Clifford's💩would destroy his community. Art by me. 9" x 12" acrylic on chipboard.

The sweeties at juvenile hall asked for a sunset project. Inspired by #BingWright, they learned about blending gradients and analogoous colors. First time with oil sticks too. Their joy at creating “real” sunsets was everything. Works shared with permission.

Are you pooping? (gross) Art by me. 12" x 12" acrylic on chipboard

I took two Tylenol PM and woke up on the spectrum. Art by me. Acrylic on foam core. 2025.

Starting Friday at juvenile hall with trauma-informed artmaking is THE BEST. Students learned about Yaritji Young, then drew lines for chaos and shapes for safety. 12x18 white paper, mixed media oil sticks. Done in 60 minutes. Works shared w/permission from artists.

One of my 8th grade art campers created this fantastic gouache painting. They found a gorgeous still life by Beverly Shipko and copied it. There is a lot of debate about art education and copying. BUT copying (with attribution and ethical usage) a painter’s work is a fantastic way to learn.

Does anyone else find it crazy that you can walk into a bookshop and be charged £9.99 for a paperback novel that took the author a year to complete, but £17.99 for a completely blank notebook?

We had the BEST week at Spark Art Camp. These are some of the most creative, curious, kind, and hilarious kids I’ve ever met. And don’t worry about my friend in the black hoodie. They were having fun, too. It’s just how some of us art kids be. 💗🎨🤓

Cops at my campus make $120K+ a year. More money in busting heads than teaching them.

One of the art campers has been working on this adorable gnome home all week. The camper is just 12 and I’m so impressed with not just their art, but also their creativity and grit. Lots of new techniques, skills, and problem-solving skills had to be learned to create this fantastic little piece.

13 year old camper. First attempt at realism. First time using / making egg tempera…And she creates this mini little beauty.

Super brilliant artist created this piece of poetry/collage at art camp today. It reads: “each day create another art work. imagine art was your family.”

This camper out here sharing all the dirty laundry: "The only art we even had last year was this teacher who came to our classroom on a cart. She'd just put on "Art Hub for Kids" and act like that was good enough. But, I mean, that's not actually us learning art."

The easiest way to calm down a group of precocious kids? Collage. These camp kids are zenned out and happily collaging their little hearts out. 💗

Day one of Art Camp. I tossed the kids right into the deep end with these skeletons. As you can see, they rose to the occasion. All made by rising 7th and 8th grade students. I usually write my own lessons, but this one, “Neon Skeletons” by The Cozy Art Teacher via TPT is absolutely stellar.

This store owner is playing 4D chess. A smoke shop across the street from the train tracks selling Poscas, Krinks, and other high-end graffiti materials. I had to check it out and, like, half the store is head shop and the other half is premium art supplies. Also 10/10 customer service.

Name badges for next week's art camp. MAKE ART make mistakes * make messes * make space * make time * make together * make friends * make more * make moves * make waves * make proud * make meaning * make change * make peace

Exactly 20 years ago I worked as an art director for a sleep away art camp. I had so much fun teaching campers in the “art barn” that I changed my career plans from art historian to art educator. Next week, I’m running my own grant-funded art camp. It’s a very full circle moment. 🎨🤓💗

Feeling like a champion because I just cut a 28 page grant application narrative down to the required 15 pages. Anyone else have a process like that? Write all the things. Delete nearly half of them later.

If I could teach you one thing about teaching art, it’s the power of saying yes. Student-driven work always beats the “perfect” art I try to steer. Today was full of YES. Hard for me, but the kids created these hilarious and amazing Chris Uphues inspired food face charms. Ages 9-12; summer camp.

I need Nathan Lane and somebody even gayer than Nathan Lane to stage an adaptation of this on broadway pls

Listen. If I wasn’t intended to order too much Indian food every time I get it, it wouldn’t all taste so good

Who got Swarovski minion figurine money?

