Shiny Moments - Art Shoes

Hello again... busy week here with children hopping off to camp, garden tending time and some days to kick back and enjoy the beach with family. Feels good to me and I can say my garden is a wee bit happier too! Today after the camp excursion, I had some painting time in the studio too. So nice. Will share later this week when they are done.

Besides being a full time artist for the past 20 years, I have been teaching art for the past 15 years in my own little school - first called Academy Artworks and for the past four years, artstream. I really love teaching art. On my own turf. In addition to this I have been fortunate enough to work with children and adults in artist in residence positions in many area private and public schools, libraries and community organizations. It has been very rewarding and I really enjoy seeing some of the children (and a few adults!) grow up and go to art school too! I have been Art Director for two major projects both at the Community Campus in Portsmouth and in Rochester at the Public Library. The links show a little bit about each process. What am I leading up to? I have decided to add a feature here at the blog, which shares methods and ideas which I have used over the past years to instruct both children and adults in fine art.
One Shiny Moment a week and they will be archived in my Books, Art and Images storehouse area. For now. Some are my own concoctions, others are modified from a variety of inspirations. I will do my best to remember who inspired what and share that too!
So we will start off with something simple. Something which you can do with your family, by yourself or a group. Hey, here is our new mahogany steps to our soon to be patio which dear Adam finished yesterday. No beer on the back steps has been sweeter. Thanks Adam!

Art Shoes
Get some old shoes. One will do. Clean them off properly and relace them (when finished painting) with flashy ribbons or cords, glitter trim or seam binding.
Whatever floats your boat and inspires your shoe!
Pull out some acrylic paint and small brushes. Redo masterpieces, get bold and create a wild graphic design, use your imagination and follow the shoes inherent pattern and style to create something new and yours alone. Let your inner child painter flow.
When the shoe is dry, coat it with a gloss acrylic medium to keep those colors bright.
Fill it with dirt and plant an annual, a small ivy or posie of your liking. The one I am showing here is four years old and stays in the garden all summer long.
It has housed impatients, marigolds and cockscomb... I have had over 200 students make these shoes *and boots!* and they are all different. This art project was inspired by a woman at a craft fair in Northern NH who planted flowers in discarded boots and shoes.
I hope you will enjoy trying this little Shiny Moment.
The word for the evening is ... Margarita ... as in one great cocktail.