Blog Posts

Year of the Pig

2/5/2019

Alivia K.

2019 is the Year of the Pig. In traditional Chinese culture, a pig represents luck, overall good fortune, wealth, honesty, and general prosperity. The pig is a lucky symbol in other cultures as well.

marzipan pig

Pig decorations and illustrations on "good luck" and "best wishes" cards are common in Germany. Candy pigs made of marzipan are handed out as gifts for the New Year. They are called called Glücksschwein, which translates as "lucky pig."

The pig is also a symbol of wealth, and the piggy bank is a worldwide tradition that has been around for many centuries! The first known piggy banks (terracotta banks in the shape of a pig, with a slot in the top for depositing coins) were made in Java as far back as the 14th century.

To celebrate The Year of the Pig, young students at Blue Church Art painted these cute piggy banks:

Paige B.

click on any image to enlarge it

Harry K.

Lindsey G.

Alaine K.

Audrey H.

Brady C.

Sadie L.

Avery E.

Emilia W.

Rylan M.

Brady M.

Hayes C.

Davis C.

Kyla L.

Katie D.

Alicia H.

Grant H.

Lucia D.

Nina D.

Older students drew pigs for the Chinese New Year, too:

Riley B.

Corinne H.

Gianna S.

A flying pig!

Laney L.

Dragons are a symbol of China's culture, and they are believed to bring good luck to people. Here are lucky dragons drawn in colored pencil by some of the K-grade 3 students:

Gia R.

Jamie K.

Kiki C.

Graham S.

Soveida M.

Gabrielle M.

Ava R.

Ryan S.

Anna G.

Allie R.

Addison B.

Kayla B.

Isabella K.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

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Inuit Igloos

1/31/2019

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1865 engraving of inuit igloo community

Inuit people live in the far northern areas of Alaska, Canada, Siberia, and Greenland. Non-Inuit people sometimes refer to Inuit as Eskimos, but Inuit is what they prefer to be called. Because traditional home building materials such as wood and mud were not easy to come by in the tundra areas where they lived, in the past traditional Inuit summer homes were made of animal skins stretched over whale bones or driftwood. In winter they built igloos from blocks of hard packed snow. (the Inuit word igloo means home). Today Inuit people live in regular homes, but they still build igloos for winter hunting trips. Students at Blue Church Art built their own community of igloos, backlit by the northern lights. Instead of snow blocks, they used crayons, markers and watercolor!

click on any image to enlarge it

Ava R.

Gabrielle M.

Graham S.

Naomi H.

Josie C.

Baron L.

Evan J.

Kaley H.

Kyla L.

Katie D.

Abigail R.

William Z.

Kayla C.

Kayla B.

Hayes C.

Paige B.

Brady M.

Rylan M.

Anna G.

Gia R.

Alexa D.

Elsie F.

Arabelle K.

Emilia W.

Addison B.

Lucia D.

Grant H.

Alicia H.

Allie R.

Jamie K.

Some of the Blue Church Art Inuit added tints
of red, blue, purple, and pink to their igloos:

Cadance P.

Ryan S.

Kiki C.

Davis C.

Nina D.

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Beauteous Birds

11/19/2018

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Let's start off with an all-American "beauteous" bird...the turkey!
Students in the preK/Kindergarten class created these beauties:

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Lindsey G.

Alaine K.

Brady C.

Harrison K.

Grade 4- 12 students drew and painted a variety of exotic birds:

Kacey P.

Emma W.

Vanessa T.

Madison C.

Lauren K.

Julia B.

Ava M.

Grace Y.

Jenna W.

Leah H.

Jill M.

Ashlee K.

Ethan S.

Toby N.

Jessica H.

Travis G.

Kinley K.

Reese K.

William N.

Ella M.

Sophia D.

Gianna S.

...last but not least, Morgan's exquisite parrot:

Morgan D.

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Indian Corn

10/20/2018

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Corn originated in the Americas. It’s a domesticated plant that has been used by humans for over 10,000 years! Christopher Columbus brought some to Europe in the 1400s. Since then corn has made its way all around the globe. Indian corn, whose kernels come in a range of colors including yellow, red, white, blue, brown, and shades of purple, is one of the oldest varieties of corn.

This is one of the three types of corn that Native Americans introduced to the colonists- thus its name: Indian corn. Each kernel has a hard outer layer, so it is said to be hard as flint. For this reason indian corn is also called "flint corn." Indian corn is used as a fall decoration, but it can also be eaten by livestock and humans. It’s used to make dishes like polenta and hominy. And as you can see in this post, it can also be used as an inspiration to create beautiful artworks!

Reuben painted his indian corn using gouache, a type of opaque watercolor

click on any image to enlarge it

Madison C.

Ava M.

Reuben S.

Diane P.

Travis G.

Ella M.

These indian corn portraits were made by grade 4-6 students:

Vivian S.

