Frank Stella Mobiles

In the spring my students took two paintings, one made using cool colors, the other using warm colors and glued them back to back. Then they began cutting and twisting until they discovered something that they loved. Finally they stapled them together and put a string through a hole punch to hang the mobile. A few examples of this Frank Stella inspired project are below.

Quilling

The sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students tried their hands at the old art of Quilling and after some practice and experimentation they came up with the following:






Yes. This is the work of my elementary students. Are they talented or what?!

Frida and the Fifth (and Fourth)

Last winter the fourth and fifth graders studied Frida Kahlo and the reasons why she often created self-portraits. We looked at The Frame before creating our own self-portraits. More pictures to come of the artwork once the students created their frames to surround the portraits.

Kindergarten Matisse

This year the Art Institute of Chicago had a major Henri Matisse exhibit and the kindergarten class celebrated by cutting up some paper.

Things are Pretty Wild in Art

First and second grade were really excited about the release of the movie that came from their favorite book, Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. The watercolor paintings that resulted scared up a lot of attention in the hallway!

Klee Fish in Fifth Grade

The fourth and fifth grade students flexed their creative muscles and thier knowledge of lines to create these watercolor paintings inspired by Paul Klee.

7th grade monochromatic trees

The seventh grade students learned how to mix colors with black (shade) and white (tint) and gray
(tone) in preparation for these winter wonderscapes. They really show the students' varied moods and styles in this fledgling attempt at painting. I am excited to continue painting with them this year as eighth graders!

6th Grade Alma Thomas Study

The sixth graders learned about Alma Thomas and ROV G BIV for this lesson and out of that came these beauties. I love laminating for preserving hallway art but not for fly-by flash shooting. For such simple painting this process really cracks the students' personalities wide open.

Catch Up

Please stay tuned as I have a lot of photographs and witty comments to add to catch you up on last year. Although my love affair with my mac laptop remains strong, it has recently hijacked my beautiful classroom website. Thank goodness for blogger.com. You may also be rewarded for your loyal checking-in with pictures of my trip to Europe this summer.

From the beginning...

Last year was such a wonderful year for art making. I can think of no better way to share this experience with you than through pictures. Please enjoy.



In the opening month first through third grade learned about symmetry while creating aliens and flower vases. Did I mention that I love painting with sponges? Kindergarten learned how to use the shapes we know to draw things like owls, and color them with oil pastels. Beautiful! Third grade also utilized familiar shapes to immortalize their homes like the folk artists we had been studying.
Kindergartners worked with shapes and layout while learning their "P's & Q's" in the art room.

Welcome!

Welcome to The Art Room!
In the art room you will find creative solutions to everyday problems discovered by my students and myself on a regular basis. I have this new blog in preparation for the new year and new adventures in art and life. While I set up for this new year please look through a synopsis of the last four years below. Thanks for visiting!