exhibit this month! The show will be up through April 28th (this Sunday!). Check out the amazing art with a very beautiful and well-deserved ribbon displayed with each of our Ford masterpieces.

Printmaking!!

WOW!!! The 5th grade artists at Ford are doing an AMAZING job with our "trace monotype" printmaking project. I think that I can speak for all of us when I say that we had a BLAST with this project! It tickles me pink when students love a project enough to inquire about how they can do a certain project at home on their own. So, enjoy these fabulous pictures and if anyone wants to 'brave' a black ink printmaking project at home, here is a materials list (ink can be found at www.dickblick.com, other supplies can be found locally or at Dick Blick)...

- Plexi Glass (find it at Home Depot in small sheets)

- Metal File (optional for edges of plexi glass but it saves young hands and brayers from damage!)

- Akua WATER BASED Ink (see photo)

- Rubber Brayers (one small, one large preferably but 1 large would work)

- Sharp Pencil

- Thick "Sulphite" type White Paper (or other printmaking paper)

- Tape

- Dishwashing Soap

I was tempted to tell this amazing artist that it HAD to be Coke (that's the southerner in me!) but the artist in me let him express his love for Pepsi. And it does look very cool!

Square One Orders Due on Friday, November 16th!

We are so grateful to have such support from our Ford families and parents for the Square One fundraiser! It is one of two fundraisers during the year which makes it possible for us to do all of the fun messy things we do in the art room (sculpture (with clay, metal and paper), glass, painting with a variety of paints, drawing with pastels, printmaking (with foam, matboard and plexiglass) and so much more!

When you make a purchase through Square One not only are you getting a fabulous product(s) with your little artist's precious artwork, you are making our art program possible! Plus, the timing is right to check off many of those "hard to shop for" family members during the Holidays! The potholders and ornaments are my personal favorites. :) Check out our awesome projects by grade below!

 

Kindergarten Rooster

 

 

1st Grade Peacocks

 

 

2nd Grade Pastel Resist Leaf

 

 

3rd Grade Koi Fish

 

 

4th Grade Insect

 

5th Grade Animal

Happy National Anthem Day!

We celebrated National Anthem Day today at Ford. The students have been having a blast learning about and singing the National Anthem in music class. We decided to create "National Anthem" American Flags in 2nd and 3rd grades. Check them out; they turned out beautifully!

Welcome 2012-2013 School Year!

We have had a terrific start to the new school year. Here is a glimpse of one of our favorite beginning of the year projects:  Kindergarten Tear Bears! The kindergarten artists talk about shapes, fuzzy edges and learn about using "just a dot, not a lot" with the glue during our Tear Bear project. Stay tuned for our Square One art fundraiser coming this fall! The artwork is already in progress and everything is looking fantastic!

Last week we mailed off over 750 GORGEOUS pieces of artwork for framing in anticipation of our favorite event of the year: Evening in the Garden and the Ford Elementary Art Show!! Here are two amazing pieces prepped and ready to go.

The show will run from 5:30-7:30pm in the gym on Tuesday, May 1st. Please remember that the kids' artwork is not for sale (it already belongs to the kiddos!); the frames around the artwork are for sale. Any frames that are not purchased the night of the art show are unloaded and the artwork is returned to the school. If you choose to purchase the frame, the first frame is $25 and the second frame (if you have more than one student or just want to buy an empty matching frame for an extra piece of artwork) is $20.

We appreciate your support! It is through your support of fundraisers such as this one that we are able to purchase art supplies throughout the year (clay, glass, paint, ink, equipment, etc).

Smith-Gilbert Gardens Partnership!

We are so excited to have a new Partner in Education with Smith-Gilbert Gardens! To celebrate our new partnership, Smith-Gilbert will be displaying 30 fabulous outdoor and nature-inspired pieces of artwork from selected Kindergarten through 5th grade Ford Elementary artists. Our 2nd grade "warm color" Chihuly will also be on display during business hours from Saturday March 10th through April 15th. Please feel free to visit; Smith-Gilbert Gardens is an amazing treasure in our community!

Here is a stack of art being matted for display at the gardens; we have SUCH talented artists at Ford!