Graffiti . . . again?

Posted on October 16, 2012 by carriegelson

Our morning began with a surprise and it was not a happy one. I brought the students out to see what I saw when I walked to school this morning. A community mural has been further vandalized.

Seriously? More graffiti? This is beyond not okay. By 9:15 a.m. our class was standing outside on the sidewalk a block from our school looking at MORE graffiti on the beautiful mural at Out to Lunch Catering.

Last week we went to look at the graffiti and wrote about our feelings and sadness. (Read that post here) Imagine how upset we were to see more graffiti on the wall today. The mural is almost unrecognizable. Gracie expresses what many of us felt in her writing today:

Many kids were asking why someone would spray paint over art? Why wouldn’t they spray paint on a blank wall? Even though that would still be disrespectful . . . It was the graffiti on a mural that really hit us hard.

We came back to school and wrote. Kids were keen to express their feelings and outrage. The usual “how do you spell . . . ?” requests were less. Everyone wanted to get their thoughts down. Violet shared: “They used spray paint again. Don’t draw over it. Because it was beautiful the way it was. I don’t like it.”

Kala was really angry and her writing shows it. She wrote this completely independently: “I don’t like it. That hurt my feelings. Please don’t do it again. How will you think if we did that to you? You are dumb. Why did I say that? Because it was mean.”

I heard from Out to Lunch that beginning today, there will be an attempt to clean up the graffiti. A solvent will be used to strip the spray paint from the mural. But there are no guarantees that the mural won’t be smudged. We are crossing all of our little fingers that it works and that nothing is damaged.

Those same fingers attached to the hands we were wringing today at the disrespectful few who decided it was okay to deface a beautiful community mural. To the graffiti “painters” our message is this (quoting from another student’s writing): “You are so not cool.“

Wisdom all around us

Posted on October 8, 2012 by carriegelson

Our art project this week was all about owls! We have decided to fill our classroom with gorgeous owl art so that wise old owls can perch up on our bulletin boards and look down at us learning and growing wiser each day! Kind of a wisdom every where you look scenario!

I got the idea for this art project on the wonderful art blog Deep Space Sparkle in a post that highlighted a number of owl inspired art projects.

We completed this project over two art classes. Day one was drawing and painting and day two colouring a backdrop and adding our owls to our night time scene. Step by step directions follow:

Step 1: Everyone drew an owl on light coloured construction paper after we did a guided drawing lesson about how owls look (think about the tucked in wings, the large eyes, the talons, etc)

I love how each owl had personality just in a pencil drawing!

Step 2: We began painting using just these colours: white, yellow, brown and black.

Students added spots and stripes and played with blending colours.

Fully painted owls looked striking! Details on the wings look like multicoloured feathers.

Step 3: Cut out the owls

Step 4: On black construction paper we drew a tree trunk and branch, stars and a moon (if desired) and attached our owl into the scene.

We only used yellow, brown, black and red/orange oil pastels for our backdrop.

Wishing everyone a very wise fall in their classrooms!

The Season of Sunflowers

Posted on September 26, 2012 by carriegelson

Sunflowers are in various stages of splendour around the city. Some are in full bloom. Some are drooping. Some are going to seed and their petals are drying and falling off. We brought in sunflowers and filled our room with sunflower books and captured this beautiful moment of fall in our artwork. Our sunflowers were also inspired by the gorgeous Vincent Van Gogh sunflowers on the blog For the Love of Art.

Follow our process step by step:

First we drew sunflowers in pencil and outlined our completed drawings with black sharpies.

Students thought about petal size and shape and showed flowers in various stages of vitality. Some students added insects or other details to their pictures.

There were no rules about size and shape of flowers and so each picture turned out to be very different.

On Day 2 we painted our blue backgrounds (gave students choice of just two blues), vases and tables (again colour choice was limited to orange, brown or red.)

Students chose to use a smaller brush when painting close to their flowers and stems.

Everyone was very excited about how wonderful the first colours looked together.

Day 3 was all about paining the stems and all of our blossoms and petals. We used browns, yellows and oranges for the flowers. Students snaked their paint brushes up the stems between vase and flowers.