This crown was in the dress-up bin in the classroom I was in today. When I tell you I have eleventy-five-hundred selfies of me in this thing on my phone. Each one cheesier than the last.

I LOVE when adults get so into the art education PD that their humor comes across. This tragic pizza had the whole workshop laughing.

At PD today, I invited teachers to try out a SEL project inspired by artist Chris Uphues. This teacher told me her cupcake’s pronouns are they/them, and then she used pink, blue, and white for the frosting. It made my heart so full to think of what this will mean to some of her students. 🏳️‍⚧️ ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤

Facilitating my second to last PD day of the year, AND I get to spend it with the best teachers. Such a great way to end the school-year. So, I brought them scratch-n-sniff stickers cause we’re all 80s babies. And adults need silly joy too.

Wore a hat today and I’m ready to make that my whole personality.

this is the Fyre Festival cheese sandwich of pride merch

If this whole education career doesn’t pan out, I could have a future in chalkboard drink signs.

I thought I had on a cute outfit, but I look like a medieval peasant (and not in a good way).

Made some stupid art for my stupid mental health.

Y'all. The rage I have for Google Meet. It NEVER works right and causes all sorts of problems every single time I use it. Can we all just agree to use Zoom?

Quick sketch for a colleague’s memory notebook (whose last day is today because she got an awesome promotion).

Schools really do hold on to everything. Out on a school campus that was built in the 90s. This 1970s crockpot was sitting on top of the fridge in the staff lounge. I wouldn’t even feel confident melting beeswax for art class in that asbestos/lead relic. But the aesthetics are great!

my melody vending machine 💫

Attended a college graduation today and when one name was called the person behind me yelled out, “Yeah! That’s my best friend! She’s so smart!” And you could see the graduate grin on the jumbotron. I thought it was the cutest thing.

One of the (many) things I like about my work is that no two days are the same. I started the day at juvenile hall facilitating trauma informed art. Next, I taught graffiti lettering at a school. Last, I visited the farm at a county jail to get a tour from a colleague (and pet the goats!).

I was a visiting artist at a high school today. Kid: “You look just like that lady from Harry Potter! The one who tells fortunes and stuff?” Me: “Professor Trelawney?” Kid: “YES! HER! Me: “…” Kid: “. . . But, like, in a GOOD way.” Totally called out.

Urge Congress to protect Head Start: nhsa.org/take-action or if you are a student or guardian who experiences Head Start and want Congress to know the value: go.nhsa.org/action

Less is More Chaos Dwarf

“[F]ighting back can feel impossible. But it can begin in very small ways. It can begin by taking the time to read another person’s words fully. It can begin by taking a moment to look at a painting on a wall.”

Thursday thoughts...Seems difficult for some people to grasp #craftivism #crossstitch

A truth I’ve resigned myself to is that there is a certain kind of man (often mediocre, always confident) who can ride bravado, credential-dangling, and a faint whiff of Ted Talk energy into a keynote. And we keep giving them platforms and microphones.

Statewide Arts Education meeting in Sacramento this morning. I always appreciate a good sticker.

I visit a juvenile hall facility a couple times a month to facilitate space for trauma-informed artmaking. For these students receiving compassion is often new and they don’t trust it. When they push back and “test” me? That’s not defiance. That's them asking, “Am I safe here? Am I safe with you?”

So my girlfriend is an amazing stop motion animator, and she recently did a medieval cat themed bumper for Adult Swim! Sharing it here because she only has Instagram and I think everyone needs to see her animations. She's so freaking talented, y'alls. PLEASE go follow her!

Excited about the PRISM (Providing Relevant, Inclusive Student Support that Matters for LGBTQ+ Students) training this morning hosted by the CA Department of Education and LA County Office of Education. So proud to be a Californian and to be a part of this. Also, the swag is pretty incredible!

Can't remember who said it, but using ChatGPT for your college essays is like using a forklift to move the weights around at the gym. It's the process that's important to your development, not the end product.