March Art Update!

Happy spring and welcome back to the Art Blog!

It's art show season! Earlier in March, the Gallery of Student Art opened at the Cedarburg Cultural Center and is still going on through April 16th. Another art show is happening at the Cedarburg Public Library through the end of April. Between the two shows, I have over 100 pieces of student work on display! Lots of terrific artwork to check out if you haven't already :)

Cedarburg Cultural Center Art Show Photo Album HERE

Cedarburg Public Library Art Show Photo Album HERE

Also... seeing as summer is right around the corner I wanted to share a couple art opportunities I have come across that your young artist(s) may be interested in.

Main Street Art Camp:

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Cedarburg Art Museum presents Main Street Art Camp: Creating Artistic Masterpieces. This children’s art camp will be held every Friday in the museum’s Outdoor Courtyard and Sculpture Garden from June 23 through July 28.  Weekly themes will reflect the Museum’s architecture, current exhibitions, and origins of Wisconsin Art. Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Cedarburg Art Museum, children will be encouraged to explore the featured artists of Wisconsin as they study their work and create their own art through creative expression.

Main Street Art Camp offers a range of sessions that align with a variety of age groups.  Children aged 3 to 11, all skill levels and abilities, are invited to participate:

Artists in Exploration (3-5 years): 9 to 10:30 AM 

Setting Forth Artists (6-8 years): 11 to 12:30 PM

Immersed Artists (9-11 years):  1 to 2:30 PM

Registration is now open. Each session is $9.00 per child or $50.00 per child for all sessions. Cedarburg Art Museum members at the Preferred/Family level or above will receive a 10% discount on their registration.  To register or find more information, visit www.cedarburgartmuseum.org/camp or contact the museum at (262) 377-6123 or info@cedarburgartmuseum.org. 

See digital flyer HERE

The museum is also looking for both adult and student (aged 12-18) volunteers to assist at Main Street Art Camp and other various programs through 2023. If you have any interest, please contact the museum.

Cedarburg Cultural Center Youth Art Classes:

https://www.cedarburgculturalcenter.org/youth-classes

Inside the art studio, we continue to learn, grow, and enjoy creating every day!

Check out what we've been working on...

Kindergarten artists are nearing the end of their Clay Cupcake project! The students first learned to draw a cupcake in their sketchbook. They then practiced clay making techniques and designs with playdough. Once they were given the clay, they created two pinch pots... one for the bottom which was made in a silicone cupcake liner, and one for the top that was flipped over upside down. We then had a friendly competition to see how long of a coil they could make for frosting. That was wrapped around the cupcake like a car going up a parking ramp. We finished the clay making by forming and shaping a variety of toppings. We practiced the very important clay making methods of "score, slip, stick, and smooth" in order to join the clay together.

Soon, the young artists will get to PAINT their Clay Cupcakes after they have been fired in the kiln! Yahoo! :)

Practicing with play-dough before making our Clay Cupcakes!

All that play-dough practice paid off! The kinders did GREAT with making their two clay pinch pots and a LONG coil to wrap around for frosting!

Mrs. Olson's class and their adorable and delicious looking cupcakes!

Some cupcake close ups and proud cupcake artists! :)

Look at those AMAZING cupcakes! Ready to dry out and go into the kiln.

Some spring creations during our last art class before spring break :)

First grade artists are in the midst of their fiber unit! They get to make TWO types of batiks: a paper batik and a fabric batik. The subject of their artwork is a vase of sunflowers painted by Impressionist artist Vincent VanGogh (one of Mrs. Miller's personal favorite artists). The students drew their vase of sunflowers by hand by following along with a step by step demonstration. They then colored in every area of their drawing to protect the white paper before it is crumpled up (yup, you read that right) and painted over with watered down black paint. The crumpling will give the artwork the signature "crackle" effect that batiks have. 

The first grade artists will then create their fabric batik by tracing their drawings with liquid glue on fabric. They will "dye" the fabric with paint, and then the glue will be washed away leaving behind white lines which is another classic batik characteristic. We can't wait to show you our awesome artwork once it is complete! 

VanGogh Sunflowers hand drawn by Mrs. Speath's first graders.

VanGogh Sunflowers hand drawn by Mrs. Carpenter's first graders.

Some "Free Choice Art" creations after choosing that as a class reward for filling up their class palette!

Some more creations that the students had so much fun making and were so proud of! ❤

Second grade artists are enjoying their clay unit by designing and making their Clay Picture Frames! The students came up with two different designs in their sketchbooks and chose their favorite. They then rolled out a slab of clay and cut out the shape of their frame with a paper template. The inside of the frame was removed and then the students set to work on adding designs to their frames while demonstrating a variety of clay making techniques. Somewhere on their frame they needed to use a coil, slab, texture, drawing, and negative space. Each of the students are loving the clay making process and are learning a lot along the way!

2nd grade sketches for Clay Picture Frames!

