Keep Up the Wonderful Work

April 29, 2008

Another downside to Willie's weepy eye was that his trip to the emergency room last Friday overlapped with the awards ceremony at Erin's school by just enough to make me miss it. Walter made it, but I was left holding the leash, so to speak. Erin was chosen as artist of the six weeks for fifth grade. Her wonderful art teacher, Lucinda Houtchins, who makes the very best and most thoughtful presentations of anyone in the school, was kind enough to share with me a copy of what she said as she introduced Erin and made the award:

The artist of the six weeks for Fifth Grade is
Erin Buenger
from Mrs. Kutzenberger's class.

I was so delighted to learn that Erin has chosen ART as her elective for 6th grade!! It suits her very creative nature perfectly.

Whenever I've listed the requirements for a project, I've counted on Erin to bring uniqueness, personal meaning, joy, and beauty to her completed artwork. You can find these qualities in her self-portrait prints now on display in the library. these prints were selected to represent our school for a special exhibition that was displayed at the Post oak Mall during the month of March as part of Youth Art Month. The sunny bright colors, the wavy lines of her hair and the repeating patterns in the clothing all draw our attention to her impressive portrait.

Likewise, Erin's clay mask in the form of a tree trunk waiting for roots and branches is most unique and well thought our. With its bands of green and brown in the upper branches, with its complex texture patterns in the forehead, and with its very sad facial expression, Erin's mask has made us think and consider why a tree would be sad even as we enjoy its colorful design.

Congratulations, Erin, on making us think about art! Keep up the wonderful work!

As long as we are on the topic of Willie, I might as well update you. When I took him in for a recheck yesterday, the doggie ophthalmologist didn't think he had made much progress over the weekend. The infection has cleared, but the ulcer hasn't healed. According to Dr. Millichamp, Willie's eye has made new corneal tissue cells, but they're not sticking. To remedy this, Willie is now sporting, in addition to his Elizabethan ruff, a monocle contact lens to protect the surface of the eye. The contact doesn't add to the stylish look like a regular monocle would, but I'm sure the confidence it gives him, just knowing that it's there, makes him the dapperest dog in the entire county. It also adds to his creds as an up and coming dog of great expense.