Week 6

1st and 2nd graders are studying the artist Keith Haring.  We remember his name by rubbing our hair and then acting like we ring a bell; hair-ring.  Keith Haring was a famous artist who made lots of public art.  We talked about public art and how lots of people see it.  Mr. Haring made his art down in the New York City subway stations.  After studying Keith Haring, 2nd graders went outside to make contour drawings of each other's bodies.  We did this at a place around the school where lots of people go, so we made public art.  1st graders each picked a colored piece of large construction paper and drew people on them.  After drawing the bodies we cut them out.  Next week we will be using oil pastel to create designs on our cutout body.  Down below is a picture of Keith Haring creating his artwork in a New York City subway station.
 

Artists of the Month

Each month I pick eight artists from North and South Elementary Schools to be the Artists of the Month.  These students worked very hard and came up with creative artworks!  Congratulations!

Week 5

My 3rd and 4th grade classes did some 'en plein air' painting this week.  'En plein air' is a french saying meaning 'in the open air' which, of course means we went outside to paint!  In 3rd grade we studied the artist Thomas Moran.  He was a landscape artist and explorer who painted the western United States before many people had seen it.  Moran was a big part of making Yellowstone our first National Park!  4th graders studied the artist T.C. Steele.  T.C. Steele was an Indiana artist who painted 'en plein air.'  Instead of going to New York City or Paris, Steele enjoyed painting right here in Indiana!  After looking at pictures from these artists, we headed outside to create our own 'en plein air' painting.  We've had a beautiful week to be outside painting.

1st and 2nd graders had their first "Artist" day.  An "Artist" day is where the students are the master artists.  Instead of studying a master artist like Henri Matisse, Paul Klee, Michelangelo, or Pablo Picasso, the students must come up with their own ideas and how they will create their masterpiece.  Many students paint and draw different things.  They draw from a books, animal figurines, real life, or just something that they think of in their imagination!  The students love these days because they have more decision-making power.

Week 4

1st Grade - We are studying the artist Helen Frankenthaler and her soak stain painting technique.  After looking at several of her artworks, I demonstrate how watercolor paint.  We learn a three step process: go for a swim (with your brush), drag and dry, and pet the paint.  Afterwards we are ready to go!  This is a very exciting project because we get to do something we never normally do and that is to paint on the table.  Yes, we paint right on the table.  When we finish our painting, we take a piece of watercolor paper and push down on top of the painting. All those beautiful colors 'soak' into the paper and 'stain' it.  The kids were really creavitive with the whole process and really enjoyed being surprised by the results.

2nd Grade - All 2nd graders are finishing up their Paul Klee pictures.  This week we are watercolor painting the pictures that we created with crayon last week.  The watercolor paint goes right on top of the crayon, but doesn't cover it up.   The results are pretty magical.

3rd Grade - We are finishing our study of Michelangelo and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  Last week students went underneath their desk and paintings on the 'ceilings' of their tables to get a feeling of how Michelangelo might have felt.  This week we are back on top of the tables and just finishing things up. Next week we'll be starting a new project.

4th Grade - Our Pablo Picasso projects are wrapping up.  This week we are cutting out all of our eyes, noses, ears, etc. and glueing them onto a new sheet of paper.  After that we draw and color in a new face.  The results are fantastic.

Week 3

We are well into our third week of school and our art projects are coming along. 

In first grade we are finishing up our Henri Matisse oceans.  Mr. Matisse loved to cut out shapes and so we have been cutting out different shapes for sea creatures and gluing them onto our ocean paper.  I will have some examples of student work up soon!

In second grade we are continuing work on our Paul Klee oceans.  Paul Klee (pronounced Clay) was a master of color, shape, and line.  This week we finished drawing our oceans with crayon and making designs.   Next week we will be watercoloring painting!

