It was great to have Jessie Jaramillo, Big Sandy's Art teacher, display some of the work of the Big Sandy students in the Mountaineer during the Big Sandy Stroll. I was also happy with the number of people who stopped to talk to her and see the students' work because I believe art is essential. She had written up explanations of the work the students had done.

Jessie Jaramillo said, "In simple terms, the elements of art are parts that make up the whole. These are often described as methods or components in the visual arts. There are typically seen primary elements of art, namely, color, value, line, shape, form, texture, and space."

"Art elements can apply to almost all types of artworks, including painting, drawing, graphic design, or any other form of visual composition. It is important to understand the elements of art if you are an art student or even if you are an art enthusiast because they act as guidelines or tools to not only compose an artwork but also analyze it. Once the art elements are understood, the possibilities are seemingly endless as to how they can be applied."

On display at the Mountaineer was a multimedia presentation. "In this project, I had students use as many mediums as possible. We used everything from charcoal and sharpies to fabric and glitter. I felt this project was an excellent opportunity to try out different mediums for each element of art."

"I had never done this project before, and it quickly became one of my favorites. I believe this project will be how I start and end every school year so the students can fully appreciate how much they have come in a year."

ll, there were many rough sketches on white paper, but it was fabulous to see the student's progression. "Every week, I give them a new weekly sketch assignment. A couple of weeks ago, I had students do timed drawings. Timed drawings are one of my favorites because they force you to work fast and not overthink what you are doing. You're also paying attention and are more engaged because there is limited time to draw. Students are usually very apprehensive about drawing like this, but as they discovered, their drawing improves in line, shape form, texture, and value."

"The drawings on display at the Mountaineer were timed drawings that the student did with their non-dominate hand. They were more apprehensive about this, but their outcomes were amazing! The different style of lines and techniques that the students were trying blew me away."

said, "I love asking students to try different things in art that they might never try. I do this because trying new things is a huge part of making art: experiments, playing, being curious."