TRICIA TOONE | artist & teacher

Raku Firing at Frenchtown School

John Fulwood of Kissimmee River Pottery came to Frenchtown School to raku fire the ceramic work of grades 5-8. Despite the rainy day, I have to admit I personally had fun spending the day outside huddled around the kiln with John, and his assistant Marion. John brought a canopy for the students to stand under, although most decided it was more important to get an up-close look at the action than to be comfy and dry.

For most of the students of Frenchtown School, this was their first experience with ceramics. From raw clay to the raku firing, it was fun to appreciate the wonder of the ceramic process with them. I hope to have John back again next year!

Thank you Frenchtown PTA and Board of Education for making it possible!

Skele Guitar Painting Complete

Skele guitar body is ready to go. I've worked on lightening it up overall and making the texture a bit more gritty...as a pirate guitar should be. Once fully dry and varnished, Rick will assemble the custom built neck, electronics, and decorative pieces.

The guitar will come complete with a removable rum flask that fits in the guitar body made by tinsmith Carl Giordano. I think "His Noodliness" would be delighted.

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original."

- Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson asks important questions about the purpose of education and the 

role of creativity. He describes how we may be educating children out of their creative 

capacities because we reinforce a fear of making mistakes.

New Group Portrait

I just finished this portrait of four sisters. This portrait was commissioned as a surprise gift from family members. So the it ended up being a tough one because it was done completely from photographs and I have never met the women being painted. I usually like to work at least in part from life. Photographs just don't do justice to real life. I know there are a lot of artists out there who comfortably work entirely from photographs and it's typical that they never meet their subjects. 

As I worked on this project, it almost seemed like I did know these girls. Perhaps staring at their images long enough, I constructed imaginary personalities in my mind. Either way, it was a fun painting to do. I think I'm going to miss them when they're gone.

Hunterdon Art Museum Young Artists Showcase

Frenchtown Elementary School participated in the Young Artists Showcase at Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, NJ. It was an excellent show and we will be sure to participate next year. Congratulations to the young artists from Frenchtown, Holland Township, and Delaware Township whose work was selected to be in the exhibit.

Hunterdon Art Museum is a great local resource for those who live in Hunterdon or surrounding counties. The museum also offers adult and child classes throughout the year. I'm excited to attend the Life Drawing Marathon on Saturday, March 24. 

Here's some photos from the Young Artists Showcase.

There was a good turnout, despite the snowstorm we had that day.

A visitor admires this Frenchtown student's spraypaint peice. The 7th grader had been researching this technique on his own and made many attempts after school and at home. His hard work has quite an impact.

Skele Guitar

I'm currently collaborating with my husband, Rick Toone, on his new "Skele" guitar design. He designs and builds original, custom instruments. This one is a very unusual adaptation of a Telecaster shape. Check out the details at RICK TOONE | LUTHIER: Interchangeable Guitar & Bass Bodies

I am painting the Jolly Roger inspired bones. Oil on shellacked wood.

First Grade Clay

In first grade, we were practicing pinching and pulling to make a form in clay. Eventually, I will introduce making a form by attaching clay pieces with scoring and slip. Although they are working with air dry clay now, I want them to develop good habits. 

Towards the end of the session, I handed out toothpicks and demonstrated how it could be used to make texture and carvings. At that point, the sculptures took a turn as students also found some interesting uses for this new tool. 

Here is a Triceratops made by pinching and pulling.  

This little wolf has so much character. He used the toothpicks to make fur texture. 

As soon as toothpicks were in sight, one boy was inspired to make this porcupine. 

A toothpick became a handle for this little bowl.

Halloween in 3rd Grade

Yes, it's a bit after Halloween. But as a huge horror movie fan, I think we can celebrate Halloween year round.

Lebanon Borough 3rd Graders worked with groups to create haunted scenes. They developed their plan in sketches after looking through all the possible materials they had to work with. (cardboard, tissue paper, paint, glue, tape, paper, tubes, clay, string... basically, anything we could find)

Here are the results labeled by group name. (Unfortunately, photographs don't capture the full experience.)

"The Spooktacular Group"

I love the barbed wire made from string, as well as the footprints left from the mini clay characters.

"Haunted Mysterious House"

This haunted building is being circled by a clay train. I believe a ghost is beginning to peak out of the chimney.

 

"The Haunted Sculpture Group"

This group had incredible attention to detail. Notice the toothpick fence they painted one by one.

"The Nameless Horror"

Interesting architecture in this one.