Teaching Drawing - In the Snow

It is hard to teach a drawing class this winter. The bad weather just keeps coming! I think in January I had one complete class!

The standing policy of the Renaissance Art Gallery is that when Cabel County school are close due to bad weather, there are no classes at the gallery. Usually that means the road are bad, and because I draw students from around the Tri-state area, it simply is not safe enough.

This past January, schools have been closed a lot! Some of my students have only been to 4 days of classes since the year began! This also effect the ability of my adult students, some of whom are grandmas, and have to babysit if school is called off.

It has been very frustrating for both me and my students. They have projects they want to get on with.

Last week school was called off not because of snow, but of extreme cold. I needed to be in the gallery anyway to help prepare for a lobby show of gallery work in the Renaissance Center. We did a pre-show walk through for the opening of the play, "12 Angry Men" being given the first two weekends in February. So I let my students decide for themselves if they wanted to come in.

The Lobby show turned out rather well, and we are all geared up for the year.

Well this week, we were able to have classes. But it rained, snowed and the temperatures were all over the place! Those that made it in did enjoy themselves and really felt it was worth the trip!

February should be a better month, but none of us are counting on it. Last two months we have worked a lot in colored pencil and with the color wheel. In the coming months we will revert to working with graphite. In all its forms! And experimenting with different surface and treatments.

Back to basics!