It has been another wonderful year at Cottage Lane and as I pack up my belongings this week I am reflecting on all the wonderful art experiences we shared. This year we used tools of the
artists
to bring some structure to this otherwise open-ended subject known as the arts.
We looked at the most basic tools, like pencil and paper and learned about the
history and manufacture of materials. This is a good way to look at any object!
Ask yourself, “How was it created (scissors and pencils and paper) or discovered
(in the case of charcoal and pigments for paint)?” Every object tells a story if
we just ask the right questions. 
We also studied some very important artists along the way like Leonardo DaVinci, who lived in the Renaissance, but who still makes headlines today when long lost sketchbook pages sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction. Incidentally, he was practicing multiple intelligences long before that became a catch-phrase for educators. We looked at the Cave Painters, who we don’t know by name, but who show us that the desire and the ability to create is a human instinct and
that lack of materials is no barrier for creation! We looked at Georgia
O’Keefe’s long life and beautiful paintings and contrasted her very deliberate
style with Jackson Pollock’s more random paint flinging and Andy Warhol’s use of
repetition and appropriation of everyday objects. They are just three examples
of great imaginations at work, showing us that everyone has a unique take on the
world and a unique way of expressing it. Art can be a lot of work, but it’s fun
to find your own way. 
years so special.