Gianna S.

Alivia K.

Blaise C.

Ava K.

Riley B.

Sophia K.

Vanessa T.

Maeve G.

Laney L.

Emma W.

Corinne H.

Indian corn, painted in watercolor, from the younger students:

Brady M.

Rylan M.

Davis C.

Hayes C.

Izzy E.

Paige B.

Kyla L.

Grant H.

Alicia H.

Emilia W.

Ava R.

Ryan S.

Allie R.

Graham S.

Gabrielle M.

Jenna S.

Addison B.

Soveida M.

Kiki C.

Anshul M.

Jamie K.

Izzy K.-V.

These 2nd and 3rd graders drew indian corn with colored pencils:

Josie C.

Naomi H.

Timothy S.

Matthew S.

Evan J.

Holden C.

Anthony B.

Patrick B.

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Sunflowers and Poppies

9/23/2018

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Prek/K sunflowers

Sunflowers and poppies are blooming in the Blue Church Art classroom this month! Students in grades K-3 created these colorful poppy fields:

Timothy S.

Naomi H.

Anthony A.

Patrick B.

click on any image to enlarge it

Holden C.

Josie C.

Evan J.

Matthew S.

Hayes C.

Davis C.

Brady M.

Rylan M.

Grant H.

Kyla L.

Alicia H.

Emilia W.

These poppies in a golden field were painted by a 6th grader:

Ava R.

Older students drew beautiful sunflowers:

Emma W.

Ashlee K.

Rissa S.

A wonderful sunflower created by a 12th grade student:

Morgan D.

...more beautiful poppies and sunflowers from the adult class:

Patricia S.

Linda H.

Tondy H.

Jessica S.

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Colorful Collages

4/27/2018

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April was "collage month" at Blue Church Art. Students had fun piecing together colorful paper shapes to create their masterpieces. Birds, flowers, and fruit were popular subjects.

Ashlee K.

One student created a zebra with his collage, and another made a beautiful red cow!

Ashlee created a citrus fruit collage with colorful patterned origami paper

click on any image to enlarge it

William N.

Kaitlyn S.

A sweet little cat collage:

Vanessa T.

Lots of beautiful birds....

Patricia S.

Kinley K.

Reese K.

Ethan S.

Rene M.

Madeline H.

A stack of cute little ones...

Kacey P.

...and a partridge in a pear tree!

Ava R.

Here's a very handsome collaged rooster:

Ava L.

Fabulous collaged fish:

Lauren S.

Jenna W.

Luke F.

And an iridescent jellyfish!

Julia B.

Two students, inspired by the animated film UP,
created these great collages:

Kaitlyn S.

Leah H.

Another student was inspired by a Dutch girl on a Delft tile!

Madison W.

Colorful pears, one with a french flair:

Erin C.

Emma W.

Kaitlyn S.

A slice of patterned citrus fruit:

Sophia D.

Collaged flowers...

Lauren S.

Kaitlyn S.

Natalie F.

...and collage butterflies:

Hope B.

Jessica H.

The students in the Wednesday grade 2-3 class made these delightful parrot collages:

Elena J.

Evan J.

Holden C.

Blaise C.

Ava K.

Riley B.

Jamie K.

Sophia K.

Jack C.

Laney L.

Here's another pair of colorful birds:

Ella M.

Gianna S.

And a colorful forest of collaged trees...

Hadley G.

A very lively Tree of Life:

Corinne H.

Here are some delicious cupcake collages:

Lynn S.

Madison C.

Some of the younger students created ladybug collages:

Hayes C.

Davis C.

Arabelle K.

Emilia W.

Katie D.

Alicia H.

Captain Underpants appeared in Noah's collage!

Grant H.

Noah S.

Students in the Thursday evening K-3 class made these beautiful sunset collages, where sheep wander under the sun's last rays.

Anshul M.

Graham S.

Anthony A.

Patrick B.

Gabrielle M.

Ava R.

Allie R.

Soveida M.

Isabel K.

Kiki C.

Last but not least...a regal peacock collage!

Jessica S.

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March Snow People!

3/30/2018

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March was a wild wintry month here in southeast Pennsylvania. We endured four nor’easters this month! Lucky for us, the most recent one arrived after the Blue Church Art Annual Student Show, which was on March 18th. That Sunday was a beautiful, mild sunny day. Over 300 people came to marvel at the 800+ beautiful artworks on display.

On the Wednesday after the show Mother Nature dumped 14” of snow in Coopersburg. It was a beautiful storm, transforming the Blue Church neighborhood into a winter wonderland. Shoveling out was a chore. My daughter and I took a break from shoveling and made a little March snowman, decorated with a bit of shamrock garland that I had used to decorate my car’s rearview mirror for St. Patrick’s Day.

Erin M.

Orianna G.

