Kindergarten Printmaking

We studied the life and art of Andy Warhol before trying out several printmaking methods. Here are some pictures from our color theory printmaking project. See if you can find the four color groups we studied: primary, secondary, warm, and cool.



Ben N. in Mrs. Minke's class

Leni T. in Mrs. Vigue's class

Cooper M. in Ms. Conroy's class

3rd Graders Study Native American Art

American Indians made parfleches, very similar to the ones our students just completed. The Native Americans made them from dried raw buffalo hide. They painted them in bright colors and used them to hold food. Ours are made from crumpled grocery bags and raffia, sharpies, and watercolor markers. Follow the link to learn more about Native American parfleches.
http://tinyurl.com/NAparfleche

Kirsten P. in Mrs. Hensler's class

Lucy R. in Mr. Wolfrath's class

Molly C. in Ms. Mitchell's class

Shep S. in Ms. LaDuke's class

Second Graders Prepare the Set for Upcoming Show

Believe it or not, these cardboard tubes will soon be the tree trunks in our man-made South American Rainforest. The tubes were originally used to transport materials for our new Athletic Facility.

Teamwork pays off with paintings this large! This one is going to be an imitation of British artist, David Hockney's, self-portrait. Second graders studied about him at the beginning of the year.

Look familiar? Eric Carle would be so proud that we are using his "Very Hungry Caterpillar" to represent North America.

First Grade Plaid Puppies & Kittens

Alissa S. in Mrs. Densa's class

Patrick D. in Mrs. Whitecage's class

Wiley L. in Mrs. Owen's class

William E. in Ms. Hawley's class

After School Clay Building

Our first session finished up last week and the children were able to take all of their creations home. Each child made a haunted house, a jack-o-lantern candle holder, and a piggy bank. This week starts our second after school group, and we have several returning students. Pictured below are the piggy banks the first group made. I'm sure the pigs are all happy in their new homes!

Fourth Grade Pen & Ink Illustrations

Mr. Murphy has asked our fourth graders to participate in a contest of sorts. Every fourth grader was asked to create an illustration for either a Thanksgiving card or a Birthday card. Mr. Murphy will select from our entries as well as entries from the Middle Division art students. Below is a small sampling of the pieces he will have to choose from in the Lower Division. It's going to be a tough decision!

Bella B. in Mr. Hughes' class

Noah S. in Mrs. Cameron's class

Renata in Ms. Lemon's class

Lucas M. in Mr. Hughes' class

Lindsay L. in Ms. Lemon's class

Simon M. in Mrs. Cameron's class

Reece L. in Ms. Telemachos' class

Riley K. in Ms. Telemachos' class

Second Graders' Chuck Close self-portraits

Our second graders have been studying the portraits of American artist, Chuck Close. Their pieces are not complete yet, but they are working very hard! Notice the grid drawn over their portraits and the use of warm and cool colors. Great work so far!

Bailey S. in Ms. Graham's class

Cian M. in Mrs. O'Mullane's class

Iona H. in Mrs. McKenzie's class

J.T.Thomas in Ms. Deegan's class

Henri Matisse, Goldfish

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was a famous artist. But did you know that his first career was in the Law? He studied hard and did very well until he got appendicitis in 1890. It was then, while recovering from surgery, that his mother tried to amuse him with a gift of a box of paints, a set of brushes, and a do-it-yourself book on painting. Matisse felt for the first time, in his own words, "free, quiet and alone." He would later be known as the artist that was "born to simplify painting." (The World of Matisse, John Russell, Time-Life  Books, NY, (c)1960)

Our Kindergarteners have been studying Matisse's painting, "Goldfish". Their collages represent some pretty serious planning, cutting, and gluing. Great work!

Johnathan L. and Elizabeth C.

                                        

Kara M., Trey W. and Alana R.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shea M. in Mrs. Vigue's class

Cody B. in Mrs. Minke's class

Kaja D. in Ms. Conroy's class

Third Graders Study Cave Art

Did you know that relief sculptures covering the huge wall surfaces of caves were among the first pieces of art created in what is now the United States. Native American cave paintings have recently been found dating over 1000 years old. Like every artist in every age in every medium, the artists had to answer two questions before starting: (1) What will be the subject? and (2) How should I represent it? We have discovered that the answer to the first question was almost always animals, and the answer to the second question was that the animals were presented in strict profile. (Gardner's Art Through the Ages, Twelfth edition, Volume 1)

Lilianna B. - Mr. Wolfrath's class

Oliver H. - Ms. LaDuke's class

Carson Q. - Mrs. Hensler's class

Jordan S. - Ms. Mitchell's class

Our imitation of Native American cave paintings (pictographs) were made with paint, crayon, and oil pastels. Aren't they authentic?!

Kindergarten Talent!

Here's a sampling of the work the Kindergartners completed
today. All we need is a few good imaginations to put this
rock community into action.

Welcome Back Students and Parents!

I'm so happy to have the students back in the art room! As I write this, I have met with Kindergarten and First and Second Grades. I'll see Third and Fourth Grades tomorrow and Thursday. Although we have been busy taking care of "housekeeping" details like fire drill and foul weather practices, and going over the Rules of the Art Room, we have managed to squeeze in a little time for art! Our Kindergarteners are creating a community out of rocks that I found at Honeymoon Island last weekend. They'll be able to play all sorts of imagination games with them this year when they have "free choice" time.

All grade levels, including Kindergarten, will be working on a project for International Day of Peace on September 21, 2011. Each student will add his or her artwork to a peace sign. First grade students started today. They looked at Vincent VanGogh prints and selected "shapes" from the prints to include in their peace signs.

Don't miss Back to School Night on Thursday. The "Specials" are going to make the rounds to all of the classrooms to introduce ourselves. We thought it might be helpful for you to see our class rules, so we are posting them on our blogs. (See below.) Please follow our blogs...we'll be keeping you posted on everything "special".

Once again, Welcome Back!

Rules of the Art Room

Be Honest.

Be Courteous.

Respect Others.

Never Throw Anything!

Third Grade Pastel Self-Portraits

These self-portraits have become sort of a tradition in the Lower Division at Shorecrest. The children trace a black and white photograph, being very careful to leave themselves clues as to where the value changes occur. Then, using mirrors for color clues, they add color to their drawings with chalk pastels. With careful blending and attention to detail, the portraits are bound to be successful.

Kindergarten Program Set

My son, Tyler, helped me create the set for Kindergarten this year. His dog, Seymour, was also a big help :) This photo shows us getting started on the set for "Goldie and the Three Bears". The program was a hit!