The Shape of Art

We had a lot of fun in our ATC class this past week. Following are some fine examples of miniature, tradable art . . .

Morgan and Anais collaborated to create the ATCs featured above. Pretty clever, huh?

Valencia made this beautifully detailed ATC featuring a woman in a long dress. It reminds me of a sari. 

And the trading card below was made by Cameron. He put lots of detail into his card, which was the main assignment!

In Explorations in Art, we continued building on our knowledge of the principles and elements of art. This past week we discussed shape. Students took a tour through Miss Robin's Art Gallery to view and discuss a number of famous works. We identified the prominent shapes in each work.

For instance, we noted that Grant Wood's Stone City, Iowa (above) is mostly made up of circles and ovals! Several students also pointed out Wood's use of organic shapes.

Paul Gauguin's The Vision After the Sermon was also found to be composed of many organic shapes, which is in sharp contrast to the following, highly geometric work by Shaikh-zada of Khurasan, titled Bahrom Gur in the Turquoise Pavilion.

In addition to shape, we discussed perspective. Students critiqued the use (and non-use!) of perspective in all the works featured in the gallery. And, for good measure, I threw in this brain-teasing work by Salvador Dali. The young artists enjoyed picking out the hidden images, and shifting their gaze between objects which appeared to change before their eyes!

Ceramics I students began work on spirit balls, while the advanced ceramics students continued work on their independent art projects.

ATCs, Color, and Pinch Pots

In ATC class, students used the full class period to create one-of-a-kind Artist Trading Cards. At the end of class, the tiny masterpieces were traded with fellow artists. 

Color was the lesson of the day in Explorations in Art! We discussed Primary colors, Secondary colors, and Tertiary colors. We talked about the qualities of Warm colors vs. Cool colors, and the meanings of Tone and Shade.

Pinata by Diego Rivera

And because this class is all about Exploration, we explored some very famous paintings, three of which are featured here. Our journey around the "gallery" was full of discussion about the palette of the painting, its title, and observations about the colors used by the artist. We spent some time exercising the 3 Cs of Art Class:

• Compare (how are they alike?)
• Contrast (how are they different?)
• Critique (what do we like/dislike about the work?)

Arrangement in Black and Gray by James McNeill Whistler

(This is commonly called Whistler's Mother)

We talked about the artists and their influences. Students learned about the use of color in works characterized as: Impressionist, Minimalist, Fauvist, Cubist, Primitive, and Naive. We talked about the relationships between such artists as Picasso & Matisse, how Cezanne influenced the artists who followed him, and how many artists were heavily inspired by Japanese woodblock prints.

Tulips in Holland by Claude Monet

We looked at color from many angles, and through the eyes of a great number & variety of artists. Next week our focus will be on LINE :)

Ceramics I students learned how to make the most basic of pottery forms: The humble little Pinch Pot. Next week we're going to learn all about wedging clay, which makes it "workable and plastic."

Ceramics II students began work on their independent pieces, each using a method appropriate for the project (pinch, slab, or coil).

Reminder to ALL Ceramics Students:

If you haven't already brought in your work shirt, please remember to bring it with you next week. Clay can and DOES permanently stain clothing.

First Week of School

We had a very successful first week of school. It was nice to see so many familiar faces from last year, and meet quite a few new ones!

This week, in recap:

ATCs, ACEOs, and Art in Miniature

Students made mini-portfolios to store this semester's artwork. Afterward, we had time to make a few ATCs and then trade them at the end of class. Remember: ATCs & ACEOs are ALWAYS 2-1/2" x 3-1/2". It's the law :)

 Explorations in Art (6-9 and 9+)

Our first project this week was creating portfolios (medium size!) to store the semester's artwork. Once this was done, each student completed a Color Wheel by filling in the Primary Colors, Secondary Colors, and Teritary Colors.

Afterward, students used color paddles to experiment with some good old fashioned Color Theory!

This was all in preparation for next week's lesson on COLOR. We'll be discussing (critiquing, comparing, contrasting) several famous works of art, with the focus being on color.

Ceramics I

In the beginning Ceramics class, we took a field trip to check out the clay traps in the bathroom, learned all about the tools we'll be using, and assigned work boards and board storage for each student. 

• Remember kids: Bring your work shirt to school next week. You'll need it to protect your clothes!

Ceramics II

In Ceramics II, students helped to organize our materials, were assigned work boards & storage, and then we spent some time talking about our goals for this semester. 

Students in Ceramics II have a weekend assignment:

• Do some serious thinking about what you want to create. Find or sketch a picture of your idea, and bring it to class with you next week for our first "wet clay day."
• Bring your work shirt to school next week. You'll need it to protect your clothes!

Welcome Back to School!

Welcome back everyone! I hope you've had a fun and interesting summer, and have fully recharged your creative batteries. Summer went by incredibly fast!

I was traveling last week, and look forward to seeing everyone the first day of school.

To get us started, here are a few things that you should know:

ATCs, ACEOs, and Art in Miniature is all about creating small scale works. We will have "trading time" built into each class.

Explorations in Art (6-9 and 9+) will follow the Core Knowledge program. The focus will be on learning:

• Elements and Principles of Art
• Studying the works of Masters
• Comparing & Contrasting great works
• Creating art inspired by the works discussed

Ceramics I and II require far fewer things from home. This year you need only bring:

• An old shirt to protect your clothes (adult size shirts make great art smocks!). Clay WILL stain your clothes! 

