Art Blog January 2014

3rd grade Cityscapes

K-4th grade Art Blog, January 2014

KINDERGARTEN:  Winter Landscapes inspired by Grandma Moses

Students were introduced to the life and works of the American Folk artist Grandma Moses. Students used different kinds of art tools, such as brayers, sponges and paint brushes to paint their winter landscapes. Following Grandma Moses’ style combined with basic sketching, drawing and coloring skills, students created their own interpretations of familiar and cherished family traditions that are celebrated during the winter months.

1^ST GRADE:        Three-Dimensional Clouds: 

This art project was correlated with the first grade science curriculum “weather unit”.  After reading the story “Little Cloud” by Eric Carle, first grade students created a variety of different shaped clouds (i.e. sheep clouds, little clouds, big clouds, air plain clouds, cat clouds, etc.) The clouds were crafted out of large paper and stuffed with shredded newspaper to create a three-dimensional look.

2nd GRADE:  Kandinsky Abstract Art: Painting to Music Fast and Slow

One of the first modern abstract artists, Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), who was also an accomplished musician, hoped people would ‘hear’ his art, rather then appreciate it solely with their eyes.

In this project, the students were introduce to Kandinsky’s concept of painting not what the artist saw, but what he or she heard and felt. While listening to the rhythms of both fast and slow music, the students were encouraged to mix new colors, overlap shapes and designs. They closed their eyes and let their brushes and pens move freely to capture the music they heard. 

3rd GRADE:                 Cityscapes: 

A Cityscape is the urban equivalent of a landscape. Students were introduced to the concept of cityscapes in the visual arts by looking at paintings, drawings, prints and photographs of different artists depicting an urban scene. 

The visual concepts of the horizon line, foreground, middle ground, and background were introduced to the students.  With tempera paint students painted a background, experimenting with brushes and sponges to create textures.  Using a collection of recycled materials, such as: calendars, maps, packaging materials and wrapping paper, students designed their unique city skylines. 

4^TH GRADE:                   Australian Aboriginal Bark Painting:

The 4th grade students studied Australian Aboriginal Bark Art. Students explored the unique art of Australia’s Aborigines from prehistoric cave art to the paintings of the contemporary artists. Students learned that the Aborigines use art as a way to communicate and a way to tell stories, known as "dreamings."  Students were introduced to symbols used in Aboriginal bark paintings and used some of those symbols in their own artwork. Tempera paint on brown paper was used to create contemporary bark paintings based on the Aboriginal "dreamings" and in the style of the cave artists and aboriginal people.