Art on the web and beyond

Some fun art websites:
an interactive, art making website:
http://www.picassohead.com/

Boston Museum of Fine Arts
http://www.mfa.org/

Want to find out about an artist or type of art? Look here:
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/

Baltimore Museum of Fine Arts, click on the right hand side of the page that says Matisse for Kids:
http://www.artbma.org/educators/index.html

Keith Harring's Coloring Book!
http://www.haringkids.com/coloringbook/index.html

Make a Jackson Pollock without the mess!
http://www.jacksonpollock.org/

Surreal Painter!
http://www.wadsworthatheneum.org/painter/painter.php

A little art on the web! :)

Artist in Residence

Our Artist in Residence program is quickly approaching! The first week will be January 10-14th and then the second week will be February 14th-18th. Our Night of the Arts where K-5 students will be displaying their work from Artist in Residence and throughout the school year will be on Thursday, March 17th, hence the "Green Theme"for St. Patrick's Day!

The artist this year will be Jamie LaPerle. A muralist, painter and hair stylist! She is multi-talented, enthusiastic and really into saving the Earth by creating 'green art'. The students this year will be focusing on creating different types of individual sculptures using things that are usually thrown out. The school wide project will be a type of mural that will focus on the beauty of the Earth! 

I'm very excited for this project both for the creative part and for the educational aspect of thinking about what we throw out on a daily basis. I'm sure the students will enjoy Ms. LaPerle's fun, upbeat and cheery personality. Please feel free to email me at mccarthyje@franklin.k12.ma.us or call me at the school with questions or if you are interested in helping in the art room in any way!

Here are some examples of art from artists that use recycled materials:

Just say No!

To bottled water. Since we are focusing on recycling as art this year, here is a great video and cartoon for our students to watch. Please watch it with your child so that you can discuss "The Story of Bottled Water."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0
This video is by Annie Leonard. It's great and very informative.

Gallery 218

Gallery 218 is a gallery located in the cafeteria of the Franklin High School. It is a great space that is dedicated to show student work, K-12. The current show is "Black & White". 8 student works from Jefferson Elementary were chosen and are currently being displayed at the gallery. 4th & 5th grade works were chosen because of the theme of black and white. Students in 4th and 5th grade had created self-portraits that were black and white and shades of gray. There are pencil drawings and charcoal drawings as well. The opening for the show is December 7th from 5-7 pm in the Franklin High School cafeteria. Live music and light refreshments will be provided. It is a fun event, to see the work, meet other artists and chat with the art faculty. Hope you can join us.

Thanks!

Keep those pieces of "trash" coming in! I am very excited looking into all these bags and seeing all the fun things we will get to use. Please have your child bring the items right to the art room. Even if I'm not there they can leave it inside the door.

So keep that stuff coming in!!!

Other things....

I was thinking about other things that could be used to make art that people may just throw away....how about game pieces? If a game is missing pieces, instead of throwing it out, use it to make art! Old cd's, puzzle pieces, cassette tapes, crayons, marker tops, markers, playing cards.

I've been putting things like this out for the students all year in the "Help Yourself" area. If there is extra time during a class, they can use the discarded materials to create works of art. The projects are very cool and creative. The ideas and the new ways inwhich they use the different materials. It amazes me, the great works they come up with!

Keeps those items coming in!! Thanks!

Items are coming in!

A great thanks to the items that are coming in for the Artist in Residence project! Lots of students are bringing all sorts of paper, plastic bags, bottles, etc! Very exciting! Keep them coming!

Thanks!

"Sugar Skulls"

Students in fourth grade created some really great sugar skulls for Dias de los Muertos. As a class we looked at some photographs of sugar skulls, skeletons and decorations that the people of Mexico use to celebrate this centuries old day that honors their dead.

Sugar Skulls are candy for children, they are decorated with frosting. We drew skulls inspired by the real things. Take a look at the beautiful designs, lines, flowers and fanciful colors of our Sugar Skulls.

 

Adios!

Art Chat

Today someone screamed in the art room. And I said, very seriously, "There is no screaming in the art room. I am the only one that is allowed to scream in here." So all the students got quiet. And one student says, "We are allowed to scream in the gym." And I replied, "Yes, that is fine, but not in here because..." And before I could continue the same student says, "Yeah, because the art room is classy."

You got it! We're keeping it classy in the Jefferson Art Room!

Student Art Work

                                                        Adire Cloth                                                             

Students in Third Grade created designs on fabric in the style of a tribe of Nigerian woman. Adire cloth is made by applying starch to fabric. Wherever the starch is, the cloth stays white. When the starch dries the woman of the tribe dye the fabric blue. Using dye from the indigo plant. Here are our student's creations based on tradition Adire fabrics.

Reminder

Just a reminder that for the first few months of school I keep most of the student's art work. This way we have lots to choose from for Night of the Arts that will be on Thursday, March 17th, 2011! Can't wait to see you there!!!

October & November

Student are working very diligently in the Art Studio! Students are finishing up self-portraits and are moving onto artworks based on the season. Students K&1 are creating leaves, pumpkins and monsters as we speak.

Third and fourth graders will be focusing on the crafts native to the Americas. Third graders will be starting luminaries based on Colonial American arts and crafts.While, fourth graders will be learning how to weave using a variety of discarded fabrics, yarn and ribbons. Many Native Americans are know for their beautiful weavings and this will be stressed and used as a base for the weaving lesson.

Fifth graders are continuing their knowledge of the Ancient South American civilizations by creating masks basked on Incan funerary masks. The students learned that many of these masks, made of gold and silver, were taken by the Spanish during their invasion and melted down to make coins and swords. The students will create masks from various discarded materials.

Lots of great things are happening in the Art Studio. Keep checking back for photos of student work!

What's new in the Art Studio!

Students are working on self portraits! They are awesome. Lots of different kinds are being created:
Self-portraits a la Paul Klee by the kindergarteners
1st grade created simple line drawings. Sometimes simple black and white drawings are the best!!
2nd grade is creating self-portraits that are inspired by Gustav Klimt where the focus is on pattern, not so much on an exact representation of their face.
3rd grade learned of Vincent van Gogh and his Expressionist style of art work, where color is the most important part of the art work.
4th and 5th grade are creating amazing self portraits using either pencil or charcoal and using shading to develop form. So amazing.

Yay Jefferson Artists!!!

The Mona Lisa

A Conversation in the Jefferson Art Studio after discussing portraits and self-portraits:

Student One: "Wow, that lady doesn't have any eye brows."
Ms. McCarthy: "So why do you think that is?"
Student Two: "Well, maybe she didn't have any."
Ms. McCarthy: "Sure, what else?"
Student One: "Nah, I think the artist just forgot to put them on!"

:)