All Ceramics classes are "hand building" classes, which means that we will be working in the traditional methods of pinch, slab, and coil. A "clay calendar" will be posted later on in the semester, so be sure to check back for important dates!

Don't want to miss anything from our Virtual Classroom? Be sure to subscribe (link to the right)!

A Note About Web Challenges

Last year I posted weekly web challenges and gave away prizes. This was a lot of fun for me as well as the students. While this year's schedule won't allow for a challenge every week, I will do my best to offer as many as I can. More about this later!

The Great Power Race!

"The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly."

 - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

I love that quote, which I found when searching for thoughts about competition. A little healthy competition can be a good thing. And the competition I'm going to tell you about is a very good thing. It's called 

The Great Power Race

and is sponsored by one of my favorite groups, 350.org.

The really great thing about this particular competition is that, in the long run, there are no real losers. :)

That said, it looks like the U.S. is already in last place:

India has registered 214 schools!

China brings in 2nd place with 173 schools,

and the USA currently has 98 schools signed up.

The race has begun . . .  :)

Happy Summer!

Hey, Kids! I hope you're enjoying your summer and finding some creative time! If you work on any special projects over the summer, be sure to bring them in to share with the class when school starts up again.

In the meantime, 

Stay Cool!

Operation: Art Show, and the Art of Jim Rowe

For the next 3 weeks, we'll be in 

Operation: Art Show 

mode, which means that most of the work being created in class will be  shown in the Open House/Art Show during the last week of this month. Hence, I won't be posting a lot of photos here. Instead, let's take some time to review what we'll be doing for the next 3 weeks . . .

Lily, Age 6, has been working on her bookmark for many, many weeks! Didn't she do a fantastic job? (above)

During May 4th through 6th:

All Classes: Continue with/finish current work . . .

Fiber Arts (Tues): We'll start weaving with different materials (cane, reed, sea grass). There will be 2 different projects. Younger students will create a simple(ish) work, while older students tackle a harder project.

Fiber Arts (Wed): We will finish our large weavings over the next several weeks. Students who would like to "bead" the edges of their works will get a chance to do this. Also, anyone who would prefer to add a wooden hanger (rather than beads) should let me know before the last day of school :)

Drawing and Painting (Tues/Wed): We will continue work on our Gestalt piece. The goal for this week is to finish whatever medium you need to finish (oil pastel, watercolor, acrylic).

Portraits (Tues/Wed): We will continue to refine our portrait drawing skills. Students should put their work into chronological order (in your portfolios). Each artist has been asked to identify their "first" portrait and their "best" portrait to display, diptych-style, in the art show. The best may be yet to come, so art show entries won't be put together until later.

Ceramics I and II (Tues/Wed): Over the next 3 weeks, our wares will be bisque fired and returned to HSC. We'll spend our class time glazing and painting our creations.

Drawing and Printmaking I and II (Thurs): We will continue finishing work in our portfolios, and picking entries for the art show. If you've come up with a title for your work, please let me  know!

Explorations in Art I and II: No class this week! Enjoy your field trip to My Art Workshop!

After finishing some Art Show entries, Nathan M. and Morgan F. had some fun during the last few minutes of class (above)

May 11th through 13th:

All Classes to Continue with Present Work in Progress!

See above for details! Otherwise:

Drawing and Painting (Tues/Wed): We will continue work on our Gestalt piece. The goal for this week is to finish whatever medium you need to finish (oil pastel, watercolor, acrylic), and to start thinking about a title for your work. Miss Heather and I will help you to re-attach your pieces. Those who are ready will use one medium (probably acrylics) to "tie" the three pieces together.

Explorations in Art I and II: This week we will discuss, compare and contrast, and critique a number of Abstract works, then create our own!

May 12th (Wed): Field trip to Pump It Up! Classes dismiss at 11:55 (immediately following Portraits class).

Several students in Tuesday's Fiber Arts class found time to do a second weaving! (above)

May 18th through 20th:

All Classes to Continue with Present Work in Progress!

See above for details! Otherwise:

Explorations in Art I and II: We will discuss American Indian Art, and then create a woven piece (Navajo inspired!) with paper. I have some beautiful papers to choose from, so this will be loads of fun!

All work in every class will (hopefully!) be complete at this point. We will decide which pieces to put into the Art Show (1 per student per class), and students will choose a title for their work. 

This week's van Gogh award goes to Nathan in Evergreen! Nathan's "untitled" work reminds me of a fence:

Great work, Nathan!

May 25th through 27th:

There will be lots going on this week! The most important thing is that we will be setting up the Art Show! All work will be mounted, labeled, and hung for the show. Once this is done, we'll spend our time cleaning out and organizing the art cabinets, cleaning up the clay tools and work boards, playing Art Games, and doing "free draw." :)

Cow in Leather, by Jim Rowe

This week's featured artist is 

Jim Rowe, a Canadian artist and illustrator.

The Fisherman, by Jim Rowe

Jim is entirely a self-taught artist, whose work falls into the category of "Outsider Art."

Care-Giver, by Jim Rowe

Jim states that, "The subject matter of my work is a study of myself and my interaction with my environment. I am able to uncover and symbolically sort out what is happening and how it affects me, through doodling. It is a form of automatic writing, only it is automatic drawing."

The Goaltender, by Jim Rowe