The Last One - And I bet you are all so sad about it!

This is it, the last blog comment you will make in AP Art for the year.  Pause, for the moment of sadness. 

This year unlike most seems to have flown by.  I was thinking about why it was that I feel that way, and one of the biggest reason why was you guys.  When you have a smart, fun, easy group of kids that cares and works hard the year goes by fast.  It's been a banner year with so many of you receiving awards.  This year we participated in more art shows, contests and art opportunities than any other of my 11 years at Lakeridge.  Maybe we all didn't have time to think about time passing by!

I will miss each one of you for different reasons and expect that you will come to visit often.  Don't worry this isn't goodbye yet, I don't want to start crying in May!  For your last Blogging experience I would like you to do the following.  Please log in to your own personal blog and post a few of your favorite pieces you did this year, they don't have to be from your concentration, they can be from whatever.

1. Post a few pictures!
2. Write a 'letter' to a future AP 2-D student.  What advice would you give them?
3. In your 'letter' reflect on your year a little bit. 

That's it!  I'll let the seniors know what we are doing about Lumberjack Breakfast & Axe Throwing once I find out if we won this Vans contest or not. 

Beginnings and Endings

This is going to be a week of beginnings and ends.  On Tuesday you will be submitting your AP portfolio.  If you have not already you need to upload your breadth and concentration images to the AP site.  You will also need to write a commentary located on the concentration page.  You also need to have all five our your quality pieces selected and ready to ship.

On Thursday you and at least one other person need to make a presentation on an environmental artist.  We will be having a little party to celebrate the end of the portfolios!  The following week we will begin planning our environmental project and making it happen.

If you could would you please do one of the following in leu of a comment below.

1. Post the information about the Vans contest on your FB page.  You may have already done this before, but do it again.  Or better yet, do it again AND get your parents to put it on their page as well.

2. Tweet out the information to your twitter followers!

3.  Instagram the info about the Vans.

You will need to show Ms. McBride one of these three things on Monday.  If you don't not have access to any social media make a comment below that tells me how you will spread the word the old fashioned way.  aka ride your bike around the neighborhood and deliver cards to neighbors.  put cards on peoples cars in the mall.  you get it!

Almost done!

Rally the Pacer Family

If your going to prom tonight, I hope that you have a wonderful time.  Sixteen days from now I will stop talking about the Vans shoes, but until then we need the power of the Pacer family to make this happen.

1. If you haven't voted yet, which would be crazy, but if you haven't please vote.

www.vans.com/customculture/vote

Northwest Region - Lakeridge High School

Please vote for our friends in the Southwest Region as well- Wheat Ridge High School

2. Tweet, Post on FB, Tumble or Pinterest the shoes and get others to vote.  Make a Vine or Instagram a picture.  You have a huge network of friends let's use and abuse that network.

3. Whenever you are out and about, Starbucks, Home Depot, Powell's book store, vote.  Pick up on others WIFI and vote.

Check list of what needs to be done for AP by now...

1. Concentration and Breadth uploaded to the AP site.
2. Commentary written on the AP site.
3. Quality section picked and prepped to fit in the portfolios.
4. Create a website with your concentration. This will be 50% of your grade so don't forget to get this one done!

Monday I will be giving you a little homework that will get us prepared for the environmental art project we are going to do.

Weeeeeeeee......go vote.

Amazing, Wonderful, Spectacular!!!!

Wow! What a great AP Art Showcase.  You all did such an awesome job of presenting your work and engaging with the people who attended.  We haven't tallied up the sales yet but I think it's going to be a record year!  Mr. Helle and I were very proud to present the NAHS scholarships to so many deserving students.  We wish we had money to give to everyone!  Most of the great pictures from the AP Art Showcase are on the camera at school but here are a few (the only ones on my phone!)  Nice look for Richards don't you think?

These next few weeks are all about prepping your Quality section (please make sure you have all five pieces that are 18 x 24 at school, uploading work to the AP website and writing your thoughtful responses to the AP questions.  We will also be making your concentration websites.  As soon as we hand in our AP portfolios we will start the enviornmental project.

Well done little ones.  Mamma McBride is very proud :)

We need more lids!

Once we have entered our AP portfolios, we are going to launch immediately into an environmental project that we will be documenting for the Scholastic Art Magazine.

