This was one of my favorite tables I have ever put together. My idea was to experiment even deeper with “not teaching.” As art educators, we feel like we always have to communicate the subject matter, explain the process, or give directions. But what if the materials became the teacher? What if you set up…
Process Art
10 Open-Ended Materials for your Art Space to Nurture Creative Thinking
As I was gathering content for this post, I realized that in the 13+ years I have been writing this blog, I have never written a post about a collection of my favorite materials! I’ve written about liquid watercolor so many times. I’ve written endlessly about recyclables (and in my book!), and many times about…
Children experiment with wire and threadable materials
I have a huge collection of pinecones because I cannot stop myself from collecting them whenever I see their perfect, symmetrical shapes lying on the ground. Big, small, and in between. I now have to sneak them into the house because nobody can know this collection is getting bigger, not smaller. The pinecone is such…
Process Art with Recyclables: Collaborative & Big!
It has been 8 years since I wrote a blog post about gluing recyclables onto a big piece of cardboard and inviting my art students to mix their own colors and paint the structure up on the wall. Since then, I have added this project to my book, Carboard Creations, and seen hundreds of art…
Mixed-Media Exploration with Wood
Hello! It’s been a while. I have been working so much on The Creativity Project that it’s been hard to find the time to write over here on Art Bar. But I have things to share! As you know, I have been facilitating open-studio classes at our local library over the past year (I’ve written…
Leaf & Fabric Collage
We experienced another successful community art table! This time, I set out leaves with fabric scraps, tempera paint, glue, and colored construction paper. I had a prompt at the table, but children could use the materials however they chose. The results were pure magic. I love every single piece! [ I am a participant in…
Still-Life Cake Paintings
I’m back with another community event at our local library, and this time, I made cakes from recycled materials and set up the table for still-life paintings. Children used oil pastels and liquid watercolor (my favorite combination) to draw and paint what they see! Supplies needed for Still-Life Cake Paintings: ~ Recycled cakes (I’ll go…
Flower Still-Life Table
I am doing classes again! It’s been 4 years, but I am back. This time, my classes are at our local library, and they are for families with children of any age and ability. I am calling them workshops because I’m not really teaching how to do art as much as I am facilitating an…
Recycled Collage Making with Preschoolers
Last month I was invited into a local preschool’s Makerspace to do a project with their 4 and 5yr olds. I decided to use the materials they had collected for the space, which was lots and lots of recyclables, plus I brought in a few of my own goodies and we made recycled collages! Let…
Watercolor House Garland
This house garland can be painted in endless ways. Here I used some white crayon resist, watercolor, and a splash of gold tempera paint. Set this out for a group of children and let them explore the resist technique used when mixing crayon and watercolor. You could make these in a classroom, or at home…
