Mad Libs and Surrealism February 10, 2010

The 8th graders used MadLibs as inspiration for their surrealist paintings.  After playing a couple games, students began visualizing the impossible situations that were being described.  They looked at many Salvador Dali paintings, noticing the transformations and surprising combinations in his paintings.  The 8th graders were challenged to write creative sentences using 2 nouns, 1 adjective, 1 verb, and 1 place that were randomly drawn from a bag.  The watercolor paintings that were the result are a combination of detailed drawing and painting; and evoke the unusual and impossibilities of Surrealism.

Camouflage Chameleons February 9, 2010

The junior kindergarteners know all about camouflage!  After reading A Color of His Own, by Leo Lionni, the class discussed how important it is to feel unique.  They colored one lizard any way they wanted.  The next class, the students looked at photos of camouflaged animals in the wild, including frogs, birds, insects, big cats, and fish.  The students discussed why an animal might want or need camouflage.  They colored a second lizard to blend in to its surroundings.  The result is a drawing & collage of 2 lizards, one standing out and one camouflaged.  Now, the junior kindergarteners are hard at work making 3D lizards, using plastic bottles, aluminum foil, and plaster gauze.  They are learning the difference between 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional.

Some of the camouflaged chameleons:

Bruno’s camouflaged lizard is hiding in a rainbow and James’ is hiding underwater with the rocks.

Sonya’s camouflaged lizard is hiding in the flowers and Jeremiah’s lizard is hiding in the seaweed.

Evergreen Trees continued February 9, 2010

The kindergarteners keep exploring evergreen trees.  Looking at several different varieties of evergreen trees, the students realized the needles on trees can come in many different sizes, shapes, and colors.  Using this knowledge, the students drew evergreen needles and branches into foam plates.  First, they printed the plates using ink and brayers.  Second, they pressed clay into the foam relief drawing to capture the branch in a clay disk.

Some examples of the prints:
(the clay disks still have to be fired and glazed, coming soon!)

February Art Exhibit February 2, 2010

Four Burgers is currently exhibiting kindergarten paintings.  A small display of evergreen landscape paintings will be hanging for the month of February.  Please visit Four Burgers at 704 Mass Ave in Central Square!

Other upcoming Morse School shows:

March- Creatoyvity
April- Rodney’s Bookstore
April- Gallery 263 Morse School Art Show
May- Cambridge Open Studios
May- Cambridge Public Schools Annual Spring Exhibition

State Birds February 2, 2010

4th graders are constructing armatures for their paper mache bird sculptures.  Students have been inspired by John James Audubon to study a bird and how it can be recreated in art.  Every student has been assigned a state bird (plus a few other North American species).  They are just about done with the life size armature, or inside structure of a sculpture, and are ready to begin the paper mache-ing.

Below, the armatures for a loon, a sandpiper, and a seagull.

Pearl Art Store sale! January 28, 2010

Pearl Art Store in Central Square is going out of business.  Everything in the store is 75% off, and it appears they’ll only be open for 2 or 3 more days.  If you want some cheap art supplies, go fast!

Wire Sculptures January 22, 2010

The 5th grade installations are complete.  To view (and print) the high resolution pictures, click here.

Primitive Art January 22, 2010

While learning about the Ice Age and cave art, 1st graders had the opportunity to make art in a primitive way.  They made animal collages- without color and without scissors.  They had only browns, black, and gray to create the animals, and they had to tear and rip the paper into the animal shapes.  After creating the collage and adding background details, the students “signed” their names with handprints.

Evergreen Trees January 20, 2010

Landscapes can be tricky, but kindergarteners are starting to understand them.  Looking at various landscapes, they are noticing that closer objects are larger in size than objects that are far away.  Those objects that are far away are always closer to the horizon line.  To practice, the students drew 4 evergreen trees in a couple different sizes to show their distance from the viewer.

To paint the evergreen trees, the kindergarteners learned about shades of colors.  Looking at their clothes, they realized that jeans can be several different shades of blue.  Looking at landscape paintings, they saw that trees can be several different shades of green.  Each tree in their paintings started as green, then 4 other colors were mixed in, to create a shade of green.

Art at Mariposa Bakery January 12, 2010

Mariposa Bakery is the current host for our Morse Art in the Community initiative.  From January 10th-February 10th, the bakery is displaying the 5th grade shell drawings.  Please visit!  Mariposa is also hosting an opening reception for the 5th graders and their friends and familyon Friday, January 22, from 5-7pm.

Mariposa Bakery does not have a website, but here is their information:
424 Mass Ave in Central Square, phone #: (617) 876-6500

Future community art shows:
February- Four Burgers
March- Creatoyvity
April- Rodney’s Bookstore
April- Gallery 263 Morse School Art Show
May- Cambridge Open Studios
May- Cambridge Public Schools Annual Spring Exhibition