My amazing daughter wanted to spend a special day with me for Father's Day, starting with treating me to lunch for the first time. We went for fish & chips at The Old Orchard pub in Pointe-Claire village. She proposed we walk around the area, as it's on the waterfront and has some nice places … Continue reading Ephemeral Rock Art – On Lake St-Louis
Butterfly Garden – Adapting as we go
Butterfly Garden - Adapting as we go. The seeds were planted a couple of weeks ago and a little growth has sprouted. Granted I'm impatient, but I think some stuff just won't grow, so I'm adapting as I go. Little flowers have been sprouting up all over my property, so I'm transplanting them as gently … Continue reading Butterfly Garden – Adapting as we go
Abstract Flower Bouquet – a spontaneous Mother’s Day Gift for Grade One students
I had just inherited my grade one class from their much loved teacher who was retiring a mere few days before Mother's Day. She was winding things down and didn't plan anything for Mother's Day. No problem, I'm an art teacher after all! I had already given the idea of doing Matisse style cut-out still … Continue reading Abstract Flower Bouquet – a spontaneous Mother’s Day Gift for Grade One students
Butterfly Garden – Making a bed for the flowers
Sticking to my usual goal of recycling as much material as possible, I raked the whole area as flat as possible and used the trunks and branches of the cut-down cedars to make my flower box. I called-out for indigenous seeds (on Facebook) and bought others online. I decided to cover the ground with nutrient … Continue reading Butterfly Garden – Making a bed for the flowers
Butterfly Garden – Re-arranging the land
II had several odd cedar trees around my property that I wanted to use and tons of rocks uncovered by the plumbers' digging, so I decided to use these to cover a few eyesores next to my house: the air-conditioning unit; a compost bin / leaf dump; and some storage items for the winter garden. … Continue reading Butterfly Garden – Re-arranging the land
Butterfly Garden – Transforming damage done by plumbers into something beautiful
In November 2020, I had to make an emergency call to the plumbers to solve a drain back-up issue in my basement. They used their camera and discovered that the old cedar hedge on the side of my house had finally grown roots deep and strong. They broke the sewer pipe taking our waste water … Continue reading Butterfly Garden – Transforming damage done by plumbers into something beautiful
A Visual Reflection on: “The Hayloft” by Rosa Brett – The Autobiography Of A Painting
There is far less information written about Rosa Brett than other members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. According to Nunn (1984, 633), it was the intention of the artist to be an outsider of this group. Starting with the use of the masculine pseudonym, Rosarius, to her aversion of socializing with the other members who sought … Continue reading A Visual Reflection on: “The Hayloft” by Rosa Brett – The Autobiography Of A Painting
Self-Portrait Project Seven – Diving Deep Inside
At this point in the explorations, I was feeling a little overwhelmed at how many more I wanted to do. I should say, I let myself get away from the moment of making and lost track of the blank canvas in front of me. I decided to look away from my selfies and look deep … Continue reading Self-Portrait Project Seven – Diving Deep Inside
Why a Certification as a Home Educator?
Part of how I've been describing myself as a teacher is being an educator with a teaching philosophy based on STEM / STEAM curricula, Universal Design for Learning, Emergent Curricula, and Maker-oriented education systems. If I had to say what theories/methods I use the most, I would be taking about aspects of Reggio-Emilia, Montessori, Waldorf, … Continue reading Why a Certification as a Home Educator?
The New Renaissance Mindset 