Lee Kranser artist study: I am SUCH A FAN of Lee Krasner. She was responsible for Jackson Pollock being recognized in the first place as well as his continued, (chaotic) success. It has taken the art world, in general, a long time to recognize Lee’s brilliance, acumen and work. This artist study is inspired by Krasner’s collages. In the midst of frustration, Krasner tore up her paintings, soonly recognizing something was very appealing about arranging these pieces in an alternative way.
Pacita Abad artist study: This artist continues to be a source of inspiration to teach after becoming fully absorbed with her, personally, over the summer of 2023, when she had a retrospective at the Walker. We referenced images of Pacita Abad's mask series or "everyone I meet on the train". We also studied her underwater works and created our own textile art referencing these works as our inspiration.
Corita Kent artist study: “There is no mistake. There is only make.” We honored the artist, Corita Kent (another one of my absolute favorites) by creating posters celebrating the art of making.
Wassily Kandinsky artist study: Kandinsky believed in evoking a feeling, telling a story or making an impression with shapes and colors in his work (rather than painting in a more literal fashion). We arranged + traced cardboard, organic shapes on our canvas, creating our own abstract composition while focusing on brush stroke and color while painting.
Jasper Johns artist study: During a significant era of Johns' work, the artist focussed on motifs such as numerals, targets or flags and used these as the catalyst for his abstract paintings.
Maira Kalman artist study: Maira Kalman has created and continues to create an incredible body of work. If you aren't aware of her, please use your search engine to take a peek NOW. She is such a breath of fresh air! I'll assist. Here's a link to get started.
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I have THREE more seats available in summer ART camp!
View this link for more information or to register.
If you are new to The Create Everyday Classroom Summer ART Camps, WELCOME! Please scroll down to familiarize yourself by reading GENERAL CAMP INFORMATION at the bottom of this post.
"I'll go where the work takes me. I always tell people if it goes out the window, I'll follow it" - Stanley Whitney
From the quilters of Gee’s Bend to Piet Mondrian to Agnes Martin to Stanley Whitney. Establishing a structure within which to create can be community building, representational, meditative, bold and liberating.
mostly drawing and painting
“Art work is a representation of our devotion to life” - Agnes Martin
"Hope" is the thing with... : June 23-27
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED for “Hope” is the thing with… THANK YOU
"The dignity of the artist lies in (their) duty of keeping awake the sense of wonder in the world." - Marc Chagall
Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, and Beauford Delaney artist studies (a lot of painting), museum scavenger hunt, primitive clay forms, poster design
"Painting is a nail to which I fasten my ideas." - Georges Braque
Art is for Everyone: August 11 - 15
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED for Art is for Everyone. Thank you.
"Nothing is an end because it can always be a basis for something new and different.." - Keith Haring
We designated one day during Rule Breakers Summer Camp last year
for a Keith Haring artist study:
This year, we're going to dedicate an entire camp to this artist and his work!
doodling, large scale drawing + painting, poster design, performance art + play
"Children know something that most people have forgotten...I am now 28 years old on the outside and nearly twelve years old on the inside. I always want to stay twelve years old on the inside." - Keith Haring
"Whatever the medium, there is the difficulty, challenge, fascination and often productive clumsiness of learning a new method: the wonderful puzzles and problems..." - Helen Frankenthaler
These Five Painters (Helen Frankenthaler, Grace Hartigan, Elaine de Kooning, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell) were not only the catalysts for new approaches in painting, they were pioneers for women in art.
mostly abstract painting with a bit of collage and figure work
"Somehow, in painting I try to make some logic out of the world that has been given to me in chaos." - Grace Hartigan
GENERAL CAMP INFORMATION
The Create Everyday Classroom Summer ART Camps are Monday through Friday, 9am - 1pm Because of small class sizes, variations on lessons are easily provided when taking into consideration age, interest, and skill. Camp sizes are small (10 participants) with an age range in each of 4 to 12 years.
With TEN years of SUMMER CAMP at The Create Everyday Classroom, rituals have been created that returning students look forward to every year. In addition to visiting the museum (Mia on Thursdays), there is silly walk day, water balloon day, balloons in the museum courtyard and popsicle day.
Students come prepared with their own mid morning snack, water bottle and lunch. We have daily picnics on the MCAD campus or in the Mia courtyard (weather permitting).
