Paper Portraits, Haniwa, Whistles, and Origami . . . and the Two Modern Day da Vinci's!

I'd like to thank Miss Elona for leading the Thursday classes this past week. Thanks, Miss Elona! I've been a bit under the weather and, as a result, this weeks post is running late. 

 

In Art from Paper, students finished their self-portraits (above). Can you guess who each one is?

Ceramics II students finished up work on their Haniwa figures (above). Each one has its own personality, and we're looking forward to seeing them again after they've been fired.

And speaking of things being fired . . . we got lots of fantastic stuff back this past week! Among them were the whistles made by Ceramics II students. After finishing the wet clay work on their Haniwa, students finished work on their whistles by painting them in acrylics.

Following are photos of some of the Origami work we did. 

 

Because we had so much fun, and want to do lots of origami projects, we'll be working in this art form for the next few weeks.

   

Be sure to check back for updates on this fun and interesting form of art! Did you know that "Origami (折り紙^?, from oru meaning "folding", and kami meaning "paper") is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding. The goal of this art is to create a representation of an object using geometric folds and crease patterns preferably without gluing or cutting the paper, and using only one piece of paper." (Thanks, Wikipedia!) 

Artists in several classes continued work on 

The Butterfly Project . . .

 

Before we move on to this week's web challenge, I'd like to take a moment to thank a couple of very talented students, Parker and Keith

who will hereafter be thought of as: 

Parker da Vinci and Keith da Vinci!

Parker's representation of La Giaconda (more commonly known as the Mona Lisa) above, and Keith's rendition below, are stunning examples of great portrait art. 

The Mona Lisa is one of the most easily recognized (and copied!) works of art in history. Thanks, guys, for your hard work! 

For the week of 

November 10th through 12th:

This week's web challenge* has to do with an artist and illustrator who is famous for his cover art for 

The Saturday Evening Post 

Bring me his name and, if you wish, a print out of your favorite cover. To give you a hint, he's an  American painter whose success with the Post led him to do work for The Literary Digest, Look Magazine, and Life Magazine (among others!). However, his work and name is mostly synonymous with 

The Saturday Evening Post :)

Bring me this information and you'll get an ATC to add to your collection! 

Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs by the end of the semester will win a REALLY COOL PRIZE. A 2nd place prize will also be awarded. There will be a first and second prize for each school day, so get busy! Go find that artist!  

*Remember: Anytime you're doing an online search, your parent or other responsible adult must be present. No exceptions!

Farewell Good Friends, We'll Miss You!

This past week we said goodbye to Bodee, Bryce, and Brock, who will soon start a new life in Florida. While I never had the opportunity to work with Brock, I'm certain that he shares the talent of his two older brothers, Bryce and Bodee. We'll miss you guys! Bodee and  Bryce, keep up with your artwork. You're both very talented artists!

In Mixed Media class this past week, we worked on woven paintings. Below is a fine example, created by Nathan. Good work, Nathan! Your grids within the grids are particularly impressive!

In Art From Paper class we created, well, art from paper! Cynthia made this very whimsical Lady Bug artwork from two different colored papers. She pointed out that, from this view (below) it looks like a bug soaking up the Sunshine. Turn it completely around, though, and it's doing a nose dive into grass! Now THAT'S thinking outside the box!

Students who take Explorations in Art (1st through 3rd) returned to the color wheel this past week and explored the use of color through mosaics. 

As you can see, this project was interpreted in a number of different ways. Kaylyn, above, used large blocks of color to fill in the pieces of the pie, while another classmate pulled colors from a bigger mix and added them to the page . . .

And at least one young artist, Ike, took such great care to completely fill the field, that he wasn't able to complete it during class. That's okay, though! Great art often takes time! It'll be fun to see this when it's finished! Great work, Ike!

In Drawing and Painting class, we had fun with some free-form work: paint what you like! Below is an "action" shot of painters at work . . .

And such beautiful work, too!

Sisters, Ella and Chloe, created the works you see here. Ella used a mostly "cool" palette to create the work above. Can you find the tree in the painting? Chloe's painting is filled with lots of little details. How many different things do you see? Clearly, both girls are dedicated to their art! 

Great work!

Last week I promised you a sneak peek at the whistles being made in Ceramics II. Well, here they are! This was one tricky project. Don't believe me? Well, then, ask someone who takes the class! This two week project began with making the sphere, then adding the mouthpiece. Once that was attached, the necessary whistle hole needed to be cut and then "tweaked" numerous times until the whistle would actually whistle. But it worked! Each whistle has it's own distinctive sound, and is decorated with it's own unique surface design. We can't wait until these get fired!

We had a lot of fun in Ceramics I this past week, too! Ceramic artists carefully built "paper ball shooters." Starting with the "head" and then working on the "body," ceramic artists wrapped felt-tipped markers with clay, and then added features like legs, tails, etc. Once we were finished, the markers were carefully removed to reveal the inner chamber. Below are just a few of the many creative designs from class. 

Have you ever seen ceramic art that looked happier?  : )

Work continues with the Book of Kells project in Explorations in Art (4th - 6th). At least one of the classes is near completion of this project, so I expect to have photos soon! Maybe even next week, so stay tuned! These amazing works are not to be missed! 

Le Guitariste, 1910, by Pablo Picasso (above), an example of Analytical Cubism

Still Life with Fruit Dish and Mandolin, 1919, oil on canvas, by Juan Gris (below), an example of Synthetic Cubism

Last week I challenged you to find the two types of Cubism, and several students came through! Congratulations to Rebecca, Zoe, Roman, Keith, and Diego! You all correctly identified Analytical Cubism and Synthetic Cubism as the two distinct types! AND you all earned an ATC! 

Are you ready to win another ATC? If so, then here's the challenge for the week of October 6th through 8th:

Do a search* to find out what the art term 

horror vacui 

means, and bring in at least two very different examples (different artists or cultures) that demonstrate horror vacui. Hint: if you're in Explorations (4th-6th) you already know what this is, without having put a name on it yet! 

Have Fun!

Bring your examples to class to receive your winning ATC! Remember: The student with the MOST web challenge ATCs at the end of the semester wins a

 REALLY COOL PRIZE!

*Remember: Anytime you're doing an online search, your parent or other responsible adult must be present. 

No exceptions!