This past year has been so crazy. I have put every ounce of my creative energy into finding and writing curriculum, trying out different elementary school level art projects, and making examples of final projects. Now that our 5th grade DVD is completed I finally have a chance to work on my own artwork a little.

I taught a fun peacock painting project on the 1st grade DVD and it’s been in the back of my mind ever since. Peacocks are my favorite birds. They remind me of some kind of Dr. Seuss character. Plus they are such amazing reminders of beauty and pattern in nature.

So here is my attempt at a stylized peacock. I picked up a wooden lazy Susan at IKEA and painted this guy on the top. I used SoHo brand acrylic paint. All it needs now is a layer of shellac to protect it from spills. I like the challenge of working on a round “canvas” instead of a traditional rectangle one. As an artist it is important to adjust your composition to fit the circular picture plane. Who knows this project just might make its way onto the 9th grade Home Art Studio DVD.

It’s not perfect, but it sure feels good to be back creating art!

I just returned from the Great Homeschool Convention in Greenville, SC. This was my first time having a booth at a convention and it was great! It was a wonderful learning experience, and I was very grateful to have Rachel with me to help every step of the way.  Everyone I talked to had kind and encouraging words to say.  I noticed that there wasn’t another curriculum quite like ours represented at the convention.

It was a little disconcerting sitting in front of a larger than life picture of myself, but also a little bit funny! People’s reactions when they realized it was me were priceless.

It was gratifying to get so much positive response to the program. Parents really seemed to like the idea of our online art gallery. I came back to find that people had already sent in pictures of the projects their children had done. I can’t express how exciting that is. I get to see that students are actually enjoying the lessons. The best part was that these students did the project and then kept going. They added their own personality to their projects, and that was just what I was hoping for.
We had a DVD playing throughout the conference and it was great to see kids sit in front of it enthralled. Plus I got to interact with the kids personally, and got them excited about doing art.  I love it when a child comes up and tells me how much they love drawing!

I’m getting revved up for the next convention in Cincinnati, OH. I am so proud of this program and I love having a chance to speak with parents face to face about it. Hope to see you there!