Visual Arts

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." - MAYA ANGELOU

Communicating with the Specialist Team

We look forward to partnering with you in 2024, and welcome your input:

Danielle Haines (Visual Arts) danielle.haines@education.vic.gov.au

Foundation students have drawn, painted, cut, layered, pasted, curled feelers and added some sparkle to complete their mixed media butterflies with amazing results! Some of these have already gone up on display with more to go up soon.

This week we made a start on our next painting project, using acrylic paint to fill in the turtle shape. Students focus on brush control to paint within the space, and cleaning brushes well to keep their colours bright. They were able to use a variety of tools to print lines and patterns on their turtles. Students experimented with ideas to make their work unique. In the coming weeks we will continue to explore printing techniques and stamping in our art.

Year One and Two have been exploring the idea of expressing joy in an artwork. This project is inspired y the book 'Joy' by Corrinne Averiss about a little girl who tried to capture joy to cheer up her grandma. Students reflected on the things and people that bring them joy and considered how colours might help them express joy in their artwork. Each week we added a new layer to our swoosh of joy with watercolour paints, printing with acrylic paint and bubble wrap and adding extra details with paint pens and glitter. With a little mess came smiles of joy, all captured in our nets.

Year Three and Four students have begun their portfolio piece, examining the works of Winslow Homer and other artists who explored oceans and weather in art. Students participated in great discussions about what they, see, think and wonder when they look at an image, learning to use the information in front of them to help them understand what is happening. Each student has decided what the weather will be dong in their artwork and used what we have learnt to help them determine colours and styles of brush strokes needed to express their ideas. Construction is underway and after painting ocean with acrylic paint, and sky with watercolour paint. This contrast helps to highlight features and allows us to create waves with paper collage techniques. There are some particularly stormy skies for sailing starting to appear as well as glorious evening sunsets. Stay tuned for the finished pieces.

Year Five and Six students have been painting tonal backgrounds and patterned painted papers to use for their Melanie Hava inspired artwork. After choosing an Australian animal, students have made design decisions for analogous colours needed for their backgrounds, as well as creating patterned painted paper to use for the features in the weeks to come. Patients has been needed to create dot features to add to the illustrative qualities of the work with a careful hand and attention to detail. They are already looking fantastic, I can't wait to see the animals start to take shape.