Color Me Happy!!

 "Creativity is contagious, pass it on" - Albert Einstein 

As we approach our February vacation students in all grades are finishing work on their pieces so we can start fresh when we return from our winter break. 

The time we spent in art classes so far this year has been focused on line, color, and shape. Our focus coming back from February break will be more on form, and texture, and different ways we can create these elements in our artwork. 

Kindergartners and First Graders : got in the Valentines day spirit and have been spreading the "LOVE" through their beautiful paintings. 

2nd Graders: Have finished their symmetrical paintings. Students have really gained a greater understanding about symmetry and how to find symmetry in other artworks. 

3rd Graders: Have finished working on their Australian Aboriginal art inspired paintings. I love how each student was given an example and directions and each student discovered a unique way of solving this creative problem. 

4th Graders: Began a collage project this week and will continue with this until vacation. They are using colored paper to create a self portrait. Students were tasked with creating a unique and little abstract portrait. I have been so impressed with each student’s take on this assignment. These fourth graders are growing into amazing artists, and I am so excited about each student’s  ability to manipulate new material to create one of a kind pieces. These fourth graders should be proud of their work!

Fifth Graders: began a short symmetry project where their name was written in cursive and transferred to create a symmetrical design. Students were asked to turn their symmetrical name into a bug, creature, or monster. Each student is thinking about this assignment in their own way and transforming their name into works of magnificent art. 

We are all looking forward to what is coming up next in art class. When we return from vacation students in grades K-2 will begin working with clay, printmaking and creating a beautiful project inspired by stained glass windows. 

3-5 students will be exploring clay, printmaking, and 3D printing. 

We are all excited about what is to come. 

With vacation approaching I encourage your students to find time to be creative everyday. Here are some ideas to keep your student busy over the break! 

During free time in art class students have painted wood cookies. These mini masterpieces will be hanging on the trails at Valentine Farm. The winter fest will run from Saturday February 19th - Sunday February 25th. You can enjoy the story walk, sledding, snowshoeing on the trails, and looking for hidden art gems on the trails. 

Another idea for students to get creative is to be inspired by the art of Andy Goldsworthy. 

He uses nature as his palette. With all the beautiful snow I would encourage students to create and explore with natural materials that they are surrounded by. You can check out some ideas below. 

Artists at work!

 

"What do pirates do in their free time? They make ARRRRRRRT!" 

With February vacation quickly approaching students are using these next few weeks to complete one more masterpiece before our break. We will do our best to complete these projects so when we return from vacation we can start fresh with some new and exciting projects! 

Our kindergarteners have just created AMAZING fish. Each one is so unique and reflects each students ideas and individuality. As part of this assignment students were tasked with weaving. This is often challenging and our kindergartners did a fantastic job of doing their very best at weaving. Each student should be so proud of their beautiful fish. 

First Graders began a self portrait project these past few weeks focused on the zones of regulation. The zones of regulation are a way for students to identify how they are feeling and help them consciously regulate their actions, which in turn leads to increased control and problem solving abilities. Each student was tasked with drawing a self portrait of themselves when they are happy, angry/mad, sad, and anxious/worried. Students then painted their background to reflect the color that corresponded to their portrait of the same emotion. The results are magnificent! 

Second Graders have finished up their beautiful chalk pastel landscapes. I was so impressed at each students unique way of creating and adding color to their abstract landscapes. 

They just began a new project exploring symmetry and creating an original symmetrical design. Each student was asked to create their own design to demonstrate their understanding of this concept. They are just in the beginning stages, so stay tuned..

Third Graders have finished up their self portraits. Each portrait created has a drawing of the student and on top of their portrait student wrote 2-3 sentences about what their goals and dreams are for the future. This was a time consuming project but the results are fantastic! And have begun work on a beautiful painting inspired by Australian Aboriginal art, so far i have been impressed with each students take on this assignment.  

Fourth Graders have been experimenting with color mixing in their latest project. This was not an easy project and the fourth graders did an absolutely amazing job with the drawing and the painting. They continue to surprise and amaze me each week with their growth as artists. 

Fifth Graders are combining some science and art in their recent integrated assignment. Students looked at images of plant and animal cells and from those created an abstract painting inspired by the cells. Each painting is an original and unique. It was fascinating to see how each student manipulated the cells to discover and create their own original design. 

As students begin to finish assignments they will be given the opportunity to create some artwork that will be on display at Valentine Farm over February vacation. More details about this opportunity will be posted in the coming weeks.