Painting the sunflowers allowed us to get very creative.

Students blended colours and spent the entire art class on task and talking about their work. Just lovely to observe!

If your class has done any sunflower art this fall, please share by providing a link in the comments section!

Happy Sunflower Season!

I Feel a Foot

Posted on September 12, 2012 by carriegelson

We shared a gorgeous picture book in class today which inspired some beautiful art. I Feel a Foot is written by Maranke Rinck and illustrated by Martijn van der Linden.

Turtle, Bat, Octopus, Bird and Goat awake in the dark of night to a sound. Each one goes exploring and runs into some kind of creature. Turtle thinks it is a humungous turtle because he feels what seems to be a turtle leg. Bird thinks he feels a beak. It must be a huge bird! Octopus thinks he feels a large tentacle. The creature is an octopus (super sized). In the end it turns out that each animal felt just one body part and that the animal is actually . . . Do you think you can guess?

We were inspired by the bright colours in the illustrations to make our own turtles and birds.

We used oil pastels, coloured construction paper and tried to create interesting patterns and outlines around our animals.

We then cut out around the outside of our creations. Ms. Gelson and Miriam glued them onto black construction paper and they are posted on a bulletin board in our classroom! Come in and take a peek!

We love the expressive eyes and smiles on these turtles!

The great thing about this project? Everyone finished an animal! And . . . all of our work was displayed together. Posted together, the effect is all the more striking!

Every picture is so unique!

Self Portraits courtesy of Arts Umbrella

Posted on June 10, 2012 by carriegelson

What I love about Arts Umbrella Workshops:

1. Engaging, skilled teachers who can instruct and inspire in less than 20 minutes!

2. Students get to work big! Nothing like having one class and the whole gym floor to spread out on for art!

3. With instruction that inspires confidence, students are able to apply new learning instantly. Instructors walk around and give lots of great feedback!

Look how well the proper position of the facial features has been learned!

4. Students take risks. They aren’t afraid to experiment and try new things because it has been modeled and encouraged! Look at the fantastic colours!

5. Students get to create pieces where they get feedback that sounds like this: “Wow!” “Did you do that?” “That really looks like you!”

6. The instructors leave us with hints for finishing off pieces (like going back to add details with pastels) so that completed pieces really stand out!

7. Our hallway and classroom bulletin boards look like this a few days later!

Thanks again Arts Umbrella for a fantastic learning experience!

We imagined some gardens . . .

Posted on May 10, 2012 by carriegelson

This gorgeous book written by Andrew Larsen and illustrated by Irene Luxbacher was our inspiration for some beautiful flower art. The Imaginary Garden tells a story of grandfather and granddaughter who paint a lush garden mural when a real garden is no longer possible in Poppa’s new apartment.

Just as little Theodora and Poppa created flowers from bright green stems and blobs of paint colour, the students used dabs of paint to create beautiful imagined gardens, each one unique.

Students began by adding dibs and dabs, blobs and swirls of bright coloured paint to their papers.

Adding the blooms

Some chose to make huge blooms. Others, a mixture of shapes and sizes.

Then with vibrant green paint, stems were added.

Carefully snaking the stems up to the flowers

We let our pictures dry overnight with plans to add details the next day with felt markers.

When we were ready to add more detail to the flowers on Day 2 we used two books by Lois Ehlert for inspiration.

Planting a Rainbow takes us on a garden tour colour by colour.

Waiting for Wings tells the story of butterflies flitting flower to flower in a garden in full bloom. Both books are gorgeous.

Each student approached this step very carefully creating a variety of interesting effects. Markers were used to add details to blossoms and stems.

Adding details

Finished pieces are stunning. Come check out our display in the hall and walk through an imaginary garden or two or three . . .

Can you pick a favourite flower?

We were so pleased with how these pieces turned out that our Mother’s Day cards are painted in the same style!

Another one just because they are that beautiful . . .

Tempted to come visit our display yet? They really do look beautiful all together!

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Moms, Grandmas and important women who love us!

