May/June Art Update!

Hello everyone!

Well... the 2017-2018 school year is a wrap. The students and teachers have worked hard all year and now we are all exhausted (well at least I am 😉). I was telling someone recently that the end of the year feels like you just hosted a big party... it's crazy and fun... and then everyone leaves and you are left exhausted with so much to clean up, haha! But... just like a great party, it's well worth it when you see the results and know how much everyone enjoyed it. So... I hope your kids truly enjoyed art this year and are proud of the artwork they brought home (in one piece I hope)!

A big highlight from May was the first Westlawn Family Paint Night! Mrs. Chivinski (a WL parent) was the real organizer and driving force behind the whole event. So thank you to Annie Chivinski for putting it together! It was a great success and we had so much fun painting! It was SO great to see parents and kids creating artwork together. Check out some pictures below!

Abstract Paint Pour!

Mountain Landscape!

Check out what WL students were up to during May and the start of June!

5th grade completed the highly anticipated Clay Cake Slices! Just as I expected, the students wowed me with their creativity with the cakes! More importantly, they seemed to enjoy the clay making process and also learned a lot along the way. The project involved many clay making techniques that the students have learned over the years. This project really ties a lot of those skills together (slab making, joining clay together with the 4 S's, coil making, shaping and pinching clay, etc. On top of all that the students were required to add their artistic flare and creativity by making their clay cake slice unique! Check out some of the Clay Cake Slices below!

4th grade glazed their clay coil projects after their initial bisque firing. Each of the projects were so unique, and like the 5th grade Clay Cake Slices, the coil projects involved a ton of clay making techniques (primarily coil making).
Following the Clay Coil Mugs and Vases, the 4th graders had some time to make Father's day cards! You may see some of these soon! If you do, act surprised!

3rd grade LOVED completing their Weavings on Clay Looms for their last art project of the year! Of all the times I have taught this project, this particular group of 3rd graders were the most natural in picking up the art of weaving. The greatest challenge for many was tying two strings together when switching colors. The ability to tie a knot may seem insignificant to some, but is a handy tool in life! If you are wondering how to display the finished weavings at home, I would thread a strong string (even fishing line) through two of the hold and hang it one a picture frames hook on the wall!

2nd grade completed their Kente Cloth Weavings at the end of May and then Mrs. Huber's class had a little time to create paintings inspired by Romero Britto (Ms. Ganz's class was a little behind on the weaving project and then missed a class due to an assembly. The weaving project ended up being one of my favorites from this year! I even had people commenting on how eye catching they were and wondering what fabric they were made out of! No fabric! The students created an illusion of fabric with colored construction paper and Kente Cloth inspired designs using permanent marker!

1st grade sadly ran out of time with their VanGogh Inspired Sunflowers, but will be completing the beautiful projects in 2nd grade! The complex art project involves a series of steps including, painting a background, painting/cutting/gluing a vase, painting/cutting/arranging/gluing flower features AND adding additional details with oil pastels, WHEW! We got to the point of cutting out the flower features. The goal of the project is to imitate Van Gogh's style of painting while creating a breathtaking arrangement of sunflowers! The students favorite word that they learned during the creation of the project is "Impasto" which means painting on thick (like VanGogh did).

Kindergarten created an artwork based on the children's book, My Brave Year of Firsts, written by Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrated by Caura Cornell. We are titling the projects, "My Brave Year of First Self-Portraits! I worked with the students to come up with three things they did for the first time this school year. The students then created a self-portrait with the goals to resemble their facial features, skin color, and hair color. They enjoyed picking out a hair style from the variety of templates I made!

4-K students finished up their last art class at the end of May! The students created butterflies in the style of artist, Piet Mondrian! The one day art lesson taught students about primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) since those are the colors Mondrian used in his paintings, types of lines (horizontal and vertical), and symmetry (like a butterfly has in it's wings)! The students enjoyed making the wings symmetrical by painting one side of the butterfly and then folding it in half to make a print. Even though it's a simple concept, it still amazes students how that can happen! Unfortunately, I was so busy working with students I forgot to take pictures!

Happy summer everyone! See you next school year!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Miller

April Art Update!

Hello! Welcome to MAY!

