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Surviving and Learning! 

9/14/2016

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We are excited to be back in the studio with our classes. It has been one fast start to my journey as business owner, artist, Master's student, and now PreK teacher. In the last three weeks I have been stretching my teaching legs and learning best practices to being a successful teacher of Pre-Kinders.  We have had fun learning, creating and exploring :)  Now that our studio classes have begun, I am ready to apply some of the brilliant techniques of the Reggio method to my art curriculum.  

In an awesome coincedence, my graduate course readings for this week are focused on Brainbased Education. This learning philosophy almost directly parallels The Emilio-Reggio method and provides benefits to applying to class curriculum.  While reading an article by Leslie Owen Wilson, "Brainbased Education- An Overview", I came across this wonderful section on the benefits of art education and wanted to share...

Utilizing both music and art: One of the key tenets of brain-based education is that attention follows emotion, and both music and art often tap into the emotional areas and thus are natural conduits for remembering and connecting information.
Music: Music can lower stress, boost learning when used 3 different ways:
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  • as a carrier – using melody or beat to encode content,
  • as arousal – to calm down or energize,
  • as a primer – to prepare specific pathways for learning content) impacts the immune system, and is an energy source for the brain.
Art is an important part of brain-based education in that it provides many learners with avenues of expression and emotional connection and release. It is important at many levels. For instance, it is important in technology in order to create aesthetically pleasing PowerPoint presentations and multi-media displays that showcase work and make the information and facts presented memorable. Art can be metaphoric creating simple icons or images that ground larger more complex ideas. Multicultural awareness is improved through the study of art as it instantly connects viewers to different cultures. Indeed, due to the diverse power and inherent potential of art to create deep emotional connections and aid in memory retrieval, some educators think the arts should be named as the fourth R.
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Working with shapes and watercolor resist
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Working with lines and dots in a variation of lighting.
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Learning about primary colors and discovery how to mix colors

iCento art awesomeness

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Fall Classes and TART Updates! 

7/27/2016

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​Wow! What an amazing, blessed and creative Summer 2016 💙

FALL REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!!!!!!
Please call 830-515-4993 with questions.

There are so many new and exciting things happening within Traveling ART. Many of our PreKinders have expanded their art capabilities and are ready for our Elementary ART Class. Most of them have been in our PreK ART program for over a year....tear.... Also, most of our Toddlers are ready to move to PreK! Go mini artists in training -  you rock.!!
Sadly, this Fall we will also be losing the amazing and talented Ms. Alyssa. She will officially be heading to UT to start her bachelor's degree in Art Education. Be sure to wish her the best of luck. We will greatly miss her patience, eye for detail and passion for teaching. Ms. Lauren will be re joining us for the rest of the year as our newest instructor! 

You will notice some new and exciting schedule options for the fall classes. We were able to add a Monday, After School ART Class. Also, we have restructured our Tween/Teen class to accommodate the busy schedules of our students. This year our Tween/Teen Class will feature two weeks of structured technique and project preparation. The price will include the two days of instruction and a class pass for the remainder of the six-week course. After the two weeks, students will be able to pick and choose how many additional classes they would like to attend to work on their project with their instructor. Each additional class will be $15 for 1.5 hours of instruction.

We have slowed down our Adult workshops this summer because of the overwhelming amount of children participating in summer art classes! For the Fall and Spring we will be offering quarterly workshops and pop-up events for Adults. Workshops to come: Color Theory in Acrylics; Painting Water&Reflections with Oils; Floral Design;  Polymer Clay;  Jewelry and more. Also don't forget you can also book Art&Wine events! 

Our PreK and Toddler Classes have moved to Friday mornings and Friday afternoons.  This year I will be adding one more chapter in my life as I start Pre-Kinder teaching with ICento here in New Braunfels! I am very excited, but very nervous.  It is interesting to think that when I started my teaching career I trained primarily in elementary art, then received a position with NBISD for High School art, followed  by starting a business for all ages and now I'm a PreK Teacher :D I love teaching art to every age person with whom I have been able to work and am anxious to begin teaching PreK!