Teaming up to cut out slabs of clay using the paper template.

Doing a great job, and easier with friends to help!

Having so much fun adding texture to the clay with the bottom of shows and/or texture plates!

Third grade artists are having a BLAST creating their Felted Tapestries! This is always a favorite project among students since it is such a unique art making process that uses tools like a needle, foam block or sponge, and different types of fiber materials. The artists were asked to create 3 different sketches... one representational, one abstract, and one non-representational. They then had a chance to experiment with their materials to better understand how the art making process worked AND what materials would make the most sense for their design. 

The tapestries are now complete and the students are designing sticks to go along with their felting project. Once the stick is decorated, the students will learn how to sew the tapestry onto the stick with a "whip stitch."

3rd grade artists creating sample pieces before making their larger dry felted tapestries. The students practiced using the tools properly and learned how to attach different materials together (yarn, wool roving, felt, and fabric) just with the use of a dry felting needle! No glue! 

Some Thorson students getting a hang of the dry felting and LOVING it!

A couple of Parkview students wanted to give WET felting a try and their artworks turned out SO GREAT! Their chosen themes were a three tiered birthday cake with a number 9 candle and a snowman at sunset. The wet felting process involves layering loose wool roving, wetting it with soapy water, and rolling it in bubble wrap to join the fibers together using friction.

A couple dry felted pieces. Both of these happen to be beautiful landscapes. Can you identify what materials the artists used?

Part TWO of the project... designing a stick for the tapestry to hang from! Students used a variety of materials including: paint, tape (for masking method), yarn, beads, glitter, etc.

Fourth grade artists are diving into the pirate theme by making a prop for their 4th grade musical! They are making telescopes or "spy glasses" that are actually a kaleidoscope inside! The students had fun designing the outside with all kinds of pirate symbols and designs... even a pirate name if they wished. The pirate name generator we found was lots of fun to use :)

The inside of the spy glass is more functional than decorative since it needs to work as a kaleidoscope. With the use of plastic lids, paper, glue, hole punchers, cardboard, shiny paper and colorful shiny objects, we are managing to make colorful designs that are reflected with handmade mirrors! The students will be so excited to use their telescopes (disguised as kaleidoscopes) for the musical this May! Can't wait! :)

Looking good 4th grade! Each telescope is one of a kind! :)

Some Thorson artists designing their artwork and musical prop!

A favorite added feature was the metallic tape. Thanks Ms. Kurth for helping us add it :)

Fifth grade artists wrapped up their Artist Inspired Self Portraits at the end of March! What a fun and challenging art project that was such a great learning experience for our fifth grade artists!

We are now in the process of designing the most anticipated project of all... Clay Cake Slices! The students were SO excited to choose a theme for their cake and begin searching for pictures of inspiration. The students learned how to draw a 3D cake slice in their sketchbooks and were asked to consider what their cake will look like from all angles. We will soon be rolling out MANY slabs of clay to construct the cake and will be attempting to recreate textures and designs in our clay making to make the cakes look real and inviting. We look forward to sharing our progress in the next art update, and also IN PERSON at the 5th grade Fine Arts Night (more info coming about that soon :)

Some AMAZING 5th grade Artist Inspired Self Portraits!

Some classes filled their class palette and enjoyed earning Free Choice Art! Students got to use any materials they wished and then took their art creation home :) It was AWESOME seeing some students try art materials and techniques they saw fellow classmates using during the creation of their A.I.S.P. They were like "I saw that student doing an art making process for their artwork... can I try it too?" I happily said "YES!"

SO COOL to see how each student interpreted their artists style and came up with their own unique piece of art inspired by that artist. Artists of inspiration: VanGogh (left), Giuseppe (top right), M.C. Escher (bottom left)

5th grade artists creating Seesaw presentations which will be accessible at the 5th grade Fine Arts Night through the use of QR codes! :)

February Art Update!

Hello again! The end of February crept up on us and suddenly March is here! Lots of exciting things in store for this next month (hello art show season!), but first let's take a look back at what our young artists did during the month of February...

Kindergarten artists are wrapping up their Catching Snowflakes artwork! Not only are the art pieces super cute and colorful, but the young artists also learned a lot in the art making process! They created the snowy night background by using big brushstrokes of black and blue paint, leaving behind some streaks of white to represent snow. Then the students got into the mitten, hat, and jacket designs to create a matching set! We talked all about types of lines and attempted to make our designs symmetrical on each mitten and sleeve. We also talked about the relationship between oil pastels and paint and wanting the oil pastels to win the battle. The oil pastels say "don't go here paint, I was here first!" 

