Visual Arts
"Learning never exhausts the mind"
Leonardo Da Vinci
I have some unfortunate news this week. Catholic Education Week and the Creative Arts Exhibition gallery and events have been cancelled due to the current health crisis we are facing. We had two competition entrants to the exhibition - Aria H and Jemma O. The event organizer is working hard to create an online gallery and exhibition video to view online. I will have more details when they are available in the coming weeks.
As we face uncertain times ahead and the potential for schools to close, teachers are looking for new ways to teach from online platforms. I feel this is a great opportunity to try new ways of communicating, and we all might learn something new. Basically - the learning never stops!
I found some great arty resources so you can get creative at home.
Paris Museums Put 100,000 Images Online for Unrestricted Public Use
https://kottke.org/20/01/paris-museums-put-100000-images-online-for-unrestricted-public-use
12 Famous Museums that Offer Virtual Tours
https://hellogiggles.com/news/museums-with-virtual-tours/
100 Objects to Draw
https://theartyteacher.com/what-can-i-draw/
Download Free Colouring Books from 113 Museums
http://www.openculture.com/2019/02/download-free-coloring-books-from-113-museums.html
Looking ahead to our Fest Day at the end of the year - I'm putting a call out to parents who can donate old school dresses (or any woven fabric would do too!) We are starting early on a project to make reusable shopping bags for sale on Feast Day. Old school dresses would be an awesome fabric to make shopping bags and turn an old item into a practical memento. We first had the idea when Ms. Kelly found a home-made shopping bag in the exact fabric as her old school uniform. Please send any fabrics you wish to donate to school with your child to give to me.
Foundation
We recently finished our painted pictures of animals. To make these paintings, we started with a blob of coloured paint and a blob white paint in the center of the page. We used forks, knives and spoons to spread the paint from the center to the outside of the page - making lines in the paint. When the paint was dry, we cut out coloured paper shapes to make the features of our animals. Some of our works are on display outside the staffroom.
Our next project also focuses on line and drawing - a scribble drawing! We started by making a long controlled scribble in permanent marker. Then we coloured in all the small shapes with felt pens. This week we will finish these pictured by painting the large shapes with water colour paints.
Year 1/2
Our theme for this term was Under the Ground. Our last project is a gigantic (4x2 meter) batik-style scene of worms in the ground. We started with 91 squares of calico that had a rough outline of big worms drawn across each piece - like a puzzle. The children make PVA glue lines across their section of fabric to be the lines on the worm. When the glue was dry, we painted our fabric pieces. The parts of the worm were painted by mixing pink and white. The parts of the ground were painted by mixing brown and cream.
The next step is to wash away the PVA glue lines to leave clean white fabric underneath, then stitch all the squares together. When the piece is finished, it will be displayed outside 1/2R's classroom. I have never done this kind of project before - and so far it's working out to be a success thanks to our talented little artists!
Year 3/4
Last week concluded our last day of printing with our print blocks. The students chose their best print and mounted it on black paper to be kept for the display. This week we will spend our time reflecting on the process of creating our prints and discussing stimulus images.
Year 5 & 6
The Year 5/6 students have been sculpting desserts from clay. They were challenged to recreate the texture of their dessert using clay and paints. Here are a selection of tantalizing treats that look good enough to eat.
The students are currently discussing where and how to display this delectable banquet.
Year 5/6
The Year 5/6 food sculptures are all finished an they look DELICIOUS. The students have discussed how to display their feast, and we took a vote to decide. The winning idea was a "fake cake" stall set up in the playground at lunchtime like a bake sale. However, I fear this awesome idea can no longer go ahead as we try to minimize large groups coming together - even at school. I'm sure the students will be disappointed, but there is still an opportunity to display the banquet table in the school.
The students have also devised a survey to find out different people's interpretation of their art. When the display is set up, they will ask teachers and students to complete the survey and discuss the data we gather.
