After seeing the weeds in the garden sitting in trash bags about to be disposed with the wonderful help of Upper El students, I had an idea to upcycle the garden materials! How could we use the garden scraps and natural materials for art so we're not wasting plant materials but instead using them for art?! Upper elementary artists learned about reliefs and how to place their natural materials in such a way that highlighted the texture of their chosen leaf vein structure. We then painted and burnished our leaf reliefs to allow the texture to show through the black paint. Hidden in these beautiful works of art are actual leaves and plant materials from our TSM campus! We then chose a color scheme and created a textured background on which to display our leaf reliefs. During this project, we also studied the artwork of Andy Goldsworthy and learned of his love and respect for the environment in which he creates his artwork.
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Primary artists learned about all of the different types of lines that can be used to create: paintings, drawings, and sculptures. We learned a funny "Larry the Line" song to remind us that if we can move our bodies to make lines we can also draw them on our artwork. We then viewed several paintings and sculptures by Alexander Calder. We learned that he loved to create artwork with lines and he also used a lot of primary colors in his work. We learned that there are 3 primary colors and then we experimented with watercolor painting using only the 3 primary colors. What a fun project to learn about primary colors, lines, and appropriate use of paint materials in the art room!
After learning some interesting facts about Spanish artist, Picasso, Lower Elementary artists studied portraits by Picasso. We compared the style of Picasso's creative portraits and how they would look if they were not painted but captured by a camera. We learned that Picasso is a cubist and abstract artist who does not follow the normal rules of proportion! After creating our pieces we took some time to write "I am" poems about ourselves. Look how creative these self-portraits and writing samples are!
This past week, I was lucky enough to be able to participate in a full day Professional Development opportunity just for Elementary Art Teachers. I spent the day collaborating with other CMS Art Teachers and diving deeper into literacy integration, art curriculum alignment with the release of a new curriculum guide, and a studio space to create and explore new project ideas. I cannot wait to try out this David Hockney collaboration piece, I created with 2 other art teachers, with our Trillium Springs Artists!
Primary students learned the difference between how humans live today and how they lived around 20,000 years ago. We discussed art materials, fire as a light source, and tools used. Then, we viewed photos of the cave paintings in the Lascaux Caves of France. We described the content: animals, hand prints, bows and arrows, people, and pictures of nature. Next we created texture on our paper by crumpling and then flattening it back out again. All of the lovely artwork we created was made in cave-like low lighting in the art room. What a fun way to go back in time and learn how different life was a long time ago!
This year, I have been working hard to promote our student artwork both within the school and at outside events. So far I have been focusing on the Sunroom area of our cafeteria space. My goal is to have the frames filled with beautiful student work created by out Trillium Springs artists. I love seeing the children light up when they see their work on display! Currently on display is the artwork of Rebecca Ferguson, Sara Mahoney, and Messiah Mayhan. I also have framed the Dot Day full school collaboration pieces from both this year and last year. Enjoy all of the lovely art decorating our school walls! (Sorry about the terrible picture quality and the glare)
Festival in the Park is celebrating its 53rd annual arts festival this year. The festival will take place at Freedom Park from September 22nd-24th. This family outing is a great chance to engage the whole family in an arts experience including: dance performances, artist vendors, great music, carnival rides, and festival food! In addition to over 150 artists and crafts people that will be set up selling their work, there will also be elementary, middle, and high school art display boards set up along the lake. I am so proud to announce that this year I have chosen two Trillium Springs artists to have their artwork displayed at the Festival! I hope you all can come out to see their beautiful work on display. Congratulations Simone Cababa and Kayla Barr!
International Dot Day was celebrated this past Friday, September 15th, at TSM! Throughout the week of the 15th, when your child had art, we worked on a collaborative art piece using the theme of Peter H. Reynolds book "The Dot". "The Dot" is one of my favorite picture books because of the beautiful message it shares with children about having the courage to "make your mark" on the world by spreading creativity in your own individual way. I was happy to see so many students decked out in dots this past Friday! What a great day it was to celebrate spreading creativity, encouraging others, and making a positive mark on the world!
In celebration of Read Across America Week, Primary, Lower, and Upper Elementary Students worked on a Dr. Seuss inspired art piece. Primary children read "Oh, The Places You'll Go" and described the landscapes they saw in the book. Afterwards we turned 2-Dimensional paper scraps into 3-Dimensional landscapes. The children were so creative when describing their artwork, I even heard one student describe his landscape as a skate park! So neat! Upper elementary also read "Oh, The Places You'll Go" and began creating their hot air balloons. The children have worked hard on constructing and designing their balloons that are still in progress. Even the teachers joined in on the fun!
Happy Youth Art Month to all of my lovely CMS students! Special Congratulations go out to my 5 Trillium Springs Students who had work selected for the CMS Art Show. Akirah, Jack, Messiah, Sara, and Kyndahl worked so hard on their pieces and were proud to see their work on display at Spirit Square Uptown. It was a great night to celebrate the Arts!
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