Happy Vacation!

Enjoy the break everyone! I look forward to making great art with you after some good rest! :)

Thank you for the "STUFF"!

I just want to thank everyone for their wonderful donations. At this point, I am no longer in need of egg cartons or toilet paper/paper towel rolls. However, I am in desperate need of coffee cans (or other can that size), oatmeal containers, and I am LOVIN' the bottle caps!

Thanks again!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

"Kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful!"

~Neil Gaiman~

February is FORM Month!

Love is in the Air!

In art, we are going to be spreadin’ the love through the use of papier mache. This will be our first exploration into the three-dimensional world of sculpture and the study of form in art. The Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Frameworks states that, “For form, explore the use of forms in 3D works. Identify simple forms, for example, spheres, cones, cubes, in the environment and in artwork.”  Students at all levels will be creating art focused on this understanding.

Kindergarten will be introduced to papier mache through the creation of three-dimensional heart forms. This will also be kindergarten's first introduction to the world of paint. They will be making tints of red through mixing red and white paint. I am requesting that kindergarten students bring in one newspaper for this  activity.

First graders will be studying the art of Louise Nevelson, an artist who created three-dimensional relief sculptures from found objects. Students will be creating their own relief sculptures through the use of popsicle sticks and found objects. I am requesting that you please send your child in with a labeled baggy of random objects for their sculpture, such as buttons, bottle caps, puzzle pieces, leaves, paper clips, or other small objects that may look interesting once papier mached.

The second grade students will be studying artist Claes Oldenburg, an artist who specializes in a concept called magnification, which means changing  perceptual responses to an object by making it larger. Students will create everyday objects such as pencils or crayons in a larger-than-life size. Students are asked to bring in an empty cereal box and come in with some idea of what they would like to create.

Oaxacan sculpture created by woodcarvers of the Oaxaca Valley in Mexico will be studied by the third grade as they create stylized animal sculptures using papier mache techniques. Students will finish by adding imaginatively painted colors and patterns. Please have your third grader come prepared with an empty cereal box.

Artist Alberto Giacometti will be the inspiration for papier mache figures created by the fourth grade. Giacometti created uniquely fashioned sculptures of human beings. I am asking that fourth graders bring in one empty cereal box for this activity.

An exploration of self will be made by the fifth graders through the creation of a    personal totem. Totem poles were used by many different indigenous peoples of varying beliefs to depict the relationship between animals, celestial bodies, plants and landscapes, and also human groups. Many of the images on a totem pole are said to be symbolic. Fifth grade will study these symbols and use the information to create a totem that has personal meaning to them. All fifth graders are asked to bring in an empty 11 or 12 oz. coffee can, as well as an empty cereal box for this activity.

Thank you to everyone who has sent in items on my art materials wish list. Keep the stuff coming! Sending lovingkindness to you all!

Stay Creative! :)

Papier Mache

Hello Everyone!

I just wanted to give a quick reminder that our papier mache unit begins tomorrow. It is going to be a messy few weeks in the art room, so be sure your kiddos dress appropriately. Aprons will be worn, but when you mix elementary students with wet paper and paste, craziness ensues! :)

The classees who have art tomorrow include 5F, 4R, 3G, 2L, and 1Co. Please remember that fifth graders need to bring in a 14 oz. (approx.) coffee can and a cereal box; second, third, and fourth graders need to bring a cereal box; and first graders need a baggy filled with everyday objects labeled with their name. Thank you in advance for your support.

I would also like to thank those of you who have sent in supplies from my wish list. They will be very useful in the weeks to come!

Enjoy your Sunday!