The fourth graders recently learned about the ephemeral art of sandpainting, which is practiced in many cultures around the world. Our focus was on the Southwestern Navajo tribe, whose medicine men create elaborate and symbolic sandpaintings during healing ceremonies. The paintings are made by carefully pouring sand on the ground in a specific pattern. This is especially important because the symmetry and precise execution of the design ensures its healing properties. The patient then sits in the middle of the painting while onlookers chant and any illness is released from his body. The literal translation of the Navajo term for this means, “the place where gods come and go,” and symbolizes the assumption that the sandpainting acts like a portal from our world to the spirit world. The painting is then destroyed and given back to the earth soon after the ceremony. The students created their own sandpaintings using imagery culled from Navajo designs. We chose to use a glue base so that our paintings could be preserved, but the technique was authentic to the tradition.

Click here to view the sandpaintings!

The sixth graders explored an important aspect of business and marketing in graphic design: branding and logo design. Logos are ubiquitous in our world, and they are the quickest and easiest way for companies to achieve brand recognition and, subsequently, customers. We looked at examples of good logo design and discussed what made logos successful or not. The students then created their own logos for either themselves or an imaginary company. We talked about how the logos would be used in every aspect of correspondence, from business cards to webpages to even being enlarged on the side of a tractor trailer. After choosing the best logo, the students used it to create their own cards, letterhead, and envelopes. Every piece of the set had to have common elements and be easily recognizable as belonging to the student’s company. The variety of businesses and design styles are evident in the sixth graders’ gallery.

Click here to see the designs!

Scratchboard is a technique that requires the artist to etch away at a specially coated paper to create fine lines and textures. The eighth graders practiced this technique using animals as their inspiration and carefully recreated in stunning detail every wisp of fur, delicate whisker, and piercing eye. They traced only the outlines of the animals and then filled in the textures using a scratching tool, making sure to refer frequently to their original picture for accuracy. The amazing finished projects are so photo realistic they definitely ask for a second look!

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The fifth graders recently went on a trip to the rainforest through a color, texture, and dimensional exploration in art. We started by choosing a rainforest-dwelling animal or bird and drawing it on a realistic-looking branch. The animals were then colored in oil pastels, and the students had to pay careful attention to the many shades of browns, greens, and tropical colors. They learned that moss will cause certain areas of trees to turn green, and soft light hitting the tops of a branch will give it a golden hue. We then used tissue paper to “paint” backgrounds and combed through tempera paint to create wooden frames. Finally, the students elevated their animals with cardboard to give the illusion of dimension and then took their tissue paper scraps to create interesting leaves for their branch.

Click here to take your own journey to the rainforest!

The sixth graders recently learned about the Puerto Rican tradition of Carnaval de Ponce, which has been celebrated in that country for over 250 years. Coinciding with the Christian observance of Lent, the festival takes place during the month of February. During the celebrations, which include parades, music, and special events, people dress up in elaborate costumes to be “Carnival Devils,” and wear specially designed masks of paper mache. The sixth graders looked at images of the masks, and created their own versions also out of paper mache. Once dry, the masks were painted bright colors and some students chose to attach additional embellishments. It was a fun sculpture project that everyone thoroughly enjoyed!

Click here to view the celebration!

The eighth graders have been working on an intensive printmaking/radial design project involving the creation of mandalas. From the Sanskrit, “mandala” means essence or center and is closely related to the idea of a circle. In many Eastern religions, mandalas have been used as a spiritual teaching tool to help focus one’s thoughts and evoke peace. Most impressive are the ephemeral Sand-Mandalas, painstakingly created by Buddhist monks as a form of meditation on the concept of impermanence. The sand is carefully arranged into an intricate pattern, and then it is symbolically swept away. The students started their mandalas with an eighth of a circle. They created a design and then carved it into a printing block. If the design was symmetrical, they were ready to print. If not, they had to carve the reverse of their design onto the back of the block. They then printed eight times in a circle to complete the pattern. Next, they designed an extension of the image in the margins of the paper. This image was then copied over and over until the radial pattern was finished, and then the mandalas were colored with markers and chalk.

Click here to see their incredible designs!

Reduction printing, a favorite technique of Picasso, utilizes a single block to create a print of several layered colors. The block is carved out systematically, starting with the largest areas and lightest colors, and printed each time until the block is “destroyed” and there is only a small area remaining to print. The seventh graders did a fabulous job with this process, starting with designing a multi-colored image that they would print. They then determined what order they would print the colors and started carving accordingly. Each student made at least two prints, because once the block is reduced, there is no going back. The subsequent colors are printed directly on top of the previous colors. The students did a remarkable job with this advanced technique and created some truly amazing images!

Click here to view the entire gallery of prints!

The fourth grade completed a block printing project that is inspired by Portuguese tiles and geometric designs from the Islamic tradition. Block printing is an ancient method of art that has been used for everything from textile design to fine art in all cultures. Since it is made using a stamp of sorts, the image can be repeatedly printed until the block wears down. This allows for many artistic possibilities, and it is a favorite medium of many famous artists. Using a small 1 1/2″ square block, they were able to create bold patterns.  The students first experimented with several designs on a piece of paper to see which looked the most striking, and then they transferred it on to their block. Using delicate carving tools, they carefully carved the lines and shapes to create their stamp. Rather than just stamping the image straight onto a piece of paper, we chose to create 4 x 4 tiled images in two or more colors. The students rotated their stamp with each print so that the image was symmetrical.

Check out their vibrant and bold designs here!

Block printing is a process that creates a relief or stamp out of a material, which can be printed again and again using a medium such as ink. It is an ancient art, whose applications range from textile design to fine art. The sixth grade recently finished a project on block printing that involved carving patterns and shapes and then imagining them in multiple colors and orientations. They started with a single block and designed two different images, one for each side. They then carved their patterns carefully using linoleum block carving tools and made sure to account for different types of lines and areas of negative space. They then began the printing process, which was more of a printing experiment. The students printed each side on top of the other in different colors and with different orientations. The prints were rotated, shadowed, staggered, and flipped. The results were as unique and individual as the students themselves, and all were magnificent.

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For our annual Winter Festival project, students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades created detailed Coats of Arms to represent either their own ancestry, or an imagined family. They researched their names and also learned about the rules  of heraldry, the way by which people identified their birth order and status in Medieval times. The students designed a crest, or coat of arms, with symbols and images that represented them and colored in carefully with markers. They then added a banner at the bottom with either a family name or a phrase. Some students even chose to use a foreign language to signify their heritage. The richly ornamented finished projects were displayed in the “Medieval dining hall” for the Winter Festival’s feast, and the will be on display there through the end of the year.

Click here to see the gallery online!