Japanese Kites & Native American Art

This has been a very culturally rich month looking at Japan and Native American art in the elementary grades. For the new year we created Japanese koi kites in 6th grade and K, and 1st grades. We looked at the national childrens day custom of flying the carp kite in honor of the family members in each home. The carp fish represents tenacity and strength in Japanese culture as it has the ability to swim against the current. Here are some finished examples...

 

The little ones made a windsock kite using tissue paper and tag board, making their koi fish more 3dimensional 

Speaking of flying objects, 7th grade is doing a beautiful job studying aerial perspective. For their first assignment we created skyscrapers from a birds eye view on the iPad. Then we used oil crayon to create a patchwork landscape with hot air balloons popping up. Here are the results 

 

Lastly, 3-5th graders have been studying Native American artwork from orca whales to dream catchers, and just recently, medicine shields. I loved learning about the animal symbolism and different superstitions of Native American culture! We could discuss the difference between worshipping the Creator vs. Creation, while still honoring the beauty of different people groups.

 

 

Fly

School is back in session for my artists in k-8! We are stoked to have been blessed by a brand new 55" LED TV, nice new tables, & of course student iPads in 5th-8th grade!  The year is already set up for amazingness. 

     This year we are going to take off and soar into the art theme of "Flight"! From origami owls to birds eye view drawings, we will explore how artists, cultures, and people use the concept of flight in different ways. Our opening project was the origami dove, for our school installation wall. 

I love using the rainbow, or color wheel, for obvious reasons-it's so pretty! But I also like the idea that color comes from light, and as God gives US light, we become full of vibrant life and color, soaring in who He made us to be! We are all going to fly together this semester in the art room, while being original, courageous, & wild!

Owls...

1st grade did an incredible job with their owl drawings today! First we learned the color wheel in its entirety from primaries, secondaries, and even blending some tertiary colors! The next week we got out the sharpies and drew an owl together step by step right on top of the grid. They look fabulous!

August Art Show!

As school kicks back into action, a few select young artists of mine participated in a local youth art show called ArtStart, hosted by CRA of Pompano Beach. I chose 15 of my art camp students from my art on the beach group during the month of June. From mermaids to starfish and lighthouses, our pieces looked amazing along side Studio Spade artists and Pompano Beach Middle School. The event was a great success! There were local student musicians, yummy food, snow cones, and even a cartoonist! We were honored to be apart of a fun local event to honor our creative young talents. Thank you Susan Kores for organizing this great evening!