Dioramas, Op Art, Dreamscapes, and Pinch Pots. Week 4 was PACKED!

Before we recap the past week's projects, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the fantastic work that Avalon G. did during her "non-HSC" school days. After working on her "fill in the missing side" artwork from class, she went on to create two more! She's mastered this technique! Don't believe me? Well, then, look at the following!

Great work, Avalon! 

Thank you for the dedication you've shown to the RIGHT SIDE of your brain!

Last week in Art from Paper, we started work on dioramas--a project that we hope to finish in the coming week. In this project, students covered the outside of a small cardboard box with pictures and words. The goal is to have the outside become a "preview" for what's inside.

Each diorama will have a theme, picked out by the individual artist--the possibilities are endless! Katie I. is off to a great start with her diorama (above). Stay tuned for photos of finished works!

OP ART, and contrast was the idea behind our project in Explorations in Art (1st through 3rd). Combining what we know about line and shape, and adding contrasting colors (colors that compliment each other on the color wheel), students created wonderful works of Optical Art. 

So, you might be asking yourself, what exactly ARE complimentary (contrasting) colors? Here's a clue:

ORANGE said to BLUE, "Wow, you're really having a good hair day!"
GREEN was overheard talking to RED, saying "That color really suits you. You look fantastic!"
YELLOW and VIOLET kept going back and forth with, "YOU'RE the prettiest!" and "No, YOU are!"
Similar "compliments" took place between . . .
BLUE-VIOLET and YELLOW-ORANGE
RED-ORANGE and BLUE-GREEN
YELLOW-GREEN and RED-VIOLET

In other Explorations in Art classes, 4th through 6th graders continued their work on the Book of Kells project. When these highly detailed and ornamental works are finished, photos will be posted here!

In Drawing and Painting class, we discussed the works of Remedios Varo (below, left) and Marc Chagall (below, right). After looking at many of their works and discussing the dream-like quality of their paintings, students created their own "dreamscapes."

    

The next time you have a really interesting (or crazy!) dream, why not write down the details, and then draw a picture of your dream. Be sure to put in lots of details! Who knows, you might become as well known as Varo or Chagall!

Ceramics students continued with their wet clay work. Below are examples of very creative pinch pots and small sculptures that were created in class. Soon we'll have a kiln load, which means we'll do our first bisque firing!

In Mixed Media class, students created a 4-in-one mixed media work. After folding their art paper into four equal parts, they flattened the paper and drew a picture over the entire page, then used a different medium on each quarter. The final works were awesome!  

While a lot of mixed media works layer the different mediums over top one another, placing them into this grid pattern allows the students to see how they compare and contrast with one another.

Mary Cassatt, The Bath, 1890-1891

Thanks so much to Zoe for bringing in the above work by American impressionist, Mary Cassatt. Zoe found this wonderful example of Cassatt's work at the National Gallery of Art (last week's web challenge), and received her made-to-order ATC. Congratulations, Zoe!

Anyone who wants to win an ATC in the coming week (Sept 22nd through 24th) will need to find out what a haniwa is! Bring some information (information with a picture is even better!) to school, and you'll receive your own ATC.

Remember: the student who collects the most ATCs during the semester, by following the web challenges posted here, will receive a 

WAY COOL PRIZE!