bioephemera

stag beetle
Albrecht Durer
source

... But life in nature manifests the truth of these things.... Therefore observe it diligently, go by it and do not depart from nature arbitrarily, imagining to find the better by thyself, for thou wouldst be misled. For, verily, "art" is embedded in nature; he who can extract it has it. -- Albrecht Durer

Thanks to your generosity, yet another of my DonorsChoose projects has been funded! Woot! And several very generous donors who have given in the three digits, with the leader at $300. That means to have a shot at the original watercolor, you'd have to give more than $300. Honestly, I'll be very surprised if anyone does that. But remember, there are still signed prints to be had! If you've been putting off donating, now is the time - the bloggers' challenge ends tomorrow. Let's see if we can fund just one more project!

There are several great projects already partially funded, like "Learning About Insects With a Renaissance Artist," which is just $125 from completion - thanks to several donors and SEED's matching gift.

Albrecht Durer is one of my all-time favorite artists, and I was thrilled to find a Durer-inspired project for my DonorsChoose challenge:

Every year, the second grade classes begin by learning about insects with their classroom teachers. I'd like to teach them about Albrecht Durer, a High Renaissance artist, who had a deep interest in science and art and made many beautiful woodcut prints about animals.

I need five small printing presses and balsa wood to create a High Renaissance print shop in my classroom. The students will review the anatomy of insects that they learned in their regular classrooms. They will choose their favorite insect and carve into a piece of balsa wood with a pencil to make a wood cut that they can make prints with.

You will make it possible for students to learn science by doing a physical and artistic activity that reinforces what they have learned by reading and listening.

Melancholia
Albrecht Durer

Durer's woodcuts are even more mind-blowing than his exquisite watercolors. And there is so much to learn from the process of making woodcuts - not only drawing skills, but also the process of working in reverse, using negative space, and trying to represent forms with simple black and white. I think this is a wonderful project, and continue to be inspired by the teachers like Mr. T (I'm serious, that's his name) who generate these ideas. Thanks, teachers! And thanks so much to the generous donors who have given so far - let's see if we can get one more project funded before the end of the challenge. We're only $125 away!