How will the Prek teaching times affect Traveling ART? Minimally!  I will no longer offer morning classes Monday-Thursday, and I will not be able to start private lessons until 3:00 p.m. Monday-Thursday.  I will be personally emailing all private lesson students to reserve their time slots. My students that have been studying with me for the last 3-5 years will of course have priority on time slots. 

For our FreeStyle Paint Bar, please use the appointment booker to check available time slots, or call 830-515-4993 for availability to book a FreeStyle Party slot. 

Adult Party and Kid Birthday Packages will be changing in September. Be sure to book your party before September 1 for any date in 2016 to keep the current price options :D 

There are too many blessings to count for this year and I am looking forward to 2017.  I plan on keeping this blog up to date for the Fall so please check back soon for more Art Adventures with Ms. Ashley.


Love,

Ms. Ashley



Just a few beautiful moments from this Summer! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr
#glvkids #gruenelakevillage #artwithmsashley #CreativeStoryTime #CreativeKidsCampNB
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No I'm not PWAT

2/10/2016

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We are Traveling ART!

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We are not Painting with a Twist. Don't get me wrong I think it is an amazing concept to have an art party where the stress of creating is eliminated, but they did not invent step by step art instruction, the man below made step by step painting popular and available to the masses....
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By the way, I love Bob Ross and this is the quote I live my life by :) I am also amazed that Painting with a Twist has been able to franchise and make money on art! Love it! If you have a party larger than 20 please call them, if we are booked see if they are available. The arts only survive when we work together. Traveling ART is also not the only art studio in town there are many other amazing instructors for all ages.

What is an art studio? An art studio is a room or building that provides a space for an artist to work. A teaching art studio is a space set up for artists to work and learn.

Traveling ART is a teaching, party, learning and creating art studio. We teach everything from painting to sculpting to drawing and all that is in between,  In 2011 myself Ashley Martinez (aka Ms. Ashley) and Shannon Legg started Traveling ART (Artists Revolutionizing Teaching)

In 2011 Shannon and I taught at New Braunfels High School, we were both part of the budget cuts that happened across the state. We love the arts and love teaching, so Traveling ART was born in April of 2011. Originally we traveled to homes, schools and businesses to bring art to all. We still travel. Our founding philosophy was to bring art to all and show the fun in creating and making art. We wanted our prices to be affordable and not make art just for the elite. Both Shannon and I have a Bachelors of Fine Arts and hold teaching certifications in the state of Texas. Traveling ART began growing from day one and over the years we have transitioned from traveling to our Tiny Studio and now we have a full sized studio located in beautiful Gruene Lake Village.

Shannon has now focused her time on family and back to teaching for NBISD. In June of 2015 Traveling ART became mine. I offer full educationally based art class for ages 2 to adult. We have studio stations for artists to pop in and work during open hours, we have a freestyle paint bar open for all and yes we offer art parties for 4 to adult. In the art teaching community there is a big debate over the effect of guided art but I'll save that for another blog. I love everything I do and teach at Traveling ART. I have even started teaching interns in the high school and college level who are aspiring teachers. Currently I am working on my Master's of Science in Art Education and hope to grow the ideas of Traveling ART everywhere.

To finish off, no I'm not like Painting with a Twist, they are their own entity. I am Traveling ART! I can not wait to help teach and show all ages the importance and fun of art!
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Italy Art Adventure Sketching Day 1

10/4/2015

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PictureEnjoying a cappuccino and working on a refined sketch
We are officially in Cinque Terre  "The Five Lands" and are off in search of the perfect panting.  Our instructor for this workshop, Thom Ricks has been taking us to ideal spots to sketch and experience this beautiful area.  Learning is always important, it helps me grow as a teacher and an artist.  My mind has already been reeling with ideas for lessons plans and a body of work for our Italy art show in December.  