In third grade we are studying Michelangelo (pronounced meek-uh-lan-gello).  We looked at his famous work of art, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  Michelangelo loved drawing the human body so we are working on our drawing skills and trying to make people look more realistic.  For a creative twist, we became little Michelangelo by taping our paper to the bottom of the desk and then sketching on our backs.  The students had great fun with that part, along with a couple sore necks!

In fourth grade we have been learning about Pablo Picasso.  We learned that he did lots of abstract artwork.  Abstract artists usually change the color, shape, size, and spacing of things in their picture.  This week we were coloring different faces.  Next week we will cut out and create a brand new face.   It will be quite the crazy experiment.

The First Projects of the Year!

This year in art class we will have lots of different projects using different kinds of art tools and materials. On certain weeks, we will have “Apprentice” weeks. These weeks will involve being an ‘apprentice’ to a master artist. We will study an artist and their artwork. After learning about the artist we will create a project based off of some of their work. On other weeks we will have “Artist” days. This means that my students will have to be the ‘master’ artist. They will come up with their own ideas and decide what materials they want to use to create their project. I believe doing these two different kinds of weeks will create a balance of learning about art history and giving the students full creative power!


In first grade we are studying the artist Henri Matisse (prounounced On-ree Muh-teece). We learned that Henri Matisse loved art so much that even when he couldn't paint anymore because he was too old, he enjoyed cutting paper and gluing it together. Because our theme this year at North Elementary is ocean, we studied his artwork called Beasts of the Sea. After looking at his shapes, we learned that organic shapes are shapes that use curved lines and geometric shapes are ones that use straight lines. Can you name a couple organic and geometric shapes? The first graders then started to cut our their own 'beasts of the sea.' We worked on cutting and gluing just like Henri Matisse.

Second graders are learning about the artist Paul Klee (pronounced Paul Clay). We looked at several of his different paintings that he made about different fish and the ocean. We also talked about how Paul Klee used all different kinds of lines to create his pictures. Zig zag, wavy, bumpy, dotted, and straight lines are all used in Paul Klee’s artworks to create his picture. Another line we talk about is a horizon line. A horizon line is where the sky and earth appear to meet each other. We started our projects by folding up our white paper into rectangles. Klee loved to use rectangles in squares in his artwork. Afterwards we drew pictures of things in the sky and things we see in the ocean. After working in pencil, we traced our lines with waxy crayon. Next week we’ll be painting with watercolor paint!

Third grade studied the artist Michelangelo (pronounced Meek-uh-lange-uh-low not Mike-langelo). Try saying it in your best Italian accent! We watched some short clips from a cartoon movie about Michelangelo. After discussing some of the facts that stood out to the kids, we talked about how Michelangelo loved making art with people in it. He studied the human body and liked to draw in a realistic way. We got out a big white paper to practice drawing people. Next week is the most exciting part of the project…but we’ll keep that a secret until then!

Fourth graders started working on a project based off the master artist Pablo Picasso. Pablo Picasso was introduced to the students by a special guest lecturer Pablo Potato (yes, a Mr. Potato head with a rearranged face). We studied Pablo Potato’s face and then talked about abstract art. We learned that an abstract artist will change the color, size, shape, and space of things in their painting. We then brainstormed about different faces; puppy, clown, mean, excited faces. Afterwards I gave each student two pieces of small white paper. They were to draw two totally different faces on them. After drawing and coloring the faces, we will cut them out to rearrange them next week.

Welcome Back!

Summer vacation has come to a close.  All the students are back to school.  I am very excited this year to be teaching at North Elementary as well at South Elementary.  In the coming weeks and months, I will be using this blog to keep both parents and students up-to-date with what is happening in my art classrooms.  This blog will let you know what projects we are working on right now.  It will also be a tool to celebrate the artwork of my students.  My goal is to have every student in my class be pictured on this blog by the end of the school year.  Again, I am so excited to be back teaching art in Danville.  If you ever need to contact me please email me at msmith@danville.k12.in.us.  I'm looking forward to a great year filled with creativity and hard work!