Did you hear?? Westlawn is holding its first PAINT NIGHT on Thursday, May 24th! No, it doesn't include wine, BUT it does include quality time with your kids, which is even better! I am so excited to paint with Westlawn families and hope to see lots of you there! Hurry and sign up, because there is limited space. You have two paintings to choose from and I would personally hang up either one 😀
Here's a link to the flyer if you missed it! Family Paint Night

Here's what took place in art class during the month of April...

5th grade has been enjoying a PRINTMAKING unit! The students created Self-Portrait Relief Prints on a foam sheet and are now in the process of making a background for their portraits in the form of linoleum printing! The project allows the students to use two different methods of printing. For both the foam and linoleum the object is to create a raised surface and a lowered surface create a relief. The lowered area on the foam is created by pushing down with a pencil or wooden stylus, and the lowered area on the linoleum is created by carving away with gouges. I have heard the word "satisfying" from many students as a way to describe the printing process. They just can't get enough! I can totally relate. Printmaking is up there as one of my favorite types of art!

4th grade has been having LOTS of FUN with CLAY! They are in the process of making Clay Coil Pots. The students first sketched out their ideas in their sketchbooks and practiced making coils with play-dough. After a handful of classes, the students are now getting pretty good at making coils and using the 4 S's (score, slip, stick, and smooth). The 4 S's are the clay making techniques used to join two pieces of clay together. Although lots of fun, the coil projects are a challenge and require that the students make a strong pot that is also creative and pleasing to look at. Next month you will see the finish projects!

3rd grade spent the month of April completing their Warm and Cool Collagraph Prints AND their BONUS print (which included any color palette of their choice). The Warm and Cool Prints were cut into strips that the students then glued onto a template with 16 columns. This process led the students to create an "Agamograph" which is a type if kinetic/moveable art inspired by Israeli artist, Yacov Agam. The students basically folded the template into an accordion pattern and glued it into another piece of paper. The finished products looks SO awesome! 😃

2nd grade students began a new project during the month of April... Kente Cloth Paper Weavings! We began the project by reading the book, The Spider Weaver" which the students read earlier in the year during their African unit in 2nd grade. The students learned the art of basic weaving and the patterns that are involved. They learned terms such as "warp, weft, loom, and beating the weft." The students are now in the process of adding designs to their weavings inspired by actual Kente cloth! The products are turning out great, and luckily the students also seem to be learning a lot in the process (especially how to persevere and problem solve when facing challenges)!

1st grade are wrapping up their Kimono Portraits! After completing the Kimono self-portraits, the students enjoyed creating backgrounds inspired by real Japanese Cherry Blossoms! The process of creating the branches was the MOST fun, since the students got to experience painting with a straw! I suppose the technical term for this art making process would be "blow art." The students spread the ink/paint mixture around using air through a straw to see the branches grow. We had to be careful to take breaks since blowing through the straw was much like blowing up a balloon and can make you light headed! The students then added the cherry blossoms by painting five petals radiating from the center.

Kindergarten just completed their Creative Shapes artwork! The students stretched their imaginations by transforming a shape into an object. They then stretched their creativity even further by creating a background for their object. The students enjoyed using crayons, tempera paint, and oil pastels for their projects. Very soon we will be beginning a new project! Stay  tuned for the next update to see what it is 😊

4-K students completed their Clay Flower Bowls this past month! The students used oil pastels to color their flower and then painted over and around the oil pastels with tempera paint. We talked about the relationship between the oil pastels and paint by calling the oil pastels "bossy!" The oils pastels say to the paint, "Don't go here paint, I was here first!" I had the kids say it with some attitude and sass. They enjoyed that very much (I have a feeling some have had some practice at home 😉). The finished flowers are BEAUTIFUL and FRAGILE! Hopefully all made it home in one piece. If not, feel free to send it back to school and I can fix it.

March Art Update!

Happy Easter and Happy Spring Break!

If you are traveling, I hope you are having a fabulous time and are somewhere warm! If you are having a "stay-cation" like me, I hope you didn't put away your winter coat, and are at least enjoying some quality time with family and friends.

