Let's Dance!

Today was dress rehearsal for Willow's dance school - tomorrow the big show goes on! Here's the jazz class doing a latin-inspired number to Hanna Montana's "Let's Dance!" Willow's teacher gave her an award for best hip action - cha cha cha!

Niece Mahina (the tall one!) doing a very jazzy tap number.

My lovely ballerina girl

Little things that mean so much

¡Gracias, niñas!

Create your own sunshine

I could grumble for days about this being the gloomiest June in the known history of the northern hemisphere - and I have. Not just cloudy and rainy, which is normal for Oregon, but COLD - the cold is what I can't take! Even I thought I was exaggerating when I said that I was sick of wearing my coat for 8 months out of the year, but it's turning out to be true!!! I've been so cold I feel like I'm still in hibernation mode. Yikes. So, looking over this past weekend's art projects in progress, I see that subconsciously I've been up to creating my own sunshine. That's a good thing.These are some wild and crazy jeans being painted onto another full body self-portrait for the Creating Our Voices class. I can't wait to get back to work on it when school's out for summer (two more days for the kids, three for me!) I'm incorporating some work by artists that serve as role models for me. Shown is a face by Maira Kalman (as well as a Little Linda in the pink flower above her).

And this is one of my Sunflowers in the Rough - a quilt in progress that I started in a class at A Common Thread. Fun class - good community!

And then there are my roses, sunburst yellow and firey fiesta tangerine are beginning to bloom, as if to say "Hang in there, Linda Loo! The sun WILL come!!!"

Ok, but hurry up already!

Los tejedores

Here are some of my weaving students - first and second graders. Aren't they cute!? And their project from the after school class. I was really so impressed at how well they did!

¡Míralas!

¡Muy bonita, Anita!

Boys can weave, too! (Pues, ¡claro que sí!)

Havana Nights

One more thing: I finished my apron for the Havana Nights apron swap sponsored by Amy at Tie One On. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It looks like something a spicy salsera might wear in the kitchen! What do you think?

Taking time to smell the roses

It's been a busy couple of weeks as the school year winds down, summer school planning gears up, and I escape from it all with arts, crafts, and flowers. When I got home on Thursday I was cheerfully greeted by our first rose in bloom. Isn't she lovely?After the rose these pretty things call to me. Clematis always reminds me of Grandma Marge, her love of gardening and linguistics. She always liked to teach me the proper pronunciation of this flower, with emphasis on the first syllable. Last weekend I had the pleasure of niece Summer and nephew Aaron's company. They had requested an art class for their birthdays, which I was only too happy to oblige. We had big fun with papier maché, but I'm not allowed to show the products yet, so as not to spoil the surprise for mom and dad! Hopefully next week we'll be able to add the finishing touches and then reveal the fabulous art they made.Summer school planning this week was full of inspiring ideas, not only for teaching, but also for my final project for the Crafting Our Voices class at The 100th Monkey Studios. Funny how that works out. Unfortunately, I have nothing to show for it yet because this has been such a busy week with evening meetings. More to come, but right now I must get back stitching up my 1st and 2nd graders wonderful weaving projects. They were an amazing group to work with - and since we were doing art it was my favorite after school class ever! Pics tomorrow!