Of Peacocks and Kingfishers-Peek-a-Boo Project

Many years ago I spent a summer in India, I wrote about it in the blog post: So Far From Home . I have always had a fascination for peacock feathers, using them for years to decorate my home. Their colors are iridescent and mysterious. Being born in 1963, I found it an odd connection that India declared the peacock  their national bird the very same year.

My time in India was challenging for me as, it was the first time traveling to a third-world country. I have never been so far from home. I spent some time in Goa, in a gated resort there. It was during monsoon season and I had a room to myself and from my window I could see some of the kingfishers  that lived there. The Common Kingfisher plumage is bright blue and orange, and glistened in the hot Indian summer sunshine. 

These birds are the inspiration for this artwork.

Supplies: GSLC_Reliquary-Tower Top, Magazine Pictures, Blue Paint and Stencil Butter, Grey Texture Paint, Titan Buff Paint, Paintbrush, Copper and Gold Paint, UHU GlueStick, Glossy Accents, WeldBond, Deco Art One Step Crackle,  

1. Gather Supplies.
   
2. Trace and Cut Out Magazine Picture to Glue to Back Potion of GSLC-Reliquary-Tower Top.
   
3. Use a Paintbrush and Blue Paint and Stencil Butter, Grey Texture Paint, and Titan Buff Paint to paint the Top Portion of the GSLC-Reliquary-Tower Top.
   

   
   

   
4. Paint Edges of Back Portion of GSLC-Reliquary-Tower Top.
   
5. Use a UHU GlueStick to Glue Cut Out Portion of GSLC-Reliquary-Tower Top.
   
6. Find Stickers you Desire from Antiquarian Sticker Book.
   
7. Glue into Desired Compositions.
   
8. Coat with Glossy Accents.
   
9. Use WeldBond to Attach Both Portions of GSLC-Reliquary-Tower Top.

   
10.  Use Clips to Hold Portions in Place.
    
11.  Once Fully Dry add Deco Art One Step Crackle to Inside Portion of GSLC-Reliquary-Tower Top.
    
    
    
12. Once Fully Dry Fill in Cracks with Apple Pie Spice.
13. Seal with Glossy Accents.

Final Thoughts

While in India I was fortunate enough to visit  Jaipur -The Pink City. The Inner Courtyard of City Palace has four small gates known as the Ridhi Sidhi Pol, which are elaborately decorated in brilliant colors. Lotus Gate– Beautified with lotus petals and stunning floral patterns representing summer season. Peacock Gate has carved peacocks surrounding a statue of God, and represent autumn. The Rose Gate represent winter, it is beautifully designed and painted with rose petals and surrounds statue of God and the sun. The final gate, named the  Lehariya  Gate, is vividly painted in shades of green and represent Spring.

Kingfisher

Your wings are made of precious stones, Your chest like fire-burning bright,

Flamboyant in your brightest tones.

Electrifying flash of light.

With Sharpened dagger on a perch,

Sit patiently, observe your prey,

Then with one fast, decisive lurch,

You dive across the waterway.

In one fell sweep, you snatch and steal.

The fish-their silver scales your prize, You swallow it then conceal

Yourself in watery disguise;

Your eye-a secret of your aim,

Most powerful your mighty wing;

No bird can beat you at your game,

The noble bird-You ARE the king!

~Renata Matejko

Worth Remembering-A Peek-a-Boo Project

 

As I get ready for my 36th year as an educator, I've been reflecting on some interesting things I found in my collection of vintage Jack and Jill magazines and children's activities from the 1950s. I stumbled upon a charming vintage graphic of 1950s children that got me thinking about how styles change but some things should always stay important.

 One article that really caught my eye was about school manners. It made me realize how much has changed over the years, with a shift towards a "win at all costs" mentality and a lack of focus on proper decorum. As I gear up to start the new school year on my 61st birthday and teach a group of 8th graders from a different generation, I can't help but feel that some things remain universally true. 

I've always believed that new students can feel lost and lonely, and it's important for me to share with my students that I'm introverted and thrive in quiet spaces. Additionally, I'm looking forward to reconnecting with some students I taught as 6th graders and embracing the opportunity for growth and change together. 