This month's highlights included TWO student art shows... one at the Cedarburg Cultural Center (on display until Sunday, April 22nd) and one at the Cedarburg Art Museum (on display until Thursday, April 19th). If you have not yet gone, and have a chance, take the kids and go check out some awesome artwork! 😊

Here are links to the websites as well as the addresses for each building:

http://cedarburgculturalcenter.org/

Cedarburg Cultural Center

W62 N546 Washington Ave, Cedarburg, WI 53012

https://www.cedarburgartmuseum.org/

Cedarburg Art Museum

W63 N675 Washington Ave, Cedarburg, WI 53012

Westlawn display at the Cedarburg Cultural Center

Naomi, wearing her future artist shirt! 😉

Westlawn display Cedarburg Art Museum

Art room happenings during the month of March...

5th grade is in the process of completing their Elements and Principles Accordions! The complex project requires that the students represent the 7 elements and 7 principles of art using their chosen symbol. One of the most exciting aspects of the project is the wide range of art media that the students are allowed to use. Practically the entire art room has been opened to the students, giving them MANY options in what art mediums they would like to use as they represent the elements and principles. Take a look at the accordions in progress! We will be wrapping up this project this month and moving on to our next project that will utilize one of my favorite art mediums... PRINTMAKING!

4th grade finished their Realistic Self-Portraits at the end of March! All of their hard work on portrait drawing paid off! The students learned how to use chalk pastels to complete their drawings. They transferred the chalk onto their portraits using cue tips and cotton balls. They also learned how to mix colors of chalk to create accurate skin tones and hair colors. Although MESSY, the students seemed to enjoy using the chalk pastels to complete their IMPRESSIVE self-portraits! Currently on display at Westlawn is Mr. Noel's 4th grade class!

3rd grade had fun creating Warm and Cool Collagraph Prints during the month of March! What they don't yet realize is that the two prints will be transformed into an "Agamograph" (a type of "movable" art)! As the students were in the process of making the warm and cool colored prints they were able to decide how to position their collagraph plate. It was so neat to see some of the designs appear after the students printed their plates 4 times. When the students return from spring break, they will be creating a BONUS print, in which they can choose any colors they want (not needing to fit any certain color scheme). We will then begin the Agamographs!

2nd grade completed their Clay Picture Frames during the month of March! The students had so much fun working with clay and coming up with a unique picture frame design! During the clay making process, the students learned how to roll out and cut a slab, use the 4 S's (score, slip, stick, and smooth) to add clay to the picture frame, and incorporate texture by pressing in a variety of objects. The students then glazed their picture frames to complete the process! Mrs. Huber's class is currently on display at Westlawn!

1st grade students are continuing to make Kimono Self-Portraits! The students are enjoying creating the different features of their Kimono people, including the "fabric," the obi (sash), hair, and other features. Perhaps the most challenging feature of the project is the Japanese symbols! The students chose a few symbols to represent their personality and practiced drawing them in their sketchbooks. They then drew the symbols on a slip of paper that will be added to the final artwork! When the students return from spring break, they will make a colorful background and tie the project all together!

Kindergarten completed their Clay Cupcakes this past month! The projects are simply adorable! The students practiced the art of making clay pinch pots. The pinch pot on the bottom was pressed into a silicone cupcake liner to imitate the texture of a real cupcake. The students then learned how to make clay coils by using the palms of their hands to create a "snake-like" piece of clay. I helped the students swirl the clay into a spiral to look like frosting! The students learned the 4 S's of clay making (score, slip, stick, and smooth) to add the cherry on top! After firing the clay projects in the kiln, the students had a chance to paint their cupcakes!

4-K students also worked with clay for their latest project, Clay Flower Bowls! The students learned the word "texture" to describe how something feels. They enjoyed pressing a variety of objects into their clay to create visual and tactile texture. The students also attached a little clay circle to the center of their flowers using the clay making methods of "scoring, slipping, sticking, and smoothing." The students were amazed at the difference the 4 S's make when trying to stick clay together. Their prediction of simply pushing the clay together didn't work! The students completed their clay flower bowls by pulling up the petals and shaping them to resemble a real flower! Next class the students will be painting their bowls!

February Art Update!

Hello! Thanks for visiting the Westlawn Art Blog to see what Westlawn students have been up to in art class!

*A note about the art blog for those of you visiting for the first time: There have been technical difficulties with the art blog that have prevented me from adding monthly updates under the separate grade levels. While I work to explore solutions to the problems I've been having, I will continue to post monthly updates to the MAIN PAGE of my blog. Thank you! -Mrs. Miller

During the month of February...

