Abstraction a la Franz Kline!

Fourth grade students have been studying the abstract artwork of Franz Kline.

Kline was a big part of the Abstract Expressionist movement in the 1950s and painted large canvases using enamel house paint! We love the lines and the simplicity of his artwork.  

Abstraction is a tricky concept for child and adult artists alike and often our brains try to find forms and objects in the abstraction. Our focus in this lesson was creating a strong composition and balance in the artwork.

These fourth grade artists used a limited palette (only black and red!) to create Franz Kline-esque abstractions! They will be writing about the process of creating their abstract painting very soon! I will be sure to post some of the writing!

Update: I'm adding a few photos of the same lesson with a different class!

 Franz Kline often painted his abstract artwork on newspaper. This PES 4th grade class created a newspaper collage before painting their abstract expressive lines on top!

Recycled Art

During the summers, I teach in a gifted and talented visual arts program for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. It is awesome.

Before I graduated and was certified to teach, I was an assistant in the same program. It was an incredible experience for me- I was working with some of the best teachers I knew and taking some major notes! There is no better way to learn than to observe the best.

During one of these summers, we had a recycling theme. Long story short, it became my job to tame the art-making materials (i.e. garbage). I was knee-deep in empty cereal boxes for weeks (Thanks, Amanda). But the collages and art pieces that were created that summer were worth it. I keep one of mine in my classroom and use it as an example of recycled art. Plus it makes me laugh.

My example... yay, meatball hair!

I really do love teaching lessons that involve recycled materials. It really helps kids see art-making as more accessible and interesting.

Usually these lessons are taught in April because I like the way it fits with Earth Day. But I resolved to clean out my classroom and the recycled "supplies" were piling up, so we started early this year! Fourth graders started recycled material portrait collages recently. We looked at portraits by a variety of artists-  from van Gogh to Bearden and Lichtenstein. I think they are off to a really good start!

I'll keep you updated on their progress! They're going to look awesome!

The MoMA has some great portraiture lesson ideas on their Modern Teachers  site!

What happened in the kiln?!

Never fear! That isn't an explosion, it's beads! Lots and lots of beads!

 Fourth grade students and I have been looking at Native American jewelry, particularly Mexican clay beads.
However, I learned recently that when the Spanish came to Mexico in the16th century, they pretty much destroyed the beadmaking tradition there. So the beadmaking in Mexico is primarily based on newer techniques. It's beautiful, nonetheless.
So, PES fourth graders have been quite industrious with the making of these beads, and some of the jewelry that has come as a result is quite interesting.

Making the beads, checking for light on the other side of the hole!

Red and white clay swirled

Stringing the beads

A textured pendant!

Gesture Drawings

I love teaching figure drawing to fourth graders. Maybe because it's one of my favorites. But also because they're just the right age- old enough to be successful with it, but not old enough to be too self conscious about the whole thing. 

My 4th graders practiced figurative gesture drawings and they had one minute for each drawing. The model switched poses every minute and we switched models every three poses, so the pace was fast!

Topics of Discussion:

Many artists (from the past and current) used models to create realistic images.

How do you think it would feel to work as a model for an artist?

Triangle Fold Books

Above is Alex's book about his heritage!

Fourth Grade students have LOVED creating books using a triangle accordion fold. Each artist chose their own unique theme for their book. We have books on guitars, books on animals, books with written stories, books with math problems, and lots more! They look wonderful and the artists are VERY proud of their masterpieces!

After School Program Fun!

The Lights On For After School Program a couple weeks ago was a great success! Fourth graders designed t-shirts for their dance performance.

Fifth grade afterschoolers created Ugly Face Jugs to display for the program.

Figure Studies

Fourth grade 1-minute figure studies have been so much fun and have turned out so well! The artists have really enjoyed posing just as much as they enjoy drawing each other. Some of these poses were tricky to draw, but the drawings look amazing!