Last year, during IN THE CITY Summer Camp we met up with Urban Sketchers. This was such an incredible experience for both parties, the facilitator and I are going to do our best to coordinate one event during EVERY CAMP week this year. Get a glimpse of what this might look like here:
Each camp is $295 per week. A non refundable $150 deposit secures your child's seat with a balance of $145 due the Monday of summer camp week. Seat reservations may be made
via venmo @Kari-Maxwell
citing your camp(s) of choice in the memo
You will receive confirmation of your seat(s) via a venmo return memo Once a camp’s seats have filled, “Registration is closed. Thank you!” will appear under the corresponding camp dates.
If this is your first time enrolling, in addition to your payment, please email createeverydayclassroom@gmail.com with the full name and age of your child(ren). More elaborate camp details and necessary paperwork is sent out via email in May.
And, to ALL families, past and present: Thank you for your referrals. For the ten years my program has been in place, word of mouth continues to be my only form of advertisement. With that being said, if this link has been shared with you by another, please let me know who referred you in your email.
Take a peek into previous years of The Create Everyday Summer ART Camps HERE and HERE
When I am not painting in my studio, I am developing curriculum or teaching at my tiny little art school in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis.
I get such a charge out of designing curriculum. Since I founded The Create Everyday Classroom in 2013, I am beginning to collect a wealth of rich lessons. I still prefer to create and teach new curriculum though. I love sitting down and figuring out how to puzzle piece together at least two of the following: artist studies, art making methods, children's books and museum visits. More often than not, I find a common thread between three or four.
My class sizes are small. I teach an average of ten students per session between the ages of 4 and 10 years. I have found this number of students allows for a more individual, open ended curriculum which is the most important quality for me. I want students to always feel the freedom to improvise, make adaptions and experiment while having the support they need to do this.
Having been a Montessori teacher for over fifteen years, I am a firm believer that there be a significant age range in each class. One element of my curriculum design involves creating variations within each lesson so that all students will feel challenged and engaged. Under this paradigm, students have the ability to absorb the layers and complexities involved in making art.
Kari Maxwell received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology with a minor in philosophy in 1992. She graduated from the masters program (MECR) at CU, Boulder in 1997 with a Montessori certificate in early childhood education. She has been a practicing educator ever since.
Sometimes, I think, the children's sketchbooks are their most important work. Even though, by the time they go home, the children usually can't remember what sight or thought was the catalyst for which mark, shape or scribble.
This student has filled a handful of sketchbooks in my classes. There have been many pages that have gone home empty too. Somehow, without any inhibition, though, this (not quite) six year old captured movement. Just like that. There is also something else about these sketches that amaze me. This very young person already understands a certain benefit of creating several sketches on the same sight (or idea). AND this young person was obviously quite comfortable continuing an idea across the course of a sketchbook binding and consuming both pages. WOW.
If you feel inspired to gift the young artist in your life with art materials, I have recommendations.
PAPER:
Canson XL mixed media pad, 9x12 in white. I wish they sold this paper in reams. I will rip each individual page out/off the spiral for student use. This is how much I love this paper.
For avid white charcoal, colored pencils and pastel users, I highly recommend this same brand in the color black
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Strathmore 300 series tape bound watercolor paper. I always buy the 11x15 paper but I am always re-sizing with our paper cutter, too. I think it's safe to go with the 9x12 option. By the way, we use tempera and acrylic paints on this paper too!
acrylic + watercolor landscapes on strathmore watercolor 300 series
Hands down, over and over again, I cannot recommend Tempera brand by Tri Art enough. More than likely you will have to order this online. I used to be able to purchase it locally. Student grade tempera paint by Dick Blick is a good runner up. I have talked to Art Materials (on Lyndale) and they have recommended their chroma tempera paint as a proper replacement for the tri art brand. I haven't tried this brand but would recommend starting here, if need be, rather than trying another.
Instead of purchasing a set, I highly recommend creating your own set (the primary colors - red, yellow + blue, add white and black). This encourages color mixing and self discovery. And the mixing of colors creates more depth in a painting, let's face it. If you want to add one more color to your set, add a magenta (when mixed with blue, the color creates a better blend of purple).
Upon receiving these paints, students will want to use them right away. Add a roll of kraft packaging paper so that your young artist has protection for the surface he or she will be working on. You might as well be prepared.
