Jazz Murals December 24, 2009

The first graders have just made the music room more colorful.  They have been listening to a lot of jazz music and reading books about jazz.  Working on large scale murals, they imagined what jazz music looks like.  They included music notes, instruments, dancing people, and words.  After learning about the concept of murals- large scale public art for everyone to enjoy- the students will have their collages installed in the music room.

Some of the books read in class:
Charlie Parker Played Be Bop, by Raschka
Jazz Baby, by Lisa Wheeler
I Live in Music, by Ntozake Shange
Bring on that Beat, by Rachel Isadora

Class Quilt

Ms. Walsh’s class has made another collaborative project.  They began by making paste paper in the style of Eric Carle; this paper was meant to mimic the patterns and texture of fabric.  Following classic quilt square patterns, the students each made 4 designs using their paper.  The squares were arranged along with some self portraits for the final quilt.

Some close-ups of the quilt squares:

Totem Pole Animals December 22, 2009

The kindergarteners were challenged to create a flying animal, a walking animal, and a swimming animal to place on their totem poles.  The actual poles were painted in patterns using primary colors, reinforcing their knowledge of the colors.  Some of great ideas they had included:  bats, eagles, bees, dragonflies, butterflies, owls, tigers, spiders, elephants, rabbits, jellyfish, turtles, seals, and horses.

Optical Illusions December 12, 2009

The 6th graders are just starting a unit on Op Art.  They are learning about Bridget Riley‘s distinct style of painting lines very close together, which play tricks on the eyes.

The students are also being exposed to the many, many optical illusions that exist, which provided inspiration for the Op Art movement.

Some great websites of optical illusions can be found here:
Animated Optical Illusions
Popular Optical Illusions
Illusions by Category

The students try their hand at Op Art:

Gallery 263 Art Classes December 5, 2009

Our neighbors at Gallery 263 are now offering afterschool art classes!

Wednesdays:
3-4pm, kindergarden – 2nd grade
4-5pm, 3rd – 6th grade

Thursdays:
3-5pm, 7th – 9th grade

Their poster is here for more information.

Shell Drawings December 4, 2009

The 5th graders learned about Leonardo da Vinci and the influence of the Renaissance.  Because Leonardo made many sketches of human skeletons in his journals, the students drew shells (as close to bones as we could get).  They made careful observational drawings.  Using viewfinders and magnifying glasses, they zoomed in closer for a better and more detailed look.

December Art Exhibit December 1, 2009

Whole Foods Market, at River St and Putnam St, is the newest gallery space for our artwork.  For the month of December, visit the cafe at Whole Foods to view 3rd grade still life drawings.  The students observed gourds and pumpkins for their still lifes, using line weight to differentiate between close objects and far objects.  They used water color paints and colored pencils for color, detail, and shadows.

Please visit Whole Foods to see the artwork!