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!

4th grade Op Art

4th grade is learning about Op Art, a style of art that is designed to trick the eye. After checking out famous works by MC Escher and Bridget Riley, we set out to create our own optical illusions. Students traced their hands in different overlapping positions and then began adding color to create the effect of movement. These pictures can be dizzying!

Start of a new year!

It is wonderful to be back in the classroom with the talented artists at Brandon Academy!

Ceramics students are preparing to fire their first big project, animal rattles! Students examined rattles created by Mexican artists for inspiration and then came up with their own unique, whimsical designs. We stuck two pinch pots together to form the body and then used a slip/score technique to apply the appendages, plumes, and more.

Yearbook featured artwork

Congratulations to the students whose awesome artwork was featured in the 2010/2011 yearbook!