After one of the earlier March nor’easters some of the students at Blue Church Art created delightful snow people paintings…with a St. Patrick’s Day theme. Their cheery snowmen (and snow-women) are surrounded by shamrocks and snowflakes- and some have pots o’ gold and little hats that they’d snatched from leprechauns!

Patrick B.

Addison R.

Anshul M.

Soveida M.

Graham S.

Ava R.

Colin V.

Gabrielle M.

Amelia R.

Grant H.

Brady M.

Rylan M.

Alicia H.

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Leprechaun Art

3/17/2018

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It's St. Patrick's Day! This past week the younger students at Blue Church Art drew whitewashed leprechaun cottages, surrounded by rainbows and pots o' gold.

click on any image to enlarge it

Emilia W.

Katie D.

Arabelle K.

Alicia H.

Erin M.

Davis C.

Hayes C.

Rylan M.

Addison R.

Happy leprechauns are sliding on rainbows in these masterpieces:

Grant H.

Kaley H.

Kiki C.

Evan J.

Ava R.

Riley B.

One rich leprechaun keeps his gold coins on the roof, and another has a pot o' gold with coins piled almost as high as the rainbow!

Amelia R.

Brady M.

Here's a little fellow who likes to toss his coins in the air for fun:

Sophia K.

This funny leprechaun keeps his pot o' gold on his roof, along with a box of Lucky Charms cereal (he likes to count his coins while he's having breakfast):

Anshul M.

Vivian LOVES cats. Her leprechaun IS a cat, with a rainbow tail:)

Vivian S.

Some of these leprechauns have dog houses...

Orianna G.

Soveida M.

Graham S.

Colin V.

...and some have interesting architectural features, such as TALL chimneys, and shamrock-shaped windows. One lucky leprechaun has gold coins pressed into the white stucco on his tiny house:

Patrick B.

Gabrielle M.

Laney L.

Ava K.

Shamrock-shaped clouds float above these cozy cottages:

Holden C.

Elena J.

But life isn't always easy, living under the rainbow.
Leprechauns have to beware of humans who want to steal their gold. This unfortunate little guy is being robbed of his pot o' gold by a giant wearing Nike sneakers!

Blaise C.

Leprechauns like to draw and paint, too! The leprechauns at Blue Church Art exhibited artwork at the Annual Student Show that was held on St. Patrick's Day weekend.

Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit!
That's Gaelic for
Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!

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Tooth Fairy

2/19/2018

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Sophia K.

Laney L.

Losing a baby tooth might be a scary event for a child, but thanks to the Tooth Fairy, it's also something to look forward to! In exchange for a tooth left under the child's pillow at night, the generous Tooth Fairy leaves a gift of money and (according to some of my students) other gifts may appear, too. When I proposed drawing the Tooth Fairy to my younger students, there was an enthusiastic response. They had fun depicting the tooth fairy in their drawings. Everyone loves the Tooth Fairy.

click on any image to enlarge it

Holden C.

Arabelle K.

Where did this beloved sprite come from? I searched the internet and found a Brief History of the Tooth Fairy on 123dentist.com:

The Tooth Fairy as we know it is a relatively recent creation. Like other myths, it evolved over time. There are traditions, legends and myths dating back millennia with regards to losing your baby teeth.

Addison R.

Riley B.

Early norse and European traditions suggest that when a child lost a baby tooth, it was buried to spare the child from hardships in the next life. A tradition of the "tand-fe" or "tooth fee" originated in Europe for a child’s first tooth, and Vikings used children’s teeth and other items from their children to bring them good luck in battle.

Emilia W.

Katie D.

Hayes C.

Davis C.

Blaise C.

Brady M.

What does the Tooth Fairy look like? No one really knows, because everyone in the house is fast asleep when she visits.

Patrick B.

Rylan M.

Orianna G.

Ava R.

Gabrielle M.

Elena J.

Graham S.

Alicia H.

Grant H.

Ava K.

Colin V.

Erin M.

Kaley H.

Vivian S.

Maybe the Tooth Fairy looks like a cat!

Sometimes the Tooth Fairy finds bunk beds in the bedroom, and she has to guess which pillow she'll find the tooth under.

Amelia R.

Soveida M.

Or maybe the Tooth Fairy gets a big surprise and finds a FISH in the bed!

Evan J.

Collecting all those baby teeth can be tricky work,
but the Tooth Fairy always gets the job done:)

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Llama Love

2/14/2018

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Llamas are members of the camelid (camel) family. We think of llamas as originally being from South America, but their camelid ancestors first appeared on the Central Plains of North America about 40 million years ago! The camelids migrated to South America about 3 million years ago. For centuries these sturdy, intelligent creatures have been used by native people there to transport goods over the rough terrain of the Andes mountains.

Blue Church Art students imagined their llamas delivering Valentine gifts (with llama love:) to some special people.

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