During the month of September, we covered a lot of materials and basic concepts in art class. Below is an overview of some completed projects and photos.
All of the students learned about why artists create symmetrical vs. asymmetrical compositions. We discussed the artwork of various Modernist artists who used collage, such as Henri Matisse, Jean Arp, Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian.
The Elephants and Bigger Eagles created their own narrative triptych collages. The requirements were to create a symmetrical composition for the middle panel and asymmetrical compositions for the outer panels. Students had the ability to choose an overall theme that would unify all three panels into a cohesive triptych.
The Bigger Bees and Little Eagles had the opportunity to create their own paper. We learned about how the Ancient Egyptians made papyrus and how we can use recycled materials to create our own paper. Using recycled shredded paper, water and food coloring in a blender, the students spread out the mixture onto a screen. We used brayers and cloth to create the correct consistency for paper. We laid textbooks on top to flatten our paper and the next class it was dry. Using markers we drew our favorite hieroglyph on them, followed by a geometric patterned border of choice. The project was completed with watercolor. After school, I sprayed the paper projects with acrylic sealer to create a more durable finished product (although they are still somewhat fragile and should be handled carefully).
After learning about symmetry using paper and collage, the Little and Bigger Bees learned more about where we find symmetry in nature and our everyday lives. We looked at and discussed visual examples such as leaves, butterflies, buildings, animals, and fruit. Next we folded a large piece of paper in half and painted only one side. Then we folded it closed, patted it, and opened it to discover a symmetrical painting. I restricted the paint to primary colors (red, blue and yellow) to reinforce their knowledge of mixing secondary colors (orange, green and purple).