We need more lids.  Plastic lids. Please if you are not already saving them start doing so.  Tell your mom.  She will do it for you.  Peanut butter lids, deodrant lids, dishwashing deterget lids......please, please!!!!

AP Art Showcase!!! April 18th - Cafeteria  We will start setting up the show at 1:00 pm.  Each of you will get two black grids.  Four of you will go on the big wall.  People with big canvases, Sophie, Sophia, Kelsey???????   We will figure it out.  Don't forget that each of you will need to bring dessert for at least 10 people.  It's time to see all your hard work come together!

See you Tuesday.

Shoes & Whatnot

Is whatnot a word?  Last week was a doozie with the OAEA scholarship due on April 5th, the Marie Walsh Sharpe applications due on April 3rd, the Kurt Schrader congressional show art work due on the 5th and finally the Vans Custom Culture shoes were due on the 5th!

Here are the shoes we entered into the competition.  We will find out on April 22nd if LHS is a regional finalist.  If we become a finalist we will need your help getting the word out and getting people to vote!!!

Although the shoes are voted in as a group do you have a favorite pair?  Why is that particular pair of shoes your favorite?

Remember this month you should be preparing all your work for the AP Art Showcase on the 18th of April (postcards went out Friday.) You should be photographing your artwork and uploading it to the AP site.  You should decide which 5 pieces are your best, those will be entered as your 'quality' section.  You need to refine and work out your two statements for the AP application.

The countdown begins....

With spring break right around the corner, the remainder of the school year is going to whip by.  Seriously.  We have quite a few things coming up that need your attention......

1. Everyone needs to fill out the teal blue packet I gave you and bring one piece of art, your best one, one that you are proud of, not that just happens to be around in your cubbie, by March 21st.  That's Thursday of next week.  The work is for the Congressional Art Show. YOU need to prep the artwork.  Matting, eye screws etc. Here are the guidelines.

Artwork must be two-dimensional.

Each piece can be no larger than 28” x 28” x 4” (28 inches high, 28 inches wide, and 4 inches deep),
including the frame. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it will be required to be framed
and must still adhere to the size guidelines.

Artwork cannot weigh more than 15 pounds.

Artwork accepted mediums are as follows:
• Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
• Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal (It is recommended that
charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
• Collage: must be two dimensional
• Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints
• Mixed Media: use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
• Computer-generated art
• Photography

2. OAEA Scholarship - If you are a Senior planning on Majoring or Minoring in Art YOU need to fill out the OAEA Scholarship form, photograph your artwork, burn a CD and write a statement by March 21st.  That's next Thursday.  This is all work that YOU need to do, I would be happy to help but the lions share of the work rests on your shoulders.  It is 3, $500.00 scholarships to use at any school you would like. I will write letters of recommendations for all those who are applying for the scholarship.

3. Juniors that are applying for the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Summer Experience need to fill out the form and write your statement by March 21st.  That is next Thursday.  Your artwork will need to be photographed and in the folder ready to burn to a disk.  YOU need to do this. 

4. We ALL have a critique on Wednesday, March 20th. You need two new pieces!!  Then we are all done and on our way to turning in the portfolios for AP.

Stay focused. Spring break is right around the corner!!!! 

AP Portfolio Information - Important

March 4th was the first day you could pay to take the AP Art Studio 2-D test.  The test is $89.00 this year.  You can pay the fee for the test with Ms. Beers the bookkeeper.  If you are in need of a fee waiver for the test you need to chat with Ms. Emery.  They can reduce the cost of the test to $25.00.  This is need based. 

When you signed up for AP 2-D you agreed to take the test as part of the class.  SO you need to get down to Ms. Beers and take care of things!  Pronto.  The last day to pay without a penalty is March 15th. 

For this weeks blog update I would like you to do the following.....Answer the following questions on your own personal blog.  These are the questions you will be asked when you complete and send in your portfolio and they are assessed.  So think about how you are going to answer them. 

What is the central idea of your concentration?


How does the work in your concentration demonstrate the exploration of your idea? You may refer to specific images as examples. When referencing specific images, please indicate the image numbers.

Since we don't have image numbers simply reference the image by name or description so we know which one you are talking about. 

That's it!

OCAC Reception and Following Directions

The Oregon College of Art and Craft High School show opening is on the first Thursday of March.  That's March 7th, from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm.  They will be handing out $600.00 in cold hard cash for Best of Show, 1st - 3rd place and 4 honorable mentions. 

