November 1, 2009 - Welcome back to a new school year 2009 - 2010! I anticipate a very busy new year with many new art projects. Some Art related field trips are also planned for this year. Please look for Art news at the beginning and middle of each month.
An Art highlight , so far this year, was an Art and Science field trip taken by 5A and 5B on Tuesday, October 6th , to Point Lookout Farm. The trip was sponsored by Stroud Water Research. The children were able to see many paintings by the artist Jamie Wyeth , son of the artist Andrew Wyeth. The children had the rare opportunity to meet Jamie Wyeth as he showed them his gallery paintings! The field trip also involved some science and art activities led by Mrs. Williams , the Education director at Stroud Water Research. They learned how trees effect water quality and they also did some water research along the Brandywine. They brought their collections of Mussel and Asiatic Clam shells back to the Art Room for a follow-Up project.
Again this year, I am offering "Open Art" for Middle School Grades, on Mondays and Wednesdays, during recess periods. It is an opportunity to make-up projects missed during absences and also to work on individual enrichment projects. This "Open Art" recess option was very popular, last year , on cold and rainy days! The "Open Art" Schedule will be posted in each 6th - 8th classroom and on the Art Room door, starting in October.
A main focus in Art Education is instruction in the seven ELEMENTS OF ART , at each grade level. They are: LINE, SHAPE, COLOR, VALUE, FORM, TEXTURE, and SPACE. Each month I will focus on one of these and many of the art projects will be centered around that element.
1st Grade - First Graders finished a project in September called EXPLORING LINE. They drew many different kinds of lines with large markers { wavy, dotted, jagged, etc.} in a left to right progression across white paper. They were encouraged to draw eight to ten different lines from top to bottom of the page. They filled-in color around the lines to form colorful designs.
The 1st graders are now working on Halloween projects. They have just finished a cut and paste collage project called Bats Flying Across a Harvest Moon. They will be displayed , this week, outside of Mrs. Kohl's classroom.
2nd Grade - Second Graders listened to a book titled PICTURE PERFECT that was illustrated by second graders in California. They used stand-up mirrors to draw their own "School Pictures" self-portraits. They will be displayed in the main hall .
In early October they finished colorful cut and paste Leaves Wreaths for seasonal decorations. They are now working on cut and paste Haunted Houses with windows and doors that open to reveal Halloween surprises.
3rd Grade - Third Graders have just finished working on cursive name line designs. They learned how to make a mirror image of their name, written in cursive, using tracing paper. They are coloring their designs with symmetrical patterns. This is an exciting project for Third Graders because they are still excited about learning to write and use cursive.
4th Grade - 4th Graders are currently working on over-lapping Fall leaves designs. They are tracing the shapes of different leaves on brown butcher paper. They are learning how to blend different Fall colors using construction paper crayons and other media that show-up well on dark paper.
5th Grade - Another main focus in the intermediate and middle school grades is learning about the lives and art styles of some famous artists. Fifth Graders are currently learning about the Wyeth family Art tradition. Their recent field trip was a follow-up to learning about the art of the local artist Jamie Wyeth.
6th Grade- Sixth Graders are currently working on circular radial designs using compasses. Their designs radiate from the center in regular patterns. The students first learned a little about the use of radial designs in different cultures, such as Aztec designs, Navajo designs and the sand art religious mandalas created by Tibetan monks. They are using an Ocean Theme for their Mandelas as part of our school-wide Ocean project this year.
7th Grades - Seventh Graders are finishing Line designs with a project called Industrial Strength Pipe Line Designs. They are overlapping different colored pipe shapes to form an interesing composition. They are including drawings of pipe fittings. They are learning how to shade the pipes with colored pencils to give them a rounded look. They first had a tour of the school's boiler room as inspiration for this project.
8th Grade - Eighth Graders started - out with a Maze -like design using a continuous line drawn around three shape spaces.
Eighth Graders are now starting a three- stage project called GLUE, HUE, and CONTOUR, TOO. The first part involves making pencil contour drawings of Fall foliage. They will be covering their contour lines with glue to add texture to the final work. They will be working on this project for the next three or four art classes.
Kindergarten - Each child will have Art Class every other Monday. They just finished cutting and pasting "Sunny Faces" on white paper plates , with moveable eyes .
Art Quote of the Month - " Attitude is the mind's paintbrush. It can color any situation."
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