Art Club Update + Fav Artist Friday

At our last Art Club meeting, we had a chance to Skype with Nashville-based landscape architect Matt Scott! He took time out of his busy day at Hodgson & Douglas to give us an awesome presentation about the history and process of landscape architecture, environmental art, and the importance of parks and planned outdoor spaces in our community.

Afterward, students got to interview him in real time from 250 miles away! Such a cool experience. Thanks, Matt!!

Now, check out this week's fav artist after the jump!

The Color Wheel

Here's an awesome color wheel video I came across when I visited Fun Art 4 Kids, another Art teacher's blog!

 

I like it almost as much as this OK Go cameo on Sesame Street (thanks to fellow FCS Art teacher Kim Muhlheim for sharing this one):

 

Have a great week!! See you back here on Friday for another Fav Artist!

Art Club

We had our second Art Club meeting on Wednesday and it was a blast! We talked about a couple of cool art contests club members can enter--Georgia's own Dream Art Contest and the PTA's annual nationwide Reflections contest--and students got their first sketchbook assignment . . .

to be completed in their very own, brand new, fancy schmancy hardbound sketchbooks! Special thanks to my favorite local art supply store Binders for having a ton of these in stock at a great price.

Check back next week for more updates and a new Fav Artist!

Art Club Reminder

Next Art Club meeting is tomorrow--Wednesday, October 17th--from 2:45 to 3:45. Don't forget to bring your completed Artist Trading Cards to swap with your clubmates!

Google Art Project

While I'm sure all of you are familiar with the search engine Google, what do you know about Google Art Project? If you've always wanted to see the world's most famous masterpieces up close but didn't have the time or money, Google Art Project is the next best thing to real life! It's an amazing tool that lets you visit museums virtually, examine paintings much more closely than you ever could in person, and even curate your own gallery.


Watch the video to find out more or click the links above to start exploring!

Fav Artist Fridays!

Allow me to introduce you to Jean-Michel Basquiat, a famous American artist with an uncanny ability to infuse emotion and movement into his work. Jean-Michel was born in Brooklyn, New York to a Haitian father and Puerto Rican mother. He was very smart and a great artist even as a kid. By age 11, he could speak, read, and write fluently in Spanish, English, and French.

Unfortunately, as talented as he was, he still had a difficult childhood. His mom encouraged him to draw and paint but his parents separated when he was eight, so his father raised him and his two sisters. That same year, Jean-Michel was hit by a car while playing in the street and suffered some pretty serious internal injuries. He also ran away a few times and dropped out of school in the tenth grade, at which point he was forced to sleep at friends' houses and sell t-shirts and handmade postcards to make ends meet. A little while later, he began writing graffiti under the pseudonym SAMO (pronounced same-oh, short for the phrase "same old") with his friend Al Diaz. This was the start of his career as a real artist.

SAMO graffiti on a building
in Lower Manhattan

SAMO graffiti with the trademark copyright
symbol Basquiat and Diaz used

SAMO graffiti found in NYC from 1976 - 79

After the dissolution of Diaz and Basquiat's friendship,
SAMO IS DEAD tags appeared throughout the city

After their friendship ended, Basquiat began participating in art shows like The Times Square Show in 1980. His primitive-style paintings incorporated text with images--a throwback to his days as a graffiti artist--and he became an important figure in the Neo-Expressionist movement. Artforum magazine published his painting The Radiant Child and he quickly gained recognition throughout the art world. He even became friends with another Fav Artist--Andy Warhol! Jean-Michel was also featured on the cover of The New York Times.



Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump (fire hydrant) 

by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1982



Untitled

Trumpet by Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1984

Sadly, Basquiat suffered from depression and drