Back to School for Teachers

In Michigan its back-to-school for many art teachers as we attend the Michigan Art Education Association's summer workshops at Western Michigan U in Kalamazoo next week. I'm looking forward to a few days of art making with friends. This year I'm trying two new media: photo silkscreen and glass blowing. I recently discovered all the equipment for silkscreen in my cavernous storage closet at school and hope to do some projects with my students this coming school year. Glass blowing is purely for myself - something I've always been interested in, but never had the opportunity to try. Its certainly not a middle school activity!

For the silkscreen class I'll be combining the images shown here to make a two color print. These are pics I took last winter as I watched one house after another fall to the great recession. I wonder about the families and lives that have been destroyed by the greed of others. Processing these thoughts and fears through art has always been my way. It is so insignificant in the face of such troubles.

These early explorations in printmaking eventually led to a series of  house paintings in watercolor. Same ideas, different medium. It has been and is an unsettled time. Making art settles me, but doesn't do much for addressing the larger environmental and societal problems we face.