Following the designing, was lots of cutting, including the face and tongue. In order to encourage quality cutting, it helped to use the analogy of a gymnast walking on a balance beam or person walking on a tightrope. The students imagined they were the scissors and the outline was a tight rope. They cut "slow like a snail." After we arranged and glued all of our pieces down, we are now in the process of printing snowflakes with found objects! The students thoroughly enjoyed when I walked around the room sprinkling glitter on their snowflakes as the "glitter fairy!" :)

First grade artists enjoyed making their Clay Snowmen during the month of February and even had some time to do a sketch of a snowman in their sketchbook as a colored ground drawing with oil pastels on black paper! In the last art update, the students had just formed and attached their 3 pinch pots together using the 4 S's (score, slip, stick, and smooth)... essential steps to getting clay to join together. They had SO much fun adding unique features to their snow people including a head piece, a neck piece, a face, and any other additional features they desired. It certainly helped having practiced first with the playdough so that clay making techniques like rolling a coil, or making a sphere was a familiar process. I absolutely love to see the students using their creativity and taking risks in their art making since it encourages lots of fun and problem solving in the learning :)

The projects have now been fired in the kiln and the students are loving the final step of painting the snow people! They started by adding a mod podge and a pearl paint mixture to the "snow" areas, and then tempera paint to parts of the snowman that needed color. The finishing touch will be adding little twigs for the arms! :)

Second grade artists completed their FANTASTIC (or should I say "splash-tastic") Mixed Media Ocean Creature Mosaics! I just LOVE how each creature is unique and how the students not only learned the process of creating a mosaic, but also explored a variety of art materials and techniques for the background! After completing the ocean creature, the students were encouraged to use at least two NEW materials or techniques for making the background. Some options included: colored sand, glitter, bubble wrap and bubble printing, saran wrap, tin foil, splatter painting, sponge printing, fork scraping in paint, and MORE! Based on each ocean scene, the students chose techniques that made sense for their background. The colored sand and the splatter painting with a toothbrush were the most popular. Enjoy taking a look at the artworks... each one is a masterpiece!

We are now going to be starting CLAY for our next art unit, YAY! :)

Third grade artists completed their Holiday Lights Paintings and then switched to a new project inspired by African American female artist, Alma Thomas! The Alma Thomas Inspired Heart Mosaics were both connected to Black History Month and Valentines Day! The students first drew and cut out a symmetrical heart and then turned it into a Monochromatic (many versions of one color) paper mosaic. After gluing the heart down to a new paper, the artists began using Thomas's painting style (abstract art) to create a painted mosaic around the heart. We talked about how mosaics can be made from many different materials, even brush strokes! The key in making a mosaic is consistency (consistent size and  shapes, and consistent spaces in between the shapes). 

To add in even more of a fun challenge, the students were directed to take a trip around the color wheel (color being the big theme in 3rd grade)! They could choose whether to go clockwise or counterclockwise around the color wheel, and they were also given the option to hand mix the tertiary colors OR stick with just primary and secondary. They each did a terrific job and were SO PROUD with the end product :)

Fourth grade artists are nearly done with a three-part artwork, Low Relief Landscapes: Sculpture, Rubbing, and Print! When I returned from my maternity leave they had just started the project and it was, well bit of a hot mess coming back to that (haha). It can be a challenging concept to understand layering pieces to a puzzle with background, middle ground, and foreground, BUT... with some more practice, some lessons in what does and doesn't work, and some added tools and materials, the students made a GREAT deal of progress! Each one of them did some problem solving along the way and also learned some terrific art concepts and skills that will hopefully stick with them as they grow as artists.

After the construction of the Low Relief Landscape Sculptures were complete and the students had at least 3 layers that showed a variety of textures, we created texture rubbings using crayon and oil pastel. This one day lesson was easy and fun! The next class, the students painted the entire landscape with ONE color and created monoprints ("one print") by pressing moist white paper on the painted relief sculpture. The last part of the project was to demonstrate their understanding of value by creating a value scale with added white (tints) and added black (shades). The 4th grade artists then used those same values on their final landscape to show "atmospheric perspective." The result... AMAZING! :)

Fifth grade artists are in the midst of their Artist Inspired Self Portraits! The students chose from a list of 30+ artists representing a variety of art movements, time periods, places in the world, and ethnicities. The students spent time researching the artist and also responding to their art by practicing the steps of "describing, analyzing, interpreting, and judging the artwork. The reverse side of their planning sheets required the students make a list of materials and tools they wished to use for their art creation as well as a list of steps that they planned to follow. As you can imagine, the very open ended project that gave students lots of freedom and choice in their artwork was AWESOME for some and a big challenge for others. It also made a difference what art making process the students chose since some require more knowledge and experience.

This artwork is a perfect example of the art making process being just as important as the final product. The students are learning SO MUCH... about the artist and their style, about the nature of the art media and different techniques, AND about their work ethic, time management, and ability to find an answer to a problem. If you haven't yet asked YOUR 5th grade artist about their Artist Inspired Self Portrait, please do! They should be able to tell you about that artist and all that they are learning, including their approach to making their self portrait.