In My Shoes

 

Students examined artwork of footwear by artists such as Andy Warhol, Vincent van Gogh and Rene Magritte.  We discussed how shoes can tell a lot about someone's personality.  Each student chose a shoe that captured their spirit and created a careful observational drawing.  Next, we looked at ancient repoussés and tried a similar metalworking technique by using a tool to push up on our foil from the back.  The last step was adding an antique finish by rubbing in a little ink. 

To conclude the unit we viewed a few bronze casted shoes and discussed how this was a process made famous by Violet Shinback and The American Bronzing Company and was common place for many families to have done to their babies shoes. Students decided it must be to capture such a special and fleeting moment in time.

Vincent van Gogh, 1886

Student Work

 

Kindergarten Mixed Media People

Students from my autism kindergarten class viewed the iconic art of Keith Haring alongside Frida Kahlo.  We used Frida to discuss the features on a face and Haring when tracing our bodies discussing line.  After our bodies were traced, we used a variety of cars to run paint tracks across our silhouettes.  

Keith Haring

Frida Kahlo

Next, we used a plethora of textured and patterned paper to add clothing and facial features to our bodies.  The last step was using tape to strengthen our fine motor skills and tempera sticks to add line and design.

Student Art Examples

Fourth Grade Has a View!

We started this unit by examining a variety of artworks identifying that although very different from each other, they were all a view from a window.  Student's viewed Magritte's surreal canvas blending into the window view, photographer Lee Freidlander's views from car windows, and contemporary artist Jules de Balincourt vibrant abstract landscapes.  The challenge for each artist was to think of their favorite view from a window such as their house, the bus ride to school or an imaginary view they wish they could see.

 They Cast Long Shadows, Jules de Balincourt, 2018

Those Who Wonder and Wander with the Water and Wind, Jules de Balincourt, 2019

Apartment View, Wayne Thiebaud, 1993

The Open Window, Henri Matisse, 1905


Lee Freidlander, 2018


Florence Henri,1929


The Human Condition, Rene Magritte, 1935


Wind from the Sea, Andrew Wyeth 1947

We had the choice between a variety of drawing materials such as chalk pastel, oil pastel, pencil, pen and ink, and colored pencils.  After learning some techniques students chose which was the best for their art and many decided to use more than one.

Student Examples

The Faces of Woods Road School

On the first day in the art studio, we discussed how a self portrait is when an artist creates a picture of them self.  We brainstormed all the different materials artists can use for their portrait, such as paint, pencil, crayons, markers, wood, newspaper, etc.  After discussing the art room routines and rules we had a little time over to create our own self portrait using crayons and markers. We defined the word monochromatic as when an artwork includes only one color, even though there may be several hues of that color. We concluded with this colorful mural that encapsulates the wonderful faces of Woods Road School. 

Nature Windows with Pre-K

The first unit we started in Pre-K  is inspired by nature and after doing some rubbings of patterns and natural objects we did a nature walk.  Each student were provided with some contact paper  and searched the playground for different natural objects such as leaves, grass, and flowers to attach to create their nature windows.  The students and teachers enjoyed being outside and the results were beautiful.  I came across this idea from Collage Workshop: Rip, Cut, and Create with Inspiration from the Eric Carle Museum.