Colors & Moods Inspired by Mark Rothko

Abstract art by mark rothko for kids from nivaca2

First and second graders learned about Mark Rothko, an abstract expressionist painter.  We compared Rothko's "color field" paintings with the landscapes by Wolf Kahn, which we had just studied a couple of weeks ago.  Like Kahn, Rothko uses color to capture a feeling or mood of a landscape, rather than focusing on the details of an image.

First and second grade artists created artwork inspired by Mark Rothko.  First we used chalk pastel on black paper, with a focus on blending unique colors and capturing a mood.  Then we painted many different sizes of cardboard rectangles, which we assembled into colorful collages. Students named their compositions based on the mood that they had captured.

#cardboard #collages inspired by #markrothko by #gradesoneandtwo at #waitsfieldschool

A post shared by Nora (@artclass_allday) on Dec 1, 2017 at 11:36am PST

Chalk Pastel Landscapes inspired by Wolf Kahn

"The horizon, though in actuality a dividing line, must become, in a painting, a place where sky and land meet and mesh and become seamless." 

Wolf Kahn's artwork makes me feel calm and centered.  If I can't go out for a walk in the woods, looking at his paintings and pastels of forest and mountain landscapes is the next best thing.  Although Kahn primarily lives and works in New York City, when looking at his work it is obvious that he also spends time in Vermont.  Kahn has a part-time residence in Brattleboro!

Wolf Kahn is a German-born artist who combines realism with an art style called "color field."  Color field painting is when the color is the main subject of the piece of artwork. 

First and second graders looked at examples of Wolf Kahn's trees and landscapes.  We used chalk pastels to create color field backgrounds, then add trees and other landscape elements.  

Here are some examples of first and second grade art inspired by Wolf Kahn.  In addition to the peaceful subject matter of these landscapes, many students noticed the effect that blending the chalk pastels had on them. Don't you feel calmer already?

#waitsfieldschool #grades1and2 get messy with #chalk pastels while learning about #wolfkahn

A photo posted by Nora (@artclass_allday) on Sep 29, 2015 at 9:04am PDT

Watercolor Resist Trees inspired by Wolf Kahn

First and second grade artists looked at Wolf Kahn's paintings of trees.  Kahn is known for his work that combines Realism and Color Field (using large areas of color to create mood).  He primarily uses pastel and oil paints.  Wolf Kahn's trees demonstrate this union.  Wolf Kahn is a part time Vermont resident, so Waitsfield students can identify with his peaceful landscapes.  Thank you to The Clever Feather blog for the inspiration for this project.  

Students used single colors of oil pastel to draw the silhouettes of trees in a forest.  Next each student chose two analogous colors to paint their background.  They used the watercolor wash technique by painting their papers with water first, then observed the resist created by the oil pastels.  

Here are some of Wolf Kahn's tree paintings:

Here are the students' Wolf Kahn tree watercolor resist paintings: