Last blog seniors!

Few reminders first:
1.) May 8th (Friday) is the official due date of AP portfolio.  All work must be entered by then and completed.
2.) May 4th - Last day that ALL projects need to be turned in with rubrics for a grade.  Will not accept them after this date.
3.) May 11th to May 15th - Senior show over at 5 pts.  Any artist available to win the DaVinci award will have a posting on their table.  We will discuss this further.  Grades matter.

Blog Baby:
So this is your last blog for your senior year in Art Portfolio.  Are you excited or sad?  What are you feeling about the ending of AP?  You blog is a farewell blog and a warning blog for the upcoming group of students for next year.  Have you accomplished work that you are proud of? What changes would you make to your portfolio?  What should the upcoming group expect.  Explain your thoughts and feel free to improvise if needed.

Fighting Artist Block & the Winter Blahs

I really struggled with what to write or share for this blog… At this very moment I feel really uninspired…. Do you have moments like that? Where the winter blahs get to you? Or you can’t remember the last time you got sunlight and you feel unmotivated or just too busy to actually focus on something properly?


Chuck close is quoted as saying:


“The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who'll listen to me, is not to wait
around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.
If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you
are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they
come out of the work itself. Things occur to you. If you're sitting around trying to dream up a
great art idea, you can sit there a long time before anything happens. But if you just get to
work, something will occur to you and something else will occur to you and something else
that you reject will push you in another direction. Inspiration is absolutely unnecessary and
somehow deceptive. You feel like you need this great idea before you can get down to work,
and I find that's almost never the case.” (seriously he’s my fave)

Read this Article


1. What are some ways that you can motivate yourself as an artist and refocus?
2. What are some struggles that you are currently having with your art?
3. Try a few suggestions that each of you have and comment on how they it went...

Ps. One goal I am setting for myself is to finish the ceramic bust I started last semester….
My goal is to have it done by next Friday (the 27th )


This artist when he is feeling creative block starts sketching bears…

Sorta Free Blog - S.O.F.A. Expo

This is your second free choice blog for the semester.  You have a lot of freedom with this blog, however this particular one must have something to do with the S.O.F.A. Expo and MUST be art related! Include images, examples, or any other material to help your blog.  Interesting is always good.

SOFA Show

Subject ideas to discuss:

1. An artist whose work you admired or inspired you.
2. Topics about a creation process that you saw or spoke to an artist about.
3. Explain the inspiration or meaning behind artworks.
4. Write opinions about a a controversial or piece that you questioned at the show.
5. Highlight contemporary artists you admire from the show.
6. Talk about an artist you interacted with.
7. Write a critique of an artist’s work.
8. Ideas that you come up with your ideas for paintings, photography, drawings, sculpture, based on what you saw at the show.  

Analyzing Art Through the Conceptual Frames

Hello APers (AP is capital so it doesn’t sound like ape ..hopefully…) Welcome to your first blog with Banzhoff. :)  I am excited to be working with all of you!

Ok. So here is your blog due in two weeks with two additional comments.

Lately I have been hearing a lot of buzz about art education in Australia and how they have students analyze art through the frames. They start this process of looking at art with elementary students. I want you to try it! 

Here are the Frames: (choose one.)

Here is an example: (Note this gives an example of how to analyze an artwork through all four conceptual frames. I am only having you choose ONE. 

Click here for example

1.  For this, pick an artwork from the Art institute of Chicago’s database http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/ and analyze the work using one of the 4 frames.

2. What do you think of this way of looking at art? Was it helpful? Did it influence how you see art in some way?

Free Choice Blog

This is your first free choice blog for the semester.  You have a lot of freedom with this blog.  It must be fine arts related in subject matter.  If you talk about your plans this weekend and how much you love puppies you are going to receive zero points.  This MUST be art related! Include images, examples, or any other material to help your blog.  Interesting is always good.

Subject ideas to talk about:

1. Artists you admire, and why.
   
2. A recent painting, drawing, sculpture, etc. you are working on. 
3. Why you decided to become an artist.
   
4. Topics about your art creation process.
   
5. Lessons you have learned as an artist.
   
6. Tips on art promotion.
   
7. How you choose your painting palette.
   
8. A slideshow of your art.
   
9. Drawings from your sketchbook.
   
10. Explain the inspiration or meaning behind artworks.
    
11. Write about a historical artist you admire (Van Gogh, Rembrandt, etc.).
    
12. Write opinions about a post you saw on another art blog.
    
13. Highlight contemporary artists you admire.
    
14. Interview artists for spotlights.
    
15. Mention an art competition you are taking part in, or just want to recommend to other artists.
    
16. Give your own opinions of “What is true art?”
    
17. Self-critique one of your own artworks.
    
18. Write a critique of another artist’s work.
    
19. Talk about some of your favorite art blogs.
    
20. Write about painting and drawing techniques.
    
21. Blog your favorite artist quotes.
    
22. Quotes that inspire you.
    
23. Tips on using your sketchbook.
    
24. Explain different art movements, such as impressionism and post-modernism.
    
25. Speak about an art show you are part of, past or upcoming.
    
26. Blog about your art being published in a newspaper or magazine.
    
27. How do you explain your art to others?
    
28. How you come up with your ideas for paintings, photography, drawings, sculpture, etc. 

Start producing!

Important Website to check out:

2D kiddos:
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/exam/exam_information/2134.html

3D kiddos:

http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/exam/exam_information/220107.html

We're back and in full swing!  I know that some of you are sad that the summer is over while some of you are excited to see your friends and get your final high school year over with.  To be honest, I have mixed feelings over the situation.  I am leaving two wonderful kids behind
and making a new start with fresh classes and eager students. Oh, and I'm huge and getting bigger with every second.  But deep down I am excited to get to know a new group of students.  Every group is unique and different.

Again welcome back.

So lets dive head first into AP and figure out how this whole process is going to work.  Like I said during the first week, there are two parts to Portfolio class.  The breadth portfolio and the concentration portfolio.  We are going to focus on the breadth section first which is considered more of the "technical" portfolio.    You are showing your skills, talent, drive, and elements/principals of art.  In this portfolio you will have variety and different methods of art making.  You will need to experiment and not be afraid to work outside of the box.  All things that I know as artists you are capable of doing.  None of this is new to you.

For your first blog I want you to go to this site:
high school portfolios

Take time and quietly scroll through each individual portfolio.  Look through the 3D or 2D work and definitely look through the Breadth portfolios.  Don't just look at the first image that comes up either.  Laziness is not a part of this class.  But open the student work and write down notes about each person.  What are their strong points, what are the weaknesses, what areas of art do you need to focus on or improve in?  

After you examine and review the works, respond to my blog.

Here's your question . . . ready . . . Which piece inspires you and why?

Simple question I know but really explain yourself.  Post a response to this blog and be sure to paste an image and explanation.  There is no sentence minimum or max.  Just fully explain your thoughts and feelings.  Harder than it sounds.

Question?

Blog due date: March 21st

Your only question - Why did you take this class?