It is spring when cherry blossoms are everywhere!

Posted on April 4, 2012 by carriegelson

We just completed the most gorgeous Art Project celebrating Spring. We are lucky that we get to walk under numerous cherry trees during Walk and Talk as they surround Seymour School. In honour of the gorgeous pink blossoms and sweet scent we created . . .

Our art was inspired by a post on this Art Blog, A Faithful Attempt. Here is the step by step (adapted for a primary class: (Note: these pieces were completed over 3 days to allow for drying time in between)

Step one: Paint a blue sky background, using an upside down yogurt container to protect an area and create the perfect full moon.

Step two: Using watery blue paint, paint blue over the entire page and then let dry overnight.

Step three: With very watery black paint, draw a line down the page to give an outline for your tree

Step four: With a tiny straw (I cut full sized straws in half) blow! Create branches by chasing wet paint across the page. This is lots of fun! Let dry.

Helpful tips: blow with straw right in the paint!

Another helpful tip: Blow across the page, not just blowing up the line vertically

Step five: Using a mixture of red, pink, pale purple and white paint, create blossoms.

Many of us had fun blending colours

So, consensus?

We think they are beautiful! Come check out the display in the hallway outside of our classroom! Happy Spring!

Stars

Posted on March 28, 2012 by carriegelson

I had been waiting for an afternoon where we weren’t in the middle of anything to share this book with my students. I wanted calm time to savour the illustrations and the lovely poetic text. And then we would need some time to talk stars. And do some art of course!

The first day back after Spring Break proved to be the perfect day. We were easing back into routines and needed an afternoon of a beautiful book and some time to create. Stars (written by Mary Lyn Ray and illustrated by Marla Frazee) is one of my new favourite picture books. A book that celebrates stars and all that they might mean and represent. A book that asks us to think what if we could collect stars . . . have one? gather a bunch? Imagine. Stars are about magic. And wishing. And possibilities. About nature – snowflakes, flower blossoms, dandelion seeds on the wind.

I love the simplicity and the power behind Ray’s text.

But stars that come with night- for those you have to wait for night. You need some dark to see them.

And the illustrations. Well. . . Frazee’s pictures always capture such joy.

Inspired by colourful, vibrant heart art of Jim Dine we used oil pastels to make our stars.

Raelyn is almost finished surrounding her stars with blocks of colour.

Carmen worked to create a feeling of movement.

Truman worked to make his picture feel like space including shooting stars!

Beautiful birds

Posted on February 10, 2012 by carriegelson

Division 5 continues to study birds. This week we enjoyed Robins: Songbirds of the Spring by Mia Posada.

We enjoyed learning how these birds make their nests, care for their young and about how the fledglings learn to fly. Posada’s robins are lovely – and it sparked an interest in bird body parts. We spread out bird books on all of the tables and students made lists of all the important parts of the bird: beak, breast, feathers, wings, talons or feet, etc. Students then drew and coloured their own birds. Our bulletin boards are now covered in gorgeous birds designed by the students and inspired by a variety of real birds in nature.

First students made pencil sketches.

We then added colour using crayons, oil pastels and pencil crayons.

Finally we shaded around our bird’s outline and cut them out. Some finished pieces:

Blue horses, orange elephants and pink ducks!

Posted on February 8, 2012 by carriegelson

We read and were inspired by Eric Carle‘s The Artist who Painted a Blue Horse.

This book takes us through page after page of vibrantly painted animals. Rich colours, perhaps not quite how we might have imagined them. Then again . . . A yellow cow under a deep blue sky. A purple fox trotting through the mud. A black polar bear roaming across the ice. All gorgeous as all Eric Carle art is! At the back of the book Carle explains that he was inspired by an art teacher in Germany who showed him Franz Marc’s Blue Horse painted in 1911. This painting, unrealistic in colour was forbidden during the repressive Nazi regime, but Carle’s teacher felt the freedom of the painting would speak to him. Carle claims that his colourful animals, often painted in the “wrong” colours were “really born that day seventy years ago,” when he was shown Marc’s work.