Dear Vincent

3rd graders studied the life and art of Vincent Van Gogh then embarked on the creation of their own "Starry Night" masterpiece. Our skys came alive with swirling motion, bold colors, and short brushstrokes.Students washed over their oil pastel lines with liquid watercolors. No "mud" was allowed so artists had to be mindful of what colors they were blending. Once the background was completed we cut and paste our foreground from construction paper. Artists also enjoyed writing letters to their friend Vincent. They asked such great questions and were, of course, very interested in how he lost that ear. We look forward to hearing back from him later this week ;)

Empty Bowls

"In celebration of Feeding America Tampa Bay’s mission – Ending Hunger, Nourishing Hope - the weekend prior to Thanksgiving is set aside for Empty Bowls, the food bank’s largest annual event. This Tampa Bay tradition of more than 20 years offers guests a simple meal of soup, bread, fruit & water – similar to soup kitchen fare. Patrons also select from among hundreds of charming commemorative bowls handcrafted by Tampa Bay area school children – a reminder that there are always empty bowls to fill."

http://feedingamericatampabay.org/NewsAndEvents/Events/EmptyBowls2011HandinHandforHunger.aspx

I am very proud to have Brandon Academy artists participating in this event. Our ceramics class spent several days designing and creating their bowls for this event. They are difficult to part with, but we are joyful to see them go towards such a worthy cause. Students created bowls in homage to famous artists such as Dale Chihuly, Keith Haring, and Marcel Duchamp. See if you can spot the similarities.

Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives Art

This is one of my favorite games to play in art class. On the last day of the quarter, 1st grade had only one 30 min period left so we certainly did not have time to complete a big project. I believe that creative drawing is very important so we decided to play a game that encourages reading and introduces students to the different parts of speech. 1st graders were new to this information so it was a good learning experience for all! Students had to pick a mystery word from the noun, verb, and adjective bags. They then put their three words together to make a funny picture. We saw tall hawks ice skating, orange hamburgers swimming, and even a slimy cat sleeping! Check out our artists hard at work...

Robots have taken over the art room!

1st grade also learned the importance and value of recycling by creating 3D robots out of recycled materials. After students assembled their robots, Mrs. Quinn's classroom robot "Beetle Boop Bop" snuck into the art room and gave them a shiny coat of either silver or gold paint. Students added finishing touches with tempera paint. Lots of buttons were necessary to facilitate the robots cool abilities. I am especially proud of the robot that was designed to clean the art room :)

 

Kindergarten Robots!

Robots have taken over the art room! Kinders learned the importance and value of recycling by creating these mixed media robots.

African Masks

West African Dogon Mask                                          Mask by Sammie Nicely

After watching a BBC video on African masks, middle schoolers created their own expressive masks out of clay. Students attempted to capture symbolism in their pieces and gathered inspiration from both nature and the animal world, as commonly seen in authentic African masks. Some of the influences that inspired these pieces included cats, the ocean, and even football!  After the final glazing, we added raffia, recycled items, and cowrie shells. In many indiginous African cultures, the cowrie shells have a spiritual component and are therefore often used to embellish important garments. We also looked at the artwork of Sammie Nicely, an African American artist that creates modern interpretations of masks and embellishes them with natural and recycled materials.

5th Grade Guppies!

5th grade recently completed ceramic guppies! There is always a ton of excitement in the art room when the clay comes out. It is one of our most popular mediums. Students created pinch pots and set them on their side to give the effect of a fish with a huge gaping mouth. We then used slip to add eyes, fins, and tails. Some students took it a step further by adding moustaches and glasses, which really fit the whimsical feel of the whole project. A very narrow pinch pot turned into an awesome shark. I love how much personality they have!