TAEA Conference

I went to the TAEA (Texas Art Education Association) Conference this past weekend in Austin, TX. with several other art educators. It was an amazing conference with great workshops. I have posted two of the lessons in my other blog (the painted apple), I'd rather share a few more personal images here.

Aside from the great workshops the fact that I was in my element, surrounded by sooooo many other artists and educators made the trip so special. I roomed with three other friends in the hotel and we spent some evenings drawing in our sketchbooks and sharing lessons that we had learned at the workshops. It was a fun art packed weekend that will hopefully help push me through the rest of the year.

San Antonio

I took a two day trip to San Antonio to see my son perform in the Alamodome with his high school band. It was an amazing experience to see him perform, I had more than one tear in my eye.

The day before his performance we took a walk around the convention center and happened upon a performance honoring Dia de los Muertos. It was such a great performance with music, dancing and acting. I took a few pictures, but it was getting late and only a few turned out ok.

New Etsy Products

Finally, after having such a difficult summer and fall dealing with several surgeries in the family, with one more to go, I was finally able to post new pieces in my Etsy Shop. I am finally spending more time in my studio where I feel the most at home and in peace. My kids also made the comment that I must be feeling better now that I am back in my studio.

Well, I hope you like my new pieces.

Mannequin Heads

I was approached by a cancer foundation here in town about decorating mannequin heads for cancer patients that have lost their hair. My art club students are making this their community service project. I'm very excited about working on them and also on the impact the kids will be making in somebody's life.

The two mannequins I've posted are the ones I have painted, the mannequins the kids are painting will be posted in my teacher blog.

The red one features the Mexican game Loteria. I have a soft spot for Loteria because it is the game I played with my grandmother.

The other mannequin features a tree that represents rebirth. There are words written all around but are hard to see.

Hope you like them.

Frida on Mexican Currency

Have you seen this? A student of mine mentioned about a month ago that Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera were featured on the $500 pesos ($50) bill. I finally got my hands on one! I have to say that the Mexican Treasury Dept. did a good job in representing their images, although I wish that Frida's image was just as large as Diego's. The bill also features images of some of their best known pieces. I just might have to get my hands on a few more and keep them as keepsakes for my three kids. I'm not sure how long these will be in production so I better not wait too long.

New Blog for Art Teachers

I have started a new blog geared towards art educators. As an art teacher, I am always looking for new ideas and inspiration for myself and students. I also want to use my new blog as a way to keep a record of my lessons. I hope you will stop by and take a look at the painted apple.

This particular piece was created by my Art 2 student, John. It was the first assignment of the year. My students had to show foreground, background and lighting (shading) using a black pen for their medium. The pieces came out great but I especially like this one.

This was the procedure:

• Create a still life on their desk using 4-5 objects.


• The still life should show a foreground and background.


• Photograph the composition to be used only for placement reference but not to draw from.


• Review mark making techniques and shading techniques using a pen.


• Draw!

I had my UVAs (Union de Viejas Artistas) meeting last weekend. Our last swap was to create a portrait of one another. The results were amazing! I had tons of fun creating the portrait of my friend Lourdes and it was a wonderful treat to receive my portrait.

As for work, the school year has started out on a good note, we're already getting ready for competitions and art exhibits. I have a good group of talented students that are eager to create some great art pieces. I will post some of their work soon.

I'm still working on my family tree, I'm up to 800 family members. I've met new family members and have discovered some family information.. I am still working hard on writing my book.

Well, I hope all is well with you and yours, till next time.

It has been a while since I last dropped in, but for good reason. My daughter had her surgery a few weeks ago and everything went fine, thank God. She is still in recovery and needs the majority of my time. I trust in God that all will end well.

In the mean time, I have continued to work on my family tree and now have over 400 family members in my tree! I am also writing a book based on my family. It turns out that I have two cousins that have written books based on their families, from their particular family branches. Needless to say, I have not touched my jewelry in over a month! With the beginning of the school year, meeting new students and revamping my curriculum, I have not had much free time. I can't wait until my life gets back in order!

The pictures shown are those of my grandparent's house in Santa Barbara, Chih. MX. The house has been in my family for over 200 years. Unfortunately, no one lives in the town any more and the house is in disrepair. I don't know how much longer the house will last. I keep reminding myself that it is the people that once lived in the house that matter, not the house itself.

It has been a while since my last post, but by good reason. I had to under go surgery and I am just now recovering and getting back to feeling like myself. Just in time because now my daughter will be going through surgery in two weeks. I'm looking forward to the end of this month.

Aside from my surgery I have also been hard at work on my family tree. I created one on -line and my tree now has over 300 family members. I hope to add a few more.

The two drawings were created prior to my surgery and were created just for the fun of it. They are in the style of Picasso. I'm thinking of getting them framed and placed in my room. A little bit of humor is good now and then.

Well, off to get more rest, till next time.