A break down of the ideals we are to take away from this workshop: we are to deconstruct a beautiful landscape into simple shapes solely focusing on composition. Once we are pleased with our composition, we are to refine our sketch to include more detail and experience elements to draw the viewer into the painting, we as artists are trying to become storytellers to our audience. The best part, in order to become storytellers we have to explore and listen to our surroundings while we create in a Plein Air setting (I love to explore and have already hiked through the olive farms and vineyards in Volastra while heading towards Manarola) By creating a simplified sketch and building from our feeling, memory and not utilizing a picture, we are able to create paintings with more depth that can draw the viewer in and share our experience, or help them have an experience. 

This technique, although fun, has been very difficult for me to learn.  I will be up until midnight working and refining my sketches and ideas.  This area is so beautiful and inspirational my head is spinning with ideas! Tomorrow I'm off on another hike and to another amazing site in the Cinque Terre area. Please leave comments if you have questions or would like to know more :D  

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Manarola, the 2nd City in Cinque Terra, First Sketch Location
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Portovenere, sketch location number 2
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Instructor Thom Ricks and the other artist on this trip, Pat, sketching away at Manarola
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Pat and I went exploring in Portovenere and we found a castle and cathedral, so much fun :D
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Italy Adventure Day 1 and 2

10/2/2015

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Beautiful Civita
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The walking bridge to see the monastary
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Just one of the amazing doors and hidden spaces in Civita
I'm officially in Italy!  After a day and a half of traveling from Texas to Rome I made it to Europe safe and sound. 

Traveling with a giant portfolio was definitely a new experience for me. At first with my back page portfolio I felt quite foolish checking in through security and walking through the airport but I soon found this style is very suiting, not only did I stand out and look fabulous ;) but it opens up a nice amount of space while walking through a crowded airport. Not to worry I'll post a picture of my epic portfolio when I arrive in Cinque Terre. 

Currently I am still recuperating from jet lag, but we have already had a very busy two day period. After landing in Rome, we drove to an amazing spot called Civita di Bagnoregio. It was raining slightly but made this monastery on a cliff look so mysterious, I felt as though I was in Middle Earth. It was also quite a hike up the bridge but very much worth the trip!
After this adventure we headed towards our hotel in Todi, Italy (Located in the Umbria Region) Our hotel was quaint and the owners were beyond welcoming. The food and drinks at the restaurant were amazing. After a restless jet lag night we finally attempted some 5 minute sketching practice to prep for Cinque Terre. We were able to see the amazing Medieval buildings and drive the narrow winding streets to find a few choice spots for our composition practice ( I will post sketches in my next post) 
After Todi (which I'm dying to go back to!) We headed out towards Fiesole to stay at our next hotel location. On the way there we stopped for a delicious meal and amazing ceramics in Deruta. Stay tuned for scenes of Florence tomorrow. 
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Beautiful church in the town center of Todi
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Fourth sketching location, farm outside of Todi
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First sketching location in Todi
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Third sketching location
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Second sketching location
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The narrow winding roads in Todi!
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The view from our hotel room in Fiesole
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Through the streets you can see to Firenze (Florence)
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Getting Ready... 

9/24/2015

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Art teacher blog, small business blog, art studio, new braunfels, gruene, gruene lake villageabout how crazy and artsy I feel
I am one week away from traveling to Italy to take an amazing workshop with artist Thom Ricks.  
This has been one amazing and crazy year and what a better way to bring in the Fall of 2015 then with learning, adventure and art! 

It has been hectic making sure to have not only my trip supplies together, but to prepare my baby (Traveling ART) for me to be gone for ten days, yikes... I have an amazing staff and family support so I know she is in good hands, however I want to make sure to have all classes for October posted with registration running without a hitch. As a small business owner, we tend to wear many hats, mine include curriculum development, marketing director, website developer, human resources, teacher, manager, janitor, etcetera etcetera... So it has been one wild week to say the least. I believe I have everything but printed material ready to go. During this trip our response time to telephone calls or emails might be longer than usual, but we appreciate your patience will I build on my professional development as an art teacher. 
On top of all the amazing developments at Traveling ART I am also pursuing my Master's Degree in Art Education through Texas A&M Kingsville, Whew... "I've got this!"

