At Home with the Artist: A Fondant Experiment

I love watching cake and cookie decorating videos. I've never really tried any of the things I see, but I think they're mesmerizing to watch. Well my husband's birthday was the beginning of this month, so I decided to try out some fondant airplanes to go on top of a cake made to look like a sky. I think it turned out pretty great!

I started out with some white fondant, black good coloring and a brush and skewer as my tools.

I then did a little sketch of the different types of fondant pieces I would need to put together the planes.

Then I iced the cake with a blue cream cheese frosting. Actually we found later that the frosting didn't taste the same after the blue food coloring went in. Is that common? I thought food coloring was tasteless?

Then I constructed my planes, or should I say jets! I think they turned out awesome! Although they're a bit more purple than they are grey.

Lastly I added the planes and white icing for a plane-tastic cake! 

A Peak Inside my Portfolio: Landscape Painting

This summer I had a magical painting experience in Florence! It was an awesome time of growth as an artist and also an amazing adventure as a person! I loved every minute of it! When I came home I knew that landscape painting was something I really wanted to keep doing. So whenever I can, I've been travelling to different spots near my house to paint! Thank heavens it's been unseasonably warm, more days to paint! Here's what I've been up to:

This painting was from a site just down the road for our house!

Painting

Real Life

Painting

I'm not as big a fan of this one, it's a park near our house and I think it needs some more contrast.

Painting

This is at the Cranbrook House and Gardens. Beautiful area!

Painting

 This is my favorite one! It's of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club and I think it turned out really well!

Real Life

What's Going on in the Classroom: Beginning of the School Year

Before I say anything else, here's my shameless plug... check us out on Instagram for daily updates: gpsouthphoto

Well usually starting off the blog is easy in the beginning of the year and then as the school year progresses I struggle to maintain my regular posting. Well this year, I predict, will be the opposite! Since I had such a hard time getting going here at the beginning, I'll be posting once a day, at the end of the year! Right!? Haha... I'm sure not, but here goes anyway.
So we're nearing the end of the first month of school. Smack dab in the middle of the fourth week. This year I'm teaching all levels of photography! It's so nice to focus in on one subject area and really hone my teaching skills in that particular branch of the arts. Here's what we've been up to!

In Photo 1 we're having a grand 'ole time learning about our cameras and how they work. We've been really focusing on the Elements and Principles and aperture for this first quarter and the kids are loving it.

We went down to the pool deck for some serious practice and the students really got into getting the best shots.

And we always make time for a little silliness!

Photo 2 is starting the year right with some film review and advanced techniques! We're scratching and toning some prints. We are also working on litho and solarization. Hopefully we'll also be able to play around with pinhole cameras! And stay tuned for some amazing pics from AP Photo! Those kids are going to have killer portfolios!

At Home with the Artist: Art Teacher in Italy!

I know, I'm the worst at posting in the summer! However, this year I have a great excuse! After our Peru adventure, I spent two weeks in Italy learning landscape painting en plein air! It was amazing, and I learned so much. I ate amazing food, saw amazing sites and generally fell IN LOVE with Florence, Italy. Here's a taste of what I saw and my work while I was there.

On my way to my first day of my painting workshop. I was so nervous! Unfortunately, there are not many pictures with me in them because I made this trip on my own. And the ones with me are all selfies, of which I am not usually a fan. I apologize in advance :)

On the first day we learned a lot from demos from our instructor. We spent the first whole week in one location and there was a huge learning curve for me! But I learned so much and got much better

Here is my under painting for our first landscape. I gotta say, I was not impressed with myself at all! In fact I was feeling very down because I didn't seem to be getting it.

But as the week went one, I worked at it and really this first one came around. See how it was finished later in the post.

I saw so many amazing sites!

 The Duomo and Vecchio Tower

San Miniato al Monte and the view from Piazza Michelangelo

Another image of the Duomo, by far my favorite building.

I also loved the attached cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

You better believe I climbed up that dome!

Here's the door to my apartment for the weeks I was there!

I saw David's Michelangelo and visited Venice

Santa Croce basilica and Santa Maria Novella

Now back to the more important stuff! The painting! It was all about masses and value, and once I got that, it all kind of sunk in and the image came a lot easier.

Finished product!

The second location we painted at was on a side street and we only spent two days there so this one is a bit unfinished, but you can see where I was on the first day and where I got to on the second day.

Our last location was up at Piazza Michelangelo where we got to paint a view of the city! It was an amazing view and this is my favorite painting!

Finished product!

Overall, my Italy adventure was the trip of a life time and a dream come true! Painting in Italy! I would recommend several weeks in Florence for anyone who is an art lover!

At Home with the Artist: Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu!

My husband's dream has been to hike the Inca Trail in Peru, all the way up to Machu Picchu. So this summer, we made it happen! I've already been to Machu Picchu once but I did not hike there ( I took the lame-o train). And man, what a hike!! It was almost all up hill, lots of stairs, and high elevation. All combined to create lots of work, but it was beautiful and wonderful and a totally once in a life time experience! Check out our pictures!

The start of the Inca Trail

Drinking some hot chocolate to stay warm at our campsite

The first Inca site that we saw!

The highest elevation that we were at (13,000 feet)!

We're so cute and you can see the Urubamba River behind us in that beautiful valley.

Another Inca site, they were an amazing people!

There's Machu Picchu

A view of the mountains around us when we were in Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Check out that amazing view!