Green Hei Gen

Students learned about Chinese artist Zhou Chunya and his Green Dog series. Students could bring in a picture of a pet and used image from magazines to inspire their own green dogs. We discussed why the artist may have chosen green and what emotions and messages he was trying to convey in his work.

Glue-resist Self Portraits DK - 2nd grades

This was my second self portrait lesson on 8.5 x 5.5 inch paper. The first year was a tape resist and tempera paints on black paper. For the 2008 - 2009 school year students made a glue resist with colored chalk on black paper. These examples were made by first and second graders.

Michigan's Endangered Speicies

December 2008 I visited Cranbrook which was exhibiting prints and photographs from Andy Warhol. Part of the show was a collection of prints titled Endangered Species. I was thinking about developing a science/art lesson which incorporated Warhol, printmaking, and regional endangered species. While researching Warhol I discovered he collaborated on a book with scientist Kurt Benirschke titled Vanishing animals. Warhol's resulting art was a combination of collage and printmaking. To prepare my students I introduced them to local endangered species: The Spotted Turtle and the Marbled Salamander. I didn't even know these species existed in our region until I started researching for this lesson.
The students colored with paint, outlined with marker, applied tissue paper collage, and squeezed paint from a bottle to make an off-set "registration line."

Second grade Students' Klimt Portraits

A study in Klimt, patterning, portraits resulted in these charming mixed media pictures.

Da Vinci Machines

I think has to be the project that demanded the most of my students higher order thinking skills. Students used view finders to locate graphic images in magazines. The purpose and scale of the images were distorted and used to design an original machine of unique purpose.

In the following image the student didn't follow all the lesson requirements. Still, his invention showed an extraordinary talent and imagination.

Da Vinci Memories

I called this Modigliani Lisa.

We called this one Mona Lester.




These are just a few of my favorite images from last year's Da Vinci Unit with the 7th graders.

This was a lesson in using the grid method. Students were given an image of the Mona Lisa with a grid drawn over it. They then attempted a square by square transfer of the lines within that square to a pre-gridded paper. They repeated the process on a piece of cardboard onto which they had drawn a grid. After transferring their lines they applied color (colored chalk) - inventively if they so chose.

Klimt The Teacher's working examples

Artist Trading Cards

The third and fourth grade students' cards were displayed on the the banners. The seventh grade cards were displayed using the foam pyramids.

Inspiring the Teacher

It's been awhile since my last entry. I apologize to all the fans of the site. Over the Christmas break I had some enriching experiences. I went and saw an art show at the DIA that was from the Cleveland Museum's collection. Works included in the exhibit were from Mondrian, Dali, Magritte, Picasso, Renoir, Rodan, Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, and others. There were many beautiful works, but a few are branded on my soul. What I find to be art's most masterful technical achievement is its ability to stir my heart. Many of the works made me wistful while sparking my imagination. The Dali had a painful quality to it, but the colors were so electric that I felt like I was looking at work that was created in the 70's rather than the 1920's.
I went to the Detroit Science Center to see the da Vinci exhibit and I visited the Heidelberg Project. (The car hoods are more charming in person.) All of these events help me to see the world in ways daily life cannot. Picture images and imagining cannot replace seeing objects person.

Seventh Grade Artist Trading Cards

Before making our trading cards students were given PowerPoint presentations on creativity & originality, also one on high quality examples of trading cards.
I gave students some activities to draw out their creativity that are based on techniques used in writing classes. I emphasized story, message, and emotions. Additionally, students were given several mini lessons regarding materials, and techniques for creating engaging trading cards including Styrofoam & marker prints, sand paper & crayon transfers, crayon and black tempera etchings,tape resist, glue resist, rubbings, water soluble marker washing, and line drawing.

Georgia O'Keefe Style Chrysanthemums

Water based markers washed with water.
DK, K and 1st graders were introduced to Georgia O'Keefe and her inflated compositions of flowers. Students were encouraged to leave the tips of the petals off the page, but this was really heard for them. These little ones tend to interpret what that know about the subject and ignore the boundaries of the paper.