Paper Crafting with The Girl Scouts

I had a great time this weekend teaching a paper crafting workshop for a group of Girl Scouts. Using a lot of recycled materials, I taught the girls how to create a paper snowman ornament.

 

The students did a wonderful job. I'm always amazed to see how each student puts her own spin on a basic design.

This student actually glued a penny to her snowman. How did I miss that penny in my bag of old buttons? 

Look at that smile!

Marisa placed a green scarf around her snowman. Nice job!

Winner Wonderland

As an artist participating in this year's window painting event for the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Business Association, I had the pleasure of working at the Anthracite Newsstand yesterday. 

For those who may not know, the Anthracite Newsstand recently sold a $4.2 million lottery ticket. Read more about that here.

Hence, the theme of their windows this year is Winner Wonderland. The owners came up with that brilliant idea.

 

All I had to do was paint the winning concept.

I had fun painting those dollar bills. Hee! Hee! Gotta love capitalism!

I worked from noon to 5 p.m. painting their windows, and had a most enjoyable time. A big thank you to Bob, Bettye Lou, Samantha and the entire staff at the Anthracite Newsstand for their kindness and generosity. I sincerely appreciate it!

Today, I took a walk around Wilkes-Barre to look at all the other window paintings.

The snowman in the window of Dunkin' Donuts looks very happy holding a warm drink and a doughnut. I wonder if he's drinking hot chocolate or vanilla chai tea.

My friend Diane Grant Czajkowski did a fantastic painting for Barnes & Noble.

The details are amazing.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

 ~A lovely Christmas wreath~

I love the colors in this Christmas tree. The artist did a wonderful job!

Paper Jack-O'-Lanterns

It's that time of year again when all the kids get together to create some wonderful Halloween crafts.

There's something about all that glitter. It really makes this jack-o'-lantern pop.

I like how the glitter on this pumpkin is strategically placed in the eyes, nose, and mouth. The pastels look fabulous on the brown craft paper.

Cute!

This guy's up to something. I can see it in his eyes.

Happy Halloween!

Chalk Fest 2011

Welcome to Chalk Fest 2011 on the River Common, Wilkes-Barre. I'd like to thank Mary Therese Biebel from The Times Leader for featuring my students in the article titled Chalk It Up, which appeared in yesterday's paper to promote Chalk Fest. Click here to read about it.

It was wonderful to see so many people come out to enjoy the day's events along the Susquehanna River.

The little kitty in this chalk drawing caught my eye. Look at the tire swing in the tree. I love all the details in this chalk drawing.

Artist Leigh Pawling was busy working on drawing the logo for one the event's sponsors. Leigh transferred the design to the sidewalk using a technique similar to how Michelangelo transferred his cartoons (full-sized, detailed drawings) onto the plaster surface of the Sistine Chapel.

During the Renaissance, it was customary for fresco painters to use a stiletto to transfer their cartoons onto a plaster surface.  Many of the frescoes still have little holes indicating how the cartoons were transferred. 

Leigh's hard at work, but she's having fun. Be sure to check out her beautiful artwork here.

One of my students came out to enjoy the day after art class this morning. Marissa loves to draw Manga characters, and I can see the beginning of some interesting designs.

Here's  a closeup of some of Marissa's artwork. Is that a heart with a halo? 

We couldn't ask for a more beautiful day. The weather was warm and sunny, and by noon it started to feel like it was 80 degrees.  

At first I thought this was an Easter egg.  The closer I looked, it appeared to be a hot-air balloon.  Nice colors!

What a difference a month makes. On September 8, 2011, this entire area was under water, and we were ordered to evacuate.  Tropical Storm Lee drenched Northeast Pennsylvania with unprecedented amounts of rain. Thank God for the levees. 

You can still see some of the mud left after the high water receded. In fact, I saw two girls throwing mud at each other this afternoon.

Here's an interesting sketch. It looks like a prehistoric bird. Remember Land of the Lost?

Here's a picture looking north. Again, you can see the mud on the stairs.

~A pumpkin~

~Heading back home up the river bank~

Pastel Pumpkin

It's that time of year. The leaves are falling, and the air is getting crisp and cool. I created this quick sketch in approximately five minutes using soft pastels on purple construction paper during one of my art classes this week.

Soft pastels are easy to blend, and you can keep building details with every layer that you place on the paper. I'm not a huge fan of pastels; however, I'm always amazed at how quickly one can create a piece of artwork using this medium.

Jewelry Making Goes Green at The Banana Factory

I always meet the nicest and most interesting people when I teach at The Banana Factory. Today was no different. The students who joined me for my Jewelry Making Goes Green workshop came from New Jersey and southeast Pennsylvania.

Lorene created the laminated earrings above using pages from an old wrapping paper catalog.

I brought a lot of aluminum soup tabs to class today so that the students could make these funky pendants. Diane did a great job using monochromatic colors for her design. Believe it or not, that's not a pearl. It's a mushroom button. Deceiving, isn't it?

I love how Lorene used paper clips, paper, natural fibers, and unique stones create these earrings. Nice job!

Natural fibers have a way of adding just that little extra touch to a pair of earrings. Ilisa's ensemble is fabulous.

I'll leave you with more pictures from today's workshop below. Enjoy!