inspiration | art on tuesdays

Earlier this year I began teaching at Box Hill Community Art Centre. I have been teaching an adult painting class as well a couple of youth art classes and I have met some gorgeous students so far.

bhcac is a just such a beautiful place to work, it is a purpose built arts centre surrounded by community gardens and when I arrive there I instantly feel inspired. I teach in some beautiful studios that are brightly lit by the high ceiling windows (wonderful for natural light) and my painting class last term had a couple of sessions outside using the gardens inspiration.

Gorgeous Ellen creating another masterpiece

Peter capturing the whole tree

There is also a central gallery that exhibits some of the artworks from City of Whitehorse’s impressive collection and at the moment has an exhibition of some of my students’ artworks. I worked with a group of young artists over two months, taking their ideas and creating artworks for exhibition.

This year is really marching along. I was quite determined to get this blog up and going at the end of last year and wrote a few posts in my diary when I had time but they never found their way to the computer…

about teaching I wrote one day when I was supervising a class at a secondary school. I work as a casual relief teacher (CRT) for an income and also to stay in touch with schools. I really loved my job teaching art in the classroom and found it incredibly rewarding. Especially when I had taught students in their younger years and they chose art electives and art VCE subjects as they moved up the school – continuity with students is the part I miss the most about ongoing teaching at a school. but! I never imagined CRT could be so fulfilling and I have had some spectacular times over the last year.

visiting art rooms is endlessly inspiring, so many wonderful art things going on and crazy creative art teachers working in schools across Melbourne. I am able to meet diverse groups of art students and often to return to teach them again and again. i love when the note says ‘so and so wasn’t expecting to be away so you can teach what you like’ !!! even though at times I have only had minutes to prepare this is the best opportunity to create a fun engaging art sessions. CRT has also given me lots of experience in primary art rooms, coming from a secondary teaching background, I have really relished my days at Primary Schools and even though I leave feeling absolutely exhausted (and definitely don’t have time to be writing blog notes when I’m at a PS) working with super inspiring little people is sensational.

all in all CRT has been very good to me. I couldn’t believe my luck last year when I arrived at a school and they asked if I could help out with their artist-in-residence program – I got to work with Grade 5s who were enthralled by Cameron Robbins’ approaches to drawings. He had also constructed one of his wind powered drawing machines on the oval…