The BESt Art Blog : 2012

Welcome

Welcome to the Brownsville Elementary School art blog. We hope you enjoy exploring the art gallery created by the students in grades Preschool - 5th. The art projects we do with our students allows everyone to experience art through different mediums...

DRAWING

pencils, pens, crayons, markers and colored pencils

~Students start out in the lower grades learning how to draw animals using shapes. Then in the upper grades they learn proportions of the human face and figure. Then they learn how to shade and add value to make their drawings look realistic.

PAINTING

watercolors and tempera paint

~Students start with painting in Kindergarten and build on these skills all throughout elementary school. They learn how to properly use the paints and take care of the brushes.

SCULPTING

clay, wood, wire and found objects

~Clay is a favorite medium in all grades. Each year our clay projects build on each other so that by the time you are in 5th grade you use all the skills to create your sculpture. Kindergarten also uses found object to make faces. Second grade also uses wood to make Kachina Dolls and 4th also uses wire to create wire figures.

PLUS A FEW EXTRAS

print making, weaving and stitchery

~We print in many ways but mostly in 2nd grade, in 3rd grade we love to weave and in 4th (or 5th) we learn stitchery.

All of our students get to be in the studio for 45 mins. a week but they are constantly creating throughout every day.

Artfully yours!

your art teachers, Shannon Horridge and Tetyana Wittkowski

Friday, December 28, 2012

2013

Happy New Year! Looking forward to the new projects we will be creating in 2013! Stay tuned...

Monday, December 17, 2012

It IS HERE!

Square 1 Art is in and your teachers have it in their classroom as of this afternoon. One box did get sent to Florida and should arrive here by Wednesday. So if you are missing something it should be in your child's backpack no later than Friday. Please let me know if there are any other problems with your order. Thanks for supporting your Brownsville Art Department! Happy Holidays!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Orders on the way to Brownsville

Any day now the 1st Square 1 Art orders should arrive. Hopefully this will give everyone time to send off any gifts you may want to send for the holidays.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

New Projects in 3rd, 4th and 5th

We are very excited about the new projects the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades have started.

The 3rd graders have entered the new world of Explorers. We will be building 2D ships out of paper, string and other interesting objects. The students now know where the Bow and Stern are on the Hull of the ship. They can also tell you what the Crow's Nest is used for while out at sea.

The 4th and 5th graders will be starting their clay unit. First we will talk about what they already know about clay. (If they have been at Brownsville since Kindergarten they should know a lot because we do a clay unit with every grade every year.) Then in 4th grade we will make clay pockets by using slab construction. In 5th we will be hand building gargoyles after learning how to created two pinch pots and putting them together.

So look for all of these amazing pieces of art work in January 2013!

Friday, November 30, 2012

Performing Arts

This week in 4th and 5th grade art the students gave up their fine arts class for an extra performing arts class. They have been practicing for their performance which for the 5th grade class is on Monday, December 4th and for the 4th grade on Tuesday, December 5th. The show is called "WE HAZ JAZZ" and is a wonderful way to learn about the history of Jazz Music. Please come see our students perform on stage at Brownsville Elementary.

Second Chance Orders

Second chance Square 1 Art orders are due on Wednesday, Dec 5th! Please go on line and fill out your order so our art department will have plenty of resources to create amazing art with your children.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Place your orders NOW!

Please place your Square 1 Art orders ASAP! The deadline is this FRIDAY, November 16th. The easiest way to place your order is online at www.square1art.com Thanks for supporting the Art Department at Brownsville Elementary.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Square 1 Art goes home today

Check your child's folder for their Square 1 Art. It will be coming home today. All orders can be made online. It makes it so very easy. Enjoy!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Radial Designs created by the 5th graders

So amazed at our 5th graders radial designs which happen to be the art work we sent into Square 1 Art. Each student was very successful in this project which they used their very own name to create an amazing design. These are actually the sticker that Square 1 Art sends each student as a complementary gift for being a part of the fund raiser. The students family does not need to purchase anything in order to keep these stickers. This is a very successful fund raiser. We have been doing this at Brownsville for many years.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Square 1 Art order forms and the students art work printed on the complementary stickers has arrived. The art work is amazing and we are excited to send it home with the students. Please look for it in your child's backpack no later than Monday, November 12th. This year all orders may be done online. This fund raiser is a major part of our art budget and allows us to purchase supplies for the students to use in the art room as well as special items for our school. Last year we gave each classroom teacher money for art supplies for their own classroom. We hope you enjoy the outstanding artwork created by our students. Follow the link to learn more about Square 1 Art. www.square1art.com

Monday, November 5, 2012

Good Morning

Mrs. Shannon Horridge

I have always had a love for art. After graduating from the University of Georgia with a bachelors in Art Education I moved to Charlottesville, VA. I began teaching at Brownsville in 1999 and taught until 2006. Then decided to stay home with my 3 young children for 4 years. During that time I volunteered as an art teacher at their school and volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club of Central VA. In 2011 I went back to Brownsville as a teaching assistant in the art room and in 2012 became a part-time art teacher again. I LOVE my job.

Ms. Tetyana Wittkowski

Growing up with a mother who was an artist and architect, creating art was just something that I would do. I grew up in Maryland and went to Vermont College for graduate school. My masters degree is in Art Therapy and I hold an art teaching certificate in grades K-12. Living in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador for 9 1/2 years I was able to gain a broader understanding different types of art and culture. In 1996 I started my career in Canada and later with my family moved to Fairfax, VA where I continued with Art therapy and began teaching art. With my children all grown and on their own I decided to get back to nature and move to Charlottesville. In the summer of 2016 I was hired as the full-time art teacher at Brownsville. I enjoy ceramics, sculpture, mixed media and have a passion from land art. I look forward to getting to know the community and beautiful countryside.