Kindergarten Kandinskys

Kindergarten Artists looked at Wassily Kandinsky's famous painting "Squares with Concentric Circles." Kandinsky was one of the first painters to create abstract paintings.

Kandinsky (1866 – 1944) was a Russian painter and art theorist. Art and sound were one and the same to him, because it is believed he had synaesthesia—a harmless condition that allowed him to appreciate two or more senses simultaneously. Kandinsky could not only see the color blue, he could hear it—he associated colors and tones with specific musical timbres. Part of his goal as an artist was to depict and share his synaesthetic experiences. The result is a painting that is complex and visually stimulating, with color combinations that reverberate. (from art.com)

We used oil pastels with a liquid watercolor rinse to create our own versions of this iconic painting. 

Up, Up and Away... Hot Air Balloons!

Third through sixth graders looked at two examples of hot air balloon art that I found inspiring.

The first is an assemblage by artist David Kravoc called "Love is in the Air."  This is one of his metal sculptures made of many colorful pieces.  Click here to see more of David Kravoc's work.

The second artist we looked at is Catarina Bessell.  She is a watercolor artist and graphic designer.  We were inspired by her use of warm and cool colored watercolors.  Click here to see more of Catarina Bessell's work.

Here are our hot air balloons:

Inspired by Robert Indiana

Third and fourth graders looked at Robert Indiana's iconic Love print and sculpture.  They used oil pastels to create their own version of this work.  This is good practice on lettering and composition.  

Martin Luther King Jr. Portrait by grades 1 & 2

February is Black History Month. First and second grade artists worked collaboratively on these large-scale portraits of Martin Luther King Jr. We used a projection of the image from www.artprojectsforkids.com. Artists printed black and gray paint with their fingertips to create the picture.