News from the Art Rooms

We are coming to the end of Semester One! 

We are excited to continue our creative journey in the Art Room. Students have already produced some wonderful work this year, and we look forward to seeing their skills, confidence, and creativity continue to grow throughout the second half of the year. This term was filled with imagination, experimentation, and artistic exploration as students engaged with a range of exciting projects. 

We can’t wait to share their amazing artworks at the Art Show later in the year, celebrating their hard work, creativity, and artistic achievements. Here's to another inspiring and colourful semester of art-making! 

Senior School Art Room 

Grade 2 students have explored the colours and shapes of Autumn leaves in our school and surroundings. The students learnt how to ‘press’ their leaves in preparation for their leaf collages. The students arranged their leaves and they have created beautiful compositions. The students loved learning about different leaves including gum, oak, maple and ginko. 

In Grade 3, students continued their art inspired by the playful style of John Olsen. Students used clay and sculpting tools to create expressive frog sculptures in a pond setting. They rolled and shaped clay to form the frog's body, legs, and eyes, then used carving tools to define features and add character. The frogs were positioned on clay bases textured with carved ripples, lily pads, and reeds to suggest movement in the water. Visible tool marks and flowing lines reflected Olsen's energetic approach to depicting the natural world.

Grade 4 students designed and created animal mosaics using coloured foam and felt. They practised self-cutting techniques to cut a variety of shapes, which were carefully arranged and glued to form an animal mosaic. By selecting and combining different colours, textures, and shapes, students explored pattern, contrast, and composition. The finished mosaics demonstrated creativity, fine motor skills, and an understanding of how small pieces can be combined to create a larger image. 

Students in Grade 5 created sculptures of native Australian birds using paper, masking tape, and plaster techniques. They constructed three-dimensional bird forms by shaping and securing materials with tape, then applied plaster to strengthen and refine the structure. Once dry, students painted their sculptures, carefully observing the colours, markings, and features of their chosen native birds. Decorative details were added to enhance texture and character, resulting in vibrant and expressive representations of Australia's unique birdlife. 

Our Grade 6 students have been learning the art of sewing. Students learned basic sewing techniques to create a unique bird soft sculpture using felt wool. They carefully cut and assembled felt pieces, then used simple hand-stitching methods to join the shapes and add stuffing. Embroidery stitches were used to create decorative details such as feathers, eyes, and patterns. Students personalised their birds with a range of embellishments, including beads, buttons, ribbons, and decorative stitching, resulting in imaginative and individual soft sculptures. 

Junior School Art Room

We have had a very successful Term Two in Art at the Junior School. 

With the progress of the new building works, we have adapted the art program to make the most of the available space. 

Both Prep and Grade 1 students have embraced their new learning environment with enthusiasm, and this is clearly reflected in the wonderful artworks they have created. Our first portfolio pieces have now been completed, showcasing the students’ growing artistic skills and creativity. Throughout the term, students explored a variety of art techniques and worked diligently to produce outstanding pieces of work.

In Prep, students created a beautiful sheep artwork inspired by stories such as Where is the Green Sheep? They thoughtfully designed a sheep set in a natural outdoor environment, choosing to include either a bright sun or a glowing moon to represent the time of day. Using coloured slicks and chalk pastels, students added detail and texture to the sheep’s wool, creating a soft and realistic appearance. They also carefully considered the background elements, resulting in engaging and visually appealing compositions.

To finish the term, the Prep students explored modelling with clay. They learned a range of techniques for handling and shaping modelling clay, and this quickly became a class favourite. Students created an adorable Cat on a Mat sculpture, decorating a cardboard base with oil pastels and woven wool tassels before sculpting a clay cat to sit on top. The finished pieces are delightful, and I am incredibly proud of the effort, creativity, and persistence the students demonstrated throughout the project.

Our Grade 1 students have also worked exceptionally hard this term. One of their major projects was a colourful sea aquarium created using paper plates and Magic Model clay. Students began by painting half of the plate blue to represent water before using bubble wrap and yellow paint to create a textured sandy ocean floor. They then sculpted fish and other sea creatures from Magic Model clay, learning a variety of modelling techniques as they shaped and assembled their creations. Judging by the smiles and excitement during each lesson, this was certainly one of their favourite projects. I have been truly impressed by their imagination and creativity, and the finished aquariums tell wonderful underwater stories.

Continuing with the sea theme, the Grade 1 students have also begun a vibrant fish artwork inspired by the book Happy. Each student selected an emotion and represented it through their fish design. Working on black paper, they have used a combination of oil and chalk pastels to create striking and expressive pieces. These artworks are already looking fabulous and are a wonderful reflection of the students’ creativity, effort, and growing confidence as young artists.

It has been a pleasure to watch all of the students develop their artistic skills this term. Their enthusiasm, imagination, and dedication have resulted in some truly outstanding artwork, and they should be very proud of their achievements.

Happy creating,

Edwina Atkins (Senior School) and Mavra Kotsabouikis (Junior School)