What does orange sound like to you? What about red? Can you hear the subtle shades of blue in a Miles Davis piece? How about the vibrant yellows in Beethoven? The fourth grade explored these questions during our study of Wasily Kandinsky, who often listened to music while painting for inspiration. He tried to paint what he heard, and although not a musician himself, he thought that music was the highest form of art. So we turned off the lights, closed our eyes, and sat back and listened to jazz, classical, and even rock to gain inspiration for our own paintings. It was interesting to hear each student’s explanation of his or her work…some drew images that they imagined in the music, some even entire story lines. Others were more focused on the colors they heard. For our final project, we started by painting black lines according to the intensity of the music, and then we added color to match the mood. It was the perfect combination of listening and visualization.

Click here to see the students’ work!

The sixth grade explored color matching with oil pastels to create their abstract designs we call “The Hidden Triangle Project.” They each received a sheet of paper with a triangle cut out from a magazine glued somewhere on the page. The image on the triangle is purposely unidentifiable, mostly just colors and shapes from a landscape or other abstract image. The students then must match the colors in the image as closely as possible to blur the line between the magazine and the paper. After successfully “hiding” the triangle, they then extend their design onto the page to create an abstract pattern. This is a great exploration in terms of color matching and color theory. The students must figure out how to blend colors and mix the pastels to get as close to the colors on the triangle as possible.

Click here to see The Hidden Triangle Projects!

The fourth graders created beautiful watercolored kites inspired by the mountain scenes in Japan. They then learned how to paint in the style of sumi e, or Japanese brush painting. Sumi e artists create entire scenes in a single sitting using only permanent ink that they grind themselves on a stone. The resulting pictures capture the “essence” of an image, rather than trying to be precise and realistic. The students practiced painting bamboo, mountains, trees, and other simple images before painting their final work on their colorful kites. We also created stamps with our names written in kunji, and printed them onto the kites as a signature. Although they are not aerodynamic enough to fly, the kites look beautiful hanging from the ceiling of the art room!

Click here to see the students’ creative designs!

The fifth graders got to explore the fine art of “doodling” with their project based on the relaxation drawing technique, Zentangle. Starting with an outside shape, they divided it into sections and then added a different repeating pattern in each. Using simple lines of design, which were then turned into fanciful shapes, they swirled and dotted their way around the page to create a dynamic and interesting design. Finally, color was added to further separate each section and bring attention to the lovely patterns they created!

Click here to see their gallery of Doodle Art!

The fifth graders are participating in a cultural art exchange through Creative Connections, which has paired them with a class of students in India. Each student created a visual representation of his or her favorite tradition. It could be something special in their family, their community, or their school. Some choose holiday celebrations, some chose personal family vacations, but everyone found a unique tradition that would be interesting for a student in India to learn about. In a few months, we will receive a packet of pictures from our partner class including artist statements and pictures of the students. It will be exciting to learn about another culture and the lives and dreams of students in a country half way around the world. Both classes will then write positive comments about the artwork to send back to each other. It will no doubt be an enriching experience for everyone involved!

Click here to see Unquowa students’ artwork

The sixth graders braved the cold Autumn morning yesterday to explore our natural environment and create organic pieces of art in the Unquowa woods. Working in pairs, they found leaves, sticks, stones, and other materials to assemble into beautiful and serene designs. This outdoor exploration is based on the work of Andy Goldsworthy, and environmental artist who uses only natural materials to create ephemeral sculptures and experiential pieces. We watched the documentary on his work, Rivers and Tides, which profiles the artist in his homeland of Scotland and demonstrates how difficult his seemingly effortless artwork is to create. Since Goldsworthy uses no glue or adhesives of any kind, each stick and stone is precariously balanced in a careful dance. Check out the sixth graders’ works of art below, and maybe the next time you walk through the woods you’ll have a different appreciation for the beauty that is all around us.

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The eighth grade has been exploring the interesting and controversial art of graffiti. We discussed the legal ramifications of defacing public property as well as the value and place for the style of personal expression commonly used by graffiti artists. Some well-known “taggers,” whose skill and technique rival even the most accomplished fine artists have even gone on to exhibit in major museums and have been commissioned to design murals. The students looked at various examples of graffiti lettering, and then chose a word or name to design. They incorporated the bold styles and bright colors favored by contemporary artists and tried to combine letters to create seemingly unintelligible words.

Click here to see their gallery of graffiti art!

The seventh graders have started the year off in art with a project that originated in Indonesia hudreds of years ago. Batik is a wax-resist dyeing technique that is used on fabric to create beautiful and unique designs. The fabric is dyed progressively, starting with the lightest color and ending with the darkest color–usually the background. Students must learn color theory and mixing, as each color the fabric is dyed affects the next color they choose. To preserve the colors in the areas of their design, the students use hot melted wax to protect the fibers of the cloth. It can be applied in the traditional method using a tjanting needle, or pressed carefully with a stiff paintbrush. When the dyeing is finished, the wax is scraped off and then finally ironed to reveal the beautiful colors and patterns.

Click here to see their gallery of batik art!

Sixth graders began the year in Graphic Design by transforming images of themselves into silhouettes reminiscent of the iconic iPod ads. They took their pictures in creative action poses, and then carefully cut out the images in Photoshop using the Pen Tool. Next, they removed the color and contrast to create a silhoutte. They then decided whether they would be standing, flying, or upside down! They added shaddows using the Gradient Tool, then picked a funny or descriptive word to accompany their image. Finally, accessories such as ipods, boomboxes, and even a horse riding crop were added to complete the pictures.

Click here to check out their amazing gallery of digital art!

Mosaic art is an ancient method of illustration that dates back to 2000 B.C. Examples of geometric patterns have been found in the region of Mesopotamia, created from pieces of different materials like shells and colored stones. Today, mosaics are a unique art form that allows artists to express their creativity through materials and patterns. The eighth graders created their own mosaic tiles by starting with a clay design in relief. The image was flat on the back, but had three-dimensional attributes on the top. They painted and glazed their clay pieces, and then filled in the remaining sections of their tile with glass. The entire tile was then grouted and sanded down, resulting in the beautiful designs that will surely be treasured for years to come.

Click here to see their gallery