Have a nice summer!

My dear students!

We've had quite a busy and productive year.

We painted still life:

Scenery paintings:

Portraits:

Great job everyone! You all did great!!!

You can see more pictures in our Gallery

All of you know how to do so much more now!

But, please, do promise me that you won't abandon your crayons, chalks and paint brushes this summer. Paint and draw whenever you get a chance! Wherever you go!

Dear parents, your kids' drawings can sometimes tell you so much more than they can sometimes express themselves. Don't be afraid of them getting a little mucky - they all know how to set up and clean their work space. Better yet - ask them to teach you how to draw. I assure you that you will love it!

I'm looking forward to all of your summer stories!

See you in September.


Sincerely,

Alla

March

I've got a lot of news to share with you, my dear friends!

First of all, some fresh pictures in the Gallery. 

And also, this week  I participated in the 20th Annual Immigrants of Distinction Awards as one of the finalists in the Art and Culture category. I would like to say thank you to all my dear friends who help and support me, and to all of my students who inspire me.

In January I got an e-mail that read: "We would like to congratulate you on being selected as a Finalist- Arts & Culture category- at the Immigrants of Distinction Awards." 

Than I had to fill some forms, prepare a speech for a vignette and many many other things to do.Last Friday, March 11th was the day of the Ceremony. 

There were many officials.

You can see all the details at the Immigrant Services page https://www.facebook.com/ImmigrantServicesCalgary.

I would also like just to share my impression. First of all, we are all working hard everyday in different fields not just to get some award, but to survive and to provide our children better opportunities. Than, every immigrant asks themselves the question: "What sort of skills do I have that will make me a better part of my community and will benefit its people?"

The life story of every single nominee touched our hearts because everybody, who attended the Ceremony understands the importance of hard work behind every achievement.

Thank you to everyone who involved me in this event!

Saturday, March 12, it was a traditional Russian event "Maslenitsa" with a wonderful concert, some traditional Russian activities and  competitions for families, a lot of delicious Russian food and much more. 

  

You can find more pictures at the John Chrysostom Church photo album

Thank you to everyone who organized this wonderful concert and such a great time for all the families. To those who helped decorate our church, which still needs outside renovation and to those who prepared such delicious food and, of course, those who joined us on this wonderful and warm day.

Sincerely yours,

Alla Kireyeva

P.S.  Now you understand the background and just how full I had my plate during this time. :) Thank you for your understanding and support. 

March 2016

Hi, my dear friends!

My students have started Gouache session.

During this time we tried to get an inspiration from favorite movies and cartoons,  Valentine Day , animals and other. We paint  landscapes, portraits and still life pictures. We learned about shapes, colors and textures.

You can get inspiration in Gallery.

And also I would like to share some news:

You can participate Russian traditional event "Maslenitsa" near Russian church

http://en.calgary-orthodox.ca/about/contacts/

The event starts by 1.00 p.m. with concert, traditional Russian food and  entertainment for families.  If the weather is good we will have a lot of fun.

Sincerely yours,

Alla

P.S. And also I would like to congratulate with International Women's Day:)))

Watercolour illustration and not only.

The "Watercolor" session is almost over. The lessons that were created to show various ways to use watercolor paints and brushes, to demonstrate how white objects are drawn  when using watercolor and how the outcome changes when the paper is wet and when it is dry. This month children are practicing drawing sketches for their future paintings, making decisions and make use of what was learned in previous lessons.

A fairy tale "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen helps me to inspire my students to draw winter-themed pieces by immersing them in the fantasy world, thus showing them the beauty of frosty windows, the Palace of the Snow Queen, the deer that helped Gerda, or the snow monster that could not beat the girl with her warm, loving heart.

I advise all adults to read this story, too. It is one of those books that may be interpreted quite differently by someone who is older. There are some versions are illustrated by artists from all over the world:

http://surlalunefairytales.blogspot.ca/2009/12/snow-queen-week-p-j-lynch.html
http://timecodegames.com/products/snowqueen/
https://lavendercreekglass.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/inspirational-monday-angela-barrett/

Just try to find the original book itself, if you can. Unfortunately in today's world there is a tendency to distort and rethink what has been done before us (just as in a mirror from the fairy tale). ;)))

Our fairy tale-inspired works and free choice pictures can now be seen in the Gallery.

In February, we begin a new session on Gouache. Many of my students are waiting impatiently for it to begin, because I have already told them that we are not only going to use brushes, but also use our fingers.

Sincerely yours,

Alla

Merry Christmas and Happy New 2016 year!

I would like to begin this post by wishing all of you a Happy New Year and Merry Christmas!

I wish you all health, happiness, beauty and goodness in every moment of your life!

I would like to share the beauty, that I got to enjoy during the New Year holidays.

 Everything was wonderful: the road, the forests and the mountains!

 I was even enjoying some skiing! Sincerely speaking, I am not a great skier, however children around me were my inspiration and my chargers of energy. I like to observe and learn from the children - they are the best teachers. After watching the kids as they come down from the mountain, I did it! I lost my fear and went skiing. And this time it wasn't even the little hill for children!

And now the dessert!














There are photos of works of my students, they have made during the session "Watercolor". My students from November to December 2015 mastered their skills with watercolor.
 They did tonal sketches.





They draw and paint watercolors of their favorite characters



















They made Christmas still life and winter landscapes




Did New Year's and Christmas cards:



















Some of them dared to make their portraits. And it turned out to be not so difficult.


The idea to send these as a gift to their grandparents seemed very timely.

Nice job! More photos can be seen at the Gallery

I wish all of you a good start in this New Year! And I'll be glad to see all of you starting January 11, 2016. This week I am going to spend time on paperwork and some self-studies and preparation of the lessons for my students.

Sincerely yours,

Alla

Soft pastel, oil pastel, pencils and etc.

Hi, my dear friends!

We started in September. I have some pictures to share with you.

We made some exercises with colors, lines, spots and textures. Than we tried to think about how it can help us to make pictures from our imagination or from the world around.  Our trip with "Dry media" is almost over.

Enjoy our pictures in Gallery 

Hi, my dear friends!

I hope that all of you have spent wonderful holidays. I will be glad to see my students full of impressions and new ideas to share with everybody.

I would like to share my inspiration of this summer.

Elena Makarova. The Teacher, the Artist, the Master... she is really great!!! To read her books was like... to  meet a person that understand your problems, meet the same difficulties... So I am in a process of  revising  my course.

Find her books and enjoy:

http://www.makarovainit.com.

I hope to see you soon,

Sincerely yours,

Alla

P.S. This is another part of my Summer 

http://canada-icons.blogspot.ca/p/blog-page.html