If your in the show you should be there, if you aren't you should come and support your classmates.  We don't have games or play off's but we have art shows.  It's the same thing in my eyes.  You get all dressed up in your Pacer gear to support the basketball team, how about the Pacer artists?

The OCAC show will be up until March 28th.

Here's the direction part.  Please update your personal blog.  I would like you to reflect on where you are with your concentration.  How you are feeling as it pertains to your concentration....stuck, successful, worried.  Post one picture of a work in process or a finished piece.  Maybe post a picture of the one you like the least and ask for feedback.  Please remind us what your concentration is.  I'm looking for at least two to three long, thoughtful, paragraphs and a picture or two. 

After you have updated your blog, comment on at least two other peoples blogs (that are updated.) And then send me an email mcbrides@loswego.k12.or.us with the names of the two people you commented on.

That's it!  See you all soon.
Ms. McB

Winding down

I spent some time this weekend at the coast looking ahead. Relaxing and looking ahead. It's amazing how fast this year has gone.  We have lots of exciting things ahead. The first is the critique this Thursday.  As always I'm looking forward to seeing what you have been up to.

What do you do to relax?

Scholastic Ceremony

This Wednesday, February 20th,  is the Scholastic Art Awards Ceremony.  Rehearsal starts at 4:30 pm and the show will begin at 6:30 pm.  I'm excited to see you all up on stage is your super cute artsy clothes!  Whatever that means.  It's going to be a wonderful night to celebrate you and your artistic accomplishments.

February 28th is our next critique.  Two pieces. We are on the final count down.

It's been awhile

So, it's been awhile since I last posted on the blog.  I have noticed that not many of you are missing this wonderful opportunity to touch base and see what's up. I will not hold it against you.  If you don't make a comment this week, that's okay.  We need to get back in the saddle again soon.  It really helps me to know that we have a sure fired way of communicating with each other.  There are very important things that we need to go over....

For example....

Please don't forget to bring in your art work for the Oregon College of Art and Craft High School show.  Arthur DeBow the curator of the gallery will be at LHS on Tuesday at 11:00 am to see the work live!  Don't miss out, it's free, it's easy and it would be silly for you not to participate.  Besides, there's money involved.  Yes, money.  They give out a 1st - 4th place and a few honorable mentions, with cash attached.  CASH.

The opening reception for the George Fox University High School Art Northwest show is......

February 14, 2013  (Thursday)

Opening Reception 5:00-7:00 p.m.

I'm not sure who thought having a reception on Valentines Day was a good idea.  The reception is at GFU.  They usually let us know if one of the people involved received on of the awards. Yes, more cash!  $250.00 for first place and so on.

The Portland Metro Scholastic Art Awards ceremony is on February 20th.  If you received an individual Gold Key or a Gold, Silver or Honorable Mention portfolio you should be at the ceremony.  If you have not received your two tickets in the mail let me know.  You do not need a ticket, you will get a name badge when you arrive at the rehearsal which is at 4:30 pm.  The tickets are for your family and friends. The ceremony starts at 6:30 pm. I'm excited to see you on stage and be honored for all your hard work this year!

You have a critique at the end of this month.  Two new works.  At this point you should really be pushing yourselves.  Trying something new, taking risks.  Challenge yourself!

Scholastic Scholastic Scholastic

This is it.  The final days before the Scholastic deadline.  On Monday, ALL Seniors need to have 8 pieces DONE for their art portfolio.  You will need to photograph the work and upload it to the Scholastic site.  www.artandwriting.org

Please bring all FEES and FORMS signed and ready to be turned in on Monday.  Individual artwork is $5.00 per and portfolios are $20.00.  Please make checks out to Lakeridge High School.

Work that is entered into your portfolio can also be entered in individually.  The numbers are down this year so your odds are better.  There are LOTS of scholarships available at the state level, cash prizes for category winners and more at the National level.

Don't miss out on these awesome opportunities because your "too busy" right now.  We are all busy, really busy. Make it a priority.  This is an AP class, treat it like one.

Juniors, each of you need to have AT LEAST two pieces entered as well.  If you do not please get that done.

See you all on Monday, it's going to be a big week.  We hear from George Fox High School Art Northwest show and all the judging will happen for Scholastic.  Keep your fingers crossed!  Go Pacers.