5th grade completed their Fair Food Paintings inspired by artist Wayne Thiebaud! The students spent the beginning of most classes studying Thiebaud's paintings so they could make it their goal to imitate his style of painting. The students did all of the drawing, color mixing, and painting on their own, with only guidance from me. I enjoyed observing the students as they worked. There was a lot of problem solving and experimenting during the art making process, which made it both challenging and rewarding for the students!
The fifth graders are now returning to their Elements and Principles Accordions, by completing the planning phase using their Elements and Principles Planning sheets. The sheets consist of thumbnail sketches that will be used to guide the students in the making of their accordions. It is likely that this will be a project that the students work on for the reminder of the school year, while completing other projects in between.

4th grade once again, created one of my FAVORITE projects at the carnival! Last year, I loved the Artist Inspired Self-Portraits (which the students will once again make this year), and this year they painted Impressionist Fair Animals. For those that don't understand the Impressionist style of art, at first glance it can appear messy and unfinished. That especially bothered artists during the time of the first Impressionist painters, because the style of art was so different than other art of their time. The fourth grade students worked from a picture of an animal that was painted in an Impressionist style and learned to mimic the quick loose brushstrokes that would make up the whole image. The students AMAZED me (and themselves for the matter) with their ability to mix colors and capture the Impressionistic style of painting. Bravo 4th graders, BRAVO!☺

3rd grade finished up their big and beautiful Colored Ferris Wheels during the month of February! The kids had a lot of fun with the mixed-media project that involved many art making processes. The favorite art making process was likely the string art for the center of the Ferris Wheels! The students chose two complementary colors (opposite colors on the color wheel) and used those colored strings to complete the two string art designs. Some students picked up the pattern quickly, and others had do a lot of trial and error until they got it right. The important thing was not that they got it right away, but rather, they didn't give up and sought out help if they needed it.
The third grade students are moving along in their Color Unit which spans over the school year, and are currently being introduced to their next project, Warm and Cool Collagraph Prints!

2nd grade students had lots of fun making their Fair Themed Relief Prints during the month of February! I was not at all surprised that the students enjoyed the printmaking process. I don't know what it is... but there is something SO COOL about seeing a copy of an image you made appear before your very eyes. Every time I demonstrate how to roll the ink onto the printing plate and then transfer the printing plate to the paper, I hear "WHOA" as I pull the printing plate away from the paper to reveal the print.
The second grade students are now moving into CLAY! See more about that in March's Art Blog Update!☺

1st grade completed their Mootisse Inspired Artwork in time for the Westlawn Carnival! The students not only enjoyed reading the book "When Pigasso Met Mootisse" as inspiration for the project, but even more so enjoyed learning about Henri Matisse and making artwork in his style. The students glued on colored papers for their background to show block of color like Matisse uses. They then studied the shapes Matisse used in many of his paintings, and drew similar shapes on painted paper made by the students. A favorite shape to cut and glue on was the swirl. There were some cleaver ideas of how to make the swirl if cutting it out was too much of a challenge.
The first grade students are now beginning their Kimono Portraits!

Kindergarten spent the month of February making their Pigasso Paintings! The students learned how to mix many different shades of pink for their paintings. They discovered that after making pink with red and white, you can change the pink using other colors. The students did this to imitate some of Pablo Picasso's artwork which showed an object from many angles. After painting in all of the shapes, the students traced over their pencils lines with oil pastels, so their Pigassos would POP!
The kindergarten students are now beginning a clay project... stay tuned to see what it is!

4-K art students have now completed their first project since my return from maternity leave! With teaching eight sections of 4-K at 3 different schools, I am only able to see each class once a month. Although that 45 minute class is short and sweet, it is super special to be able to create art with our youngest Cedarburg students. I feel so privileged!
The 4-K students created artwork inspired by famous artists, Wassily Kandinsky! During the first class, the students learned a bit about the artist and then completed phase one of the project, which involved blocks, paint, and paper with a grid. The students used the blocks with openings in the middle to print multiple colors! In the second and third classes, the students practiced painting circles onto each square of the grid. The goal was LOTS of COLORS and LOTS of CIRCLES! During the third class, I challenged the students to add circles, until there was no more room. I also invited them to overlap colors on their painting to create new colors.
Though the art making process with the Kandinsky Circle Paintings was basic and introductory, the results are breathtaking! Kandinsky obviously knew what he was doing when he put a bunch of circles and colors together 😉

Hope to see you at the beginning of April for March's Art Blog Update!☺

January Art Update!