Tri Art Tempera paint on large Canson XL mixed media paper
We only use liquid watercolors in the classroom and there are many reasons why I wouldn't recommend these for home use. A regular set of crayola watercolors will work just fine (just promise me you'll throw away the brush first).
graphite pencil, sharpee and liquid watercolors on Canson XL mixed media paper
india ink : higgins
india ink on manilla cardstock
BRUSHES:
I am just going to attach the exact items here because brushes are so expensive and so overwhelming at first and brushes are SO IMPORTANT. Hands down, over and over again, I cannot recommend these enough - white taklon by craft smart and golden taklon by craft smart. These brushes are inexpensive and so durable. They work for ALL mediums. I cannot emphasize enough what a priority these are. Include both of these packages with your gift.
brush prints on drop cloth
writing, mark making, drawing:
graphite pencils (primsacolor ebony pencil)
pencil sharpener (mobius ruppert brass wedge)
eraser (staedtler mars plastic)
graphite pencil in sketchbook
white charcoal pencils (general's charcoal white pencils)
white charcoal pencil on black Canson XL paper
Lyra watercolor crayons! We use the black ones for (almost) every class. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a place where I can purchase them as singles or in bulk. I have confidence this small set will be enjoyed.
india ink and nib pen on canson XL mixed media paper
markers: These are a pretty penny and for the more advanced artist. If you'd like to start collecting, you can purchase them in singles. Perhaps supply the young artist with a shade of their favorite color. These markers are magic and are a beautiful embellishment to dried watercolor paintings. I really like the copic ciao.
watercolor + copic marker on canson XL mixed media paper
NOTHING brings absolute delight to a child more than a brand new set of crayola markers. I cannot emphasize enough that these markers be broad (vs fine). I always have these in the classroom and when I bring in new boxes, the students' expressions are priceless. Just know they have a very short life.
crayola markers, broad line, skin tones set
COLORED PENCILS: hands down, over and over again THESE - koh-l-noor progresso woodless colored pencils
PASTELS: I don't have any easy recommendations here. You must pay for quality, in this department. I find it best to go to an art store and create your own set, purchasing one at a time. Best to choose the cylinder shape (rather than prisms). Start your soft pastel collection as you might with paints or choose a shade of the child's favorite color and add two more. Include wet wipes with these as children's hands will become quickly stained from blending (a very good thing)!
grid drawing portrait, soft pastels
CLAY:
ALWAYS a favorite
We had a clay camp where we experimented with all types of air dry and oven bake clay. The vote was unanimous for Crayola Air Dry in white (not in terra cotta). The students' creations will crumble over time (but their creations will last for a good 6 mos). The joy exchanged in the interim is all that matters. There is so much joy in clay. This brand is easy to paint too!
crayola air dry clay in white, painted with student grade Dick Blick tempera
Jean-Michel Basquiat first attracted attention for his street mural work under the name "SAMO" in New York City. He also is well known for using the symbol of a crown in his work.
If you could choose one nickname (3-5 letters) and one symbol to represent you, what would your name and symbol be?
Deborah Butterfield creates life size horse sculptures using a variety of materials. Initially, she constructed these sculptures using only natural materials, but in 1979, she started using found steel and scrap metal.
If you could pick one subject (anything at all - living or non living) to reference as inspiration for a life size sculpture of your own what would it be?
Ezra Jack Keats is best known for introducing multiculturalism into mainstream American children's literature. He was one of the first children's book authors to introduce an urban setting for his stories and he developed the use of collage as a medium for illustration. Although Keats published so many children's book, he is best known for his book, The Snowy Day.
What would be the seasonal backdrop for a children's book of your own? Come up with a quick story line, celebrating this season.
Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary artist who works primarily in sculpture and installation. Kusama is fascinated by the concept of infinity and, at first, used polka dots in her installations to portray this idea.
What is your favorite number? What would be a way for you to make others aware of this without specifically naming the number itself?
George Morrison was an American landscape painter and sculptor. His native name was Wah Wah Teh Go Nay Ga Bo (Standing in the Northern Lights). Morrison created collage landscapes out of found wood.
If you had to roam the world for one type of found item, what would it be? What places would you visit to start your collection?
George Rodrigue was an American artist from Louisiana who received worldwide fame for his Blue Dog paintings. This character was inspired by a Cajun legend called Loup-garou (or werewolf).
Do you have a favorite story or legend in your family or culture?
In 1955, Andy Warhol created a blotted line ink drawing of many butterflies that he titled "Happy Butterfly Day". This was a significant piece of work because it was the start of Warhol creating a repetitive image, over and over.
If you were given a large piece of paper and were asked to draw the same thing over and over again, what would you choose to draw?
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