Teaching notes, Wornick Jewish Day School, Young Audiences

Grueling day teaching art at the Wornick Jewish Day school in Foster City; several of the kinderkids lost their pinch pots (they were all jumbled together in the kiln—not my doing, I didn’t load the kiln) & far too many of our cool butterflies blew up. Talk about the butterfly effect! We glazed 'em anyway. And then we glued them back together. The 1st graders made amazing wet pastel landscapes. Our schoolwide art show and Open House is coming up, so the madness is on. It is hard teaching ceramics as an artist in residence, I have to lug everything to each classroom. Backbreaking work. It’s hard enough with all the art supplies needed to teach two-dimensional art. But I’ve got it down to a science. Art a la cart catering. I’ve also taught silk painting at the school as well. And that too is a real production. Massive amounts of prep for both silk painting and clay. And to make things worse, the classes are only 45 minutes long with not transition time between classes. And I’m not paid anywhere near enough for the work that I do, with all the prep through Young Audiences. They’re charging the school nearly double what I get. At least it’s three sessions. Small miracles. And the commute to Foster City is challenging. I have to get up super early in order to get there on time. Otherwise I won’t up dealing with to traffic jams. But I do love crossing the San Mateo Bridge, the utter beauty of the bay, the salt flats, and the patterns of migrating birds.

• Teaching notes YANC

Teaching notes, Prepping for a silk painting workshop, SSF, YANC

I’m prepping my art supplies and packing up the car (it took me three days to prep my all my supplies—it’s like setting up an encampment or a catering event. Art a la cart. Luckily I’ve had lots of practice setting up and catering events.) to teach a silk painting workshop in South San Francisco, and right now I am missing my old truck to stow all my gear —especially the painting frames—my gear barely fits into my newish Honda Civic (but it gets such great mileage!) We will make class murals on silk, working in teams. Culminating event is fun but tiring.

Teaching notes, Wornick Jewish Day School, YANC

4/22: It's off to a new school in Foster City: K &1, Day One. In the kindergarten class, we will make clay pots & in the first grade classes we will paint landscapes for Earth Day! How will I manage to teach all that in 45-minute classes? What were they (Young Audiences) thinking? Scheduling like that with no transition time either. Not to mention the massive amounts of prep with the clay class. Breathe. Inspire. Breathe together, a conspiracy of art. It'll all work out. The drive over the San Mateo was breathtaking. Earth Day.

4/22-23: Packing up the car for a silk painting workshops in South San Francisco, I miss the old truck to stow all my gear —especially the stretcherbar frames—it all barely fits into the newish red Honda Civic (but it gets great mileage!)