Another article, "Getting Along with Others in School," offered some insightful advice about the importance of treating everyone with respect, even when we may not see eye to eye. It's a wonderful reminder that striving for understanding and cooperation can truly benefit the entire class.

There was asong to sing on their way to school.Now on the bus there may be students with earbuds in but I doubt they are singing a song about school. Music csn have a calming effect on the classroom and I have played intrumental music to help some students focus.

Students were taught how to cook and make their own lunches. Now many students lunches are full of sugary snacks and junkfood.

There was a whole article about what schools were like in the Ancient Greece and Rome. Students of today think that when I talk like school was like in the 1960's and 1970's seem just as far fetched.

If you are not sure what to do with you summer students before they return to the classroom, you can alway plan a Play School Party. There is a saying that goes "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." I wish this were true. I am ready to teach but so few are ready to learn. I am hoping that teaching STEM will be more engaging for my 8th Graders and I can ignite a love of learning once again for our classroom.

Dated Publications-A Peek-a-Boo Project

 

I recently was gifted a box of Vintage Magazines-Jack and Jill and Children Activities from 1950’s. It is intersting to see how things have changed in 70 years and now seem outdated.

The covers are mostly in black and white not glossy shiny found on may magazines of today.

Titels that would be offensive now or at the very least not politicall correct.

    

    

There was a clear sepration of genders, this too would not be appropriate for the current understanding of gender identification.

        

     

Back at this time even children were encouraged to be productive and contribute to the household or at least have some sort of work ethic.

Some illustrations are definitely cringey.

Appliances and Technology Were Very Different.

Names  have changed.

Rules of the Road have seemed to change too. 

Notice the use of the word “gay” in the stanza above.

Goin Downy Oshun - A Peek-a-Boo Project

Many dream of a summer vacation at the beach, I am more of a mountain person myself. Growing up in Pennsylvania we never went on family vacations, but my da had a sister who lived in New Jersey, we’d go visit them sometimes. I don’t remember ever seeing the ocean until I was in college. Here in Maryland many enjoy “goin downy oshun” meaning going to Ocean City. These are the inspirations for this artwork.

Supplies:  Stencil Butter Ocean Blue, Turquoise, and Fuchsia, Neon Pink Acrylic Paint, Scissors,  Paintbrush, Magazine Pictures, Stickers,  WeldBond, Accent Glossy Accents, Mini Gems

1. Gather Supplies.
   
2. Trace Center Circle of onto Magazine Image of Your Choice.
   
3. Set Aside for Later
4. Paint Top Part with Neon Acrylic Paint and Fuchsia Stencil Butter.
   
5. Paint Bottom Part with  Ocean Blue and Turquoise Stencil Butter.
   
6. When Fully Dry, Glue Both Parts Together and Press Flat and Weighted Down.
   
7. Go Through Sticker Book and Choose Stickers of  Your Choice.
   
8. Layer and Glue Stickers to Prepared Circle. 
9. Glue Sticker Assemblage to Back of Frame.
   
10. Press and Weight Down Full Assemblage. 
11. Once Dry Add Glossy Accents to center of Frame.
    
12.  Use Tweezers to Add Mini Gems to Assemblage.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Final Thoughts

When we went visiting my Aunt Irene and Uncle Robert in New Jersey the bathroom we used in the basement had wallpaper with mermaids in bathtubs. They were risqué retro in design and something my tender boy’s eyes never could have imagined. Cousin Val had a Show and Tell Phono Viewer & Record Player that was magical to a country boy without a television. 

To many the beach is just the getaway they are looking for as summer slips away and the  return to the school year for students and teachers is on the horizon. 

When I went to the beach for the first time in college I did enjoy watching the waves, walking on the boardwalk, and saltwater taffy. I however hated the crowds, the heat burning off the hot sands.

The beaches I prefer are of the Pacific Northwest or those found in  Northern New England. They are less crowded, the water much cooler and covered in pebbles not sand.

A Favorite e.e. Cummings Poem

maggie and milly and molly and may 

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach(to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,and

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing 
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea.

Natalie set it to music,  maggie and milly and molly and may , on her Leave Your Sleep the double concept album is "a project about childhood" and is a collection of music adapted from 19th and 20th century British and American poetry about childhood.