February Art Blog 2020

Transitional Kindergarten: Early Spring Flowers

In this lesson TK students were introduced to two different art media: watercolor and oil pastel. Students explored the difference between watercolor (wet medium), and oil pastel (dry medium). Students noticed that the wet medium spreads and bleeds, on the contrary, the dry medium does not. Students painted large paper flowers, experimenting with each of the two media. Students were also introduced to the art element of texture. They placed green paper over textured surfaces, and rubbed with crayons to make the texture appear on the paper. Students cut leaves and stems out of the green texture paper to complete their spring flower garden piece.

Kindergarten: Joan Miró Dream Paintings

The unique style of surrealist painter, sculptor and ceramist Joan Miró (1893-1983) is characterized by the use of organic forms and flattened picture planes with sharp black lines. The inspiration for his works came from this dreams. 

In a similar fashion, students drew a surreal self-portrait and their dream pet. Students reviewed lines and geometric shapes and experimented with how these strict boundaries could be counterbalanced with the softness of color and more organic images. In his works, Miró often repeated surrealistic icons, objects and shapes such as: crescent moon, stars, figures with graphic patters, ladders, etc.  Students were encouraged to include some of Miró's iconic objects or shapes in their own works, as well as adding imagery elements from their own dreams. 

We think you’ll agree these whimsical dream paintings are a delightful and expressive interpretation of Miró's surreal and ebullient style!

1st GRADE: Decorating Rainstick 

We think these rainsticks created out of recycled materials are just divine. To finish off and decorate their rainsticks students added beadwork and outlined their previously painted shapes with black sharpie pens. With help of an adult volunteer students attached ribbon as a shoulder strap to carry the rainsticks. 

For the entire month of February we have had no rain in Marin County. This is unusual and we need rain. In many cultures, summoning rain often include the use of musical instruments. One well-known example is the rainstick, mimicking the sound of rain.

Students had the opportunity to practice using their rainsticks in music class. They practice tilting and turning their rainstick to make a soft, continues sound of rain accompanying some folk songs about rain.  We hope it worked and we will soon have rain in our weather forecast! 

2nd GRADE : Loom Building for Weaving Project

A loom is any machine or device designed for weaving. The loom holds the threads and helps you weave them. You stretch out one set of threads, the “warp”, vertical on the loom. Another thread, the “weft”, goes over and under the warp threads, back and forth, again and again, to create the woven fabric.

Our apple tree needed pruning, instead of composting the cut branches we are building weaving looms. Second grade students laid out 4 branches to create a frame. Students learned how to tie square knots to secure the corners of the loom. Students used a soft, neutral brown cotton thread to stretch around the branch frame to crate the vertical warp. 

We are now ready to weave on our handmade looms. Thank you to second grade families for donated yarn scraps for this weaving project. Stay tuned to find out how our weavings will turn out!

3rd GRADE:  Kinetic Sculpture inspired by Calder

Third grade students were elated to collaborate and use professional tools to saw, sand, drill and prepare the bases for our kinetic sculptures. Constructing these kinetic sculptures was a study in balance and engineering, making a connection to the third grade science curriculum “balance and motion”, as well as an introduction to the American sculptor and artist, Alexander Calder, 

Born into a family of artists, Calder created his first sculpture at age four. In his career, Calder created many sculptures, mobiles and stabiles, paintings, jewelry and significant toys. A fascination with the circus led to a toy circus made from wire, string, rubber and found objects, which in turn evolved into wire sculptures, and kinetic art. Calder’s keen eye for balance in his sculptures both large and small, ultimately resulted in the first “mobiles”. His first public commission was a pair of mobiles in the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1937.



              

4th GRADE:  Wire Tree Sculpture

Fourth grade students were introduced to the basics of sculptures. Students studied the difference between abstract and representational sculptures and the difference between two-versus three-dimensional art. Students were directed to use 12 strands of aluminum wire to bend and twist a representation of a tree. Thinner steel wire, aluminum wire, colored twisty wire, beads and buttons were added for volume and color accents. Fourth grade artists created amazing tree sculptures with unique characteristics.  

Along with this sculpture unit fourth grade students were introduced to the concept of "Visual Literacy". "How artists can convey meaning, a message, idea." In a class discussion students were responding to two different titles for the same piece of artwork. Students shared great connections and insides about how a title of an art piece can change a viewers perception or opinion.  Students practiced critical thinking in developing a fitting title for their tree sculptures. They revised their titles and came up with thought-provoking, clever titles to support their message or meaning of their tree sculptures. Students analyzed a classmate's tree sculpture and predicted and inferred what the message/idea/story might be the artist is communicating.