Visual Arts

Communicating with the Specialist Team

We look forward to partnering with you in 2025, and welcome your input:

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

Foundation students used 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle as inspiration to make a sewing practice card. Each student chose their favourite fruit, and used a template to trace around and cut out their shape. Each one was painted using acrylic paints, making sure to use different colours like Eric Carle's illustrations.

The sewing cards were prepared with holes in them for students to practice beginning sewing techniques. They threaded their piece of wool up and down to create a running stitch around the edge. Lots of looks of concentration as they learnt this tricky process to develop fine motor skills. Each student also threaded beads onto a pipe cleaner to make their own very hungry caterpillar. These artworks are looking incredible on our new display boards in the corridor between the art and performing arts rooms. Make sure to swing by for a look.

Year One and Two students have been focusing on how we can use other artists work as inspiration for our own. There have been lots of discussions about how, and why, we analyse art. We used the thinking routine of "See, Think, Wonder" to help us talk about what we are seeing, and what idea the artist is trying to tell us. 

First, we looked at the work of Paul Klee, a Swiss-German artist influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Students examined his work such as 'Castle and Sun' and 'Cat and Bird'. From these, students drew their own town in a cubist style, or rather a town that looks like it is built from building blocks. They painted bright colours to add to the surrealist effect. They also had a go at a guided drawing to create their own cat and bird painting.

This week has been highly anticipated as we got our hands dirty with clay. After spending some time looking at the work of artist, Jim Dine, and all his hearts, we used this as inspiration to create a heart design in a clay cut out of our own hands. Students rolled a slab and had some assistance to cut out their own hand. These will dry over the holidays ready for painting in Term Three. 

Year Three and Four students have explored the world of optical illusions and the way some art can trick your eye. They have had lots of fun playing with out 3D swivel head project. The design of these creatures tricks your eye into thinking that they follow you as they walk past. We are all looking forward to having these on display for the art show at the end of the year.

Year Five and Six students have been working on a landscape inspired by the work of David Hockney. These colourful works are using perspective techniques to create depth, where objects get smaller the further away they are. They are mixing colours with acrylic paint and controlling their brush to paint small areas accurately. 

The finishing touches have been made to the last of the radial colour wheel project. Make sure to check out our new display boards in the corridor near the art room, as these technicolour wonders catch your eye.