Hello and thanks for stopping by!

January was a busy month in the art room! Many classes completed art projects and moved on to creating artwork that will be on display at this year's carnival! With this year's theme being "The Great State Fair" so many neat ideas came to mind for art project possibilities. You may be hearing your child talk about their "fair" themed project, but hopefully you will have a chance to see their artwork in person at the carnival on February 24th! If you are interested in helping hang artwork during the week leading up to the carnival, please email me! I am always looking for willing and helpful volunteers! 😄

In the meantime, take a look at what Westlawn students have been up to during the month of January!

5th grade took a break from their Elements and Principle Accordion projects to create beautiful snowflake projects! The students painted paper with two analogous watercolors using the "exploding color" technique. They then sprinkled salt on the wet watercolors to give the effect of ice crystals in winter. The students loved seen the change on their backgrounds with the interaction between the salt and the painted paper. So cool! (pardon the pun 😉). The students were then given the challenge of creating a minimum of four paper snowflakes, two of which needed to be their own design. Although there were some challenges and mistakes with the snowflake making, the students persevered and were pleased with the results! The 5th grade students are now beginning Fair Food Paintings in the style of artist Wayne Thiebaud.

4th grade spent the month of January working hard on their Realistic Self-Portraits! They have GROWN SO MUCH with their portrait drawing abilities and I am looking forward to showing off their final self portraits once they are completed. As we entered the month of February we paused our portrait unit to begin creating artwork for the "Great State Fair" themed carnival! The 4th graders are learning to paint fair animals in an Impressionistic style! Impressionism is my FAVORITE style of painting, so not only are the students in for a treat, but so am I! Currently, the students are completing their animal sketches that will be made into paintings.

3rd grade is in the midst of their mixed media art projects that will be displayed at the Westlawn carnival! I am so excited about these projects because they include a range of media, which means students received a range of art experiences! The Color Ferris Wheels, include, color mixing, splatter painting, and string art! Currently, the students are creating the string art designs using two complementary colors of yarn (complementary colors are colors that are opposite on the color wheel). The students and I, are looking forward to putting all of the parts together to see the finished product!

2nd grade spent the month of January completing their Paper Mache Sea Creatures! They thoroughly enjoyed the painting process, in which they made their sea creatures appear to come to life! The students were encouraged to mix colors, add textures and other details to enhance the look of their creature. The students are now starting their "fair themed" projects which will be in the form of relief prints! I was impressed with the sketches the students made last art class in preparation for the prints. They did an excellent job drawing images that filled up the space and resembled the pictures they were looking at. Some students drew their images 3 or 4 times until they got it right!

1st grade completed their adorable Clay Snowmen during the month of January, and are now in the midst of their "fair" themed project! I read the book "When Pigasso Met Mootisse" to both the first grade and kindergarten classes. To give you an idea of what it's about... "Pigasso" (as you may have guessed) is a pig inspired by artist Pablo Picasso, and "Mootisse" is a bull inspired by artist "Henri Matisse." Although the pig and bull characters are fictional, the story is semi realistic with themes like an "art brawl" between the two artists. They became competitive and at first fought to top the other but eventually began to appreciate the other artist's style and point of view (a good lesson for our young artists, and people in general). So... first grade is now creating "Mootisse's" in the style of Henri Matisse!

Kindergarten completed their beautiful Catching Snowflake projects that are now on display in the front hallway! The students are becoming familiar with the art style of Pablo Picasso as they attempt to create Pig Paintings in Picasso's style! The students did a great job with our "draw along" in which I drew an example "Pigasso" and had them follow. I love how every pig is unique and that each artist added their own twist!

Also this month... Westlawn artwork is on display at the Cedarburg District Boardroom! No parents were notified about their child's artwork on display since I decided to make it a display rather than an "art show." I felt it was too difficult for families to view the artwork with having to arrange a time that did not conflict with the board room schedule. There will be, however, three upcoming art shows in 2018...The Cedarburg Art Museum (March), Cedarburg Cultural Center (March), and Ozaukee County Fair (August). If your child is chosen for one of these art shows they will be coming home with a special art letter!