We have a lot of fun classes and activities happening in October so be sure you are on our digital newsletter 

We will be closed October 1-10 for FreeStyle Hours, we will be available for Private Parties and Lesson, call 830-515-4993 or email [email protected] to schedule. 
Art&Wine is Back! Every Thursday from 6-8PM view our CALENDAR for what paintings are scheduled
Family Paint! Most Saturdays from 2-4PM, this month is an ode to Star Wars and Halloween, CALENDAR
Kid's Night Out, every third Tuesday from 6-9PM click here for more information
Dia de Los Muertos Adult Acrylic Workshop on October 23, more information to come, Ashley Martinez is the instructor.

Wow I think thats everything, stay tuned for the Italy blog starting October 1, Y'all are amazing! 

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Ready for October?

9/14/2015

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Session II registration and Our Mini Session registration open Friday! Sorry for the delay its been one crazy summer and I'm still catching up.

Happening this Fall: Ms. Ashley will be traveling to Italy for an art class ❤️ I love learning and can't wait to share. The studio will be closed from October 1-10, but we will be available for parties, lessons or FreeStyle groups of 5 or more.

Be sure to follow our blog for Ms. Ashley's Italian, art adventure

Our adult fall schedule has been on delay but I will have updates and the schedule before I leave (cross your fingers for Friday😊) I will have Octobers Calendar up by Friday also!

Please email [email protected] with questions or call our studio at 830-515-4993 #gruenelakevillage #cinqueterre #glvkids #ilovelearning #artislife

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Where Ms. Ashley will be in October ❤️
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Meet the Interns! Y'all Rock! 

7/2/2015

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Meet Ms. Kelsey!

6/4/2015

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Kesley Huckaby, art classes
Ms. Kelsey getting some awesome mini art from an Art-o-Mat Machine.
Hey, y'all! My name is Kelsey Huckaby-Johnson and I am lead staff and an instructor with Traveling ART!
I'm a native Texan presently residing in the hill country. Creating art has been a life-long passion of mine that budded in early childhood. When I was 9 years old, one of my paintings was chosen to be a part of an art show at a mall in my hometown, Houston, TX. Since then, I have remained active in my art community by participating in live painting events, art shows and festivals, jurying for the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) competitions, and doing commission-based work. I also vend bite-sized creations through the Art-o-Mat art vending machines nationwide.

I first started working with kids in 2013 through the McKenna Children's Museum working as a face painter and arts and crafts instructor.  The following year, I jumped on board with Traveling ART! It is my joy and privilege to get to work with children and encourage them as my former art teachers encouraged me. Seeing the next generation of growing artists has been so refreshing and inspiring, and I'm proud to be a part of their artistic futures.

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Meet Ms. Ashley! 

6/2/2015

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Hello All! My name is Ashley Martinez and I am the owner and lead instructor at Traveling ART :)

I was born and raised in Texas. I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts at Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2008, while working as a water safety instructor, life guard and life guard instructor at the naval base. After receiving my degree, I actively pursued my teaching certification while working as a Marketing Assistant at the Naval Air Station in Kingsville. In 2010, I started working at New Braunfels High School as an Art Teacher and Assistant Swim Coach. Over the last 10 years I have worked with children and adults of all ages teaching art and swimming. I am certified by the State Board of Education to teach all levels of Art. 

For the last 4 years I have devoted my life and heart to building a fun and creative environment to practice, learn and teach art to all ages. I love all of my amazing students at Traveling ART and can not wait to meet all of the new and upcoming artists in the New Braunfels and Gruene area! 
Ashley Martinez, AshleyL Designs, Pet Portraits, live painting, artist new braunfels
Ms. Ashley live painting at Zelick's in San Marcos, TX.
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All Artwork and representations are protected by copyright laws. Please contact Traveling ART for permission to use any of these pieces.