Grateful, Thankful, Appreciative 

I am so very grateful for my amazing art students.  I tell my kiddos all the time that my job is the best and it is true.  I am so appreciative that I get to spend the day with my art family learning, creating, and enjoying each and every moment.  As you enjoy your holiday with your family, please know that I am so grateful for my art kids and their families.  Happy Thanksgiving!

In the art room this week:

Young Fives finished their Pete the Cat collage!  Our young five artists have been busy experimenting with lots of new art materials during their art sessions.  Together we read Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin and looked at the illustrations by James Dean, creator of Pete the Cat.

Our artists experimented with the following techniques and materials to create their collage:

Cutting and gluing

Sharpie permanent markers

Tempera Paint

Oil Pastel

Chisel tip markers

Kwik Stix tempera paint sticks

Using line and shape to create images

 

Kindergarten artists explored the caves of Lascaux and looked at some of the very first forms of art created by humans.  We will continue to study cave paintings and work together to think and wonder about why humans created art so long ago, why we still create art, And then discover together how to use simple shapes to create animals inspired by the artwork of Lascaux.

First graders finished up their studies of geometric and organic shapes by creating a cut paper collage inspired by Henri Matisse.  

First graders are moving into creating a work of art that applies their knowledge of geometric shapes, organic shapes, straight, curvy and angle lines and will start working with pattern in their artwork.  

Second graders continue to create their self portraits inspired by NYC artist, James Rizzi.  We are currently focusing on coloring technique, blending colors, and experimenting with shading.

Third Grade artists continue applying their knowledge of proportion and detail to their nutcracker drawings.  

 Fourth Grade artists are finishing their artwork inspired by The Goldfish by Henri Matisse.  Students worked to create a focal point in their finished piece of art.  This project ended with time to celebrate student success with artist reflections and WOW! comments.  Students reflected on the struggles and successes they experienced while creating their work, then traveled around the room to write WOW! comments to their peers describing the successes they found in the artwork. 

Fifth Graders are working to complete their St. Joseph Great Wave paintings inspired by the print The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai.  Students are experimenting with using line, shape, color, texture, space, pattern, and movement in their paintings.  We even get to see how the artwork we study is used in everyday life... like imagery on our clothing!!!!  I love moments when my students come into the room with surprises for me like wearing our inspiration artwork.  

Thank you, amazing artists, for a fabulous week together!

Creative Students!

The Art room has been busy again this week, full of hard-working artists.

Here's a peek into our week...

Young Fives continue working on Pete the Cat

Kindergarten Students finish their artwork inspired by the book, The Rainbow Fish

First Graders are learning about GEOMETRIC and ORGANIC SHAPES.  They are working on a shape collage inspired by the artist, Henri Matisse.  We read Henri's Scissors together to learn some art history about the life of Matisse.

Second graders started studying work by NYC artist James Rizzi.  Students are learning how to draw people in the style of Rizzi using line and shape.

Third Grade artists are finishing abstract landscapes and moving into studying how to apply proportion and detail to a drawing.  Students are designing Nutcrackers to help them understand proportion and practice creating detail in their artwork.

Our fourth graders are finally completing their focal point projects inspired by Matisse's The Goldfish.

They are participating in artistic self-reflection and peer critiques as we celebrate their hard work and successful masterpieces!

Fifth grade artists have completed their name self portraits and are now learning about the Japanese printmaker, Hokusai.  They've studied his print The Great Wave of Kanagawa and are creating St. Jospeh inspired versions of the great wave.  Students are applying their knowledge of line, shape, color, rhythm, movement and emphasis in their work.

First Trimester Comes to an End

We have had a busy, productive first trimester to start our school year.  As report cards come home in the next week, I wanted to take a moment to remind my artists and families that we are just beginning our adventures this school year as budding artists.  It is very common during the first trimester for students to be developing in their art skills, which is a 2 on the report card.  This does NOT mean that our artists are not performing well, just that we are to continuing to work to grow to mastery, which is a 3 on the report card.  For most of our objectives this trimester, students are just being introduced to new media and techniques.  If there are areas of deep concern, I will contact parents directly.  We are having a fantastic start with hard working art students who are pushing through challenges and obstacles to continue to grow.  Please celebrate your young artists and continue to encourage them to do their very best as they learn and grow in the art room.

Gift Lists

As the holiday season approach, I have parents asking about good art supply ideas for their budding artists.  Here are some ideas for gifts for the artist in your family:

1.  Kwik Stix tempera paint sticks

2.  Prisma Color colored pencils and a good quality hand sharpener.  Prisma Color makes their own shapener too.  These are expensive colored pencils, but the quality is amazing.  Your older artists will love them.

3.  Drawing Pencil set 

4.  Sketchbook

5.  Modeling Clay (Crayola Model Magic is easy to use and can be colored or painted when it dries)

6.  Weaving Loom and yarn

7.  Liquid Watercolor paint or Watercolor sets

8.  Metallic Markers (Crayola makes a great set)

9.  Oil Pastels (These come in all sorts of fun sets; metallics, neon, etc..  We use Crayola brand in school, but there are several great brands available.  Students can use watercolor paint over the oil pastels to create a wax resist.)

10.  A box of sculpture items (pipe cleaners, wood sticks, wood scraps, cardboard, tape, glue)

11.  Colored tape or Washi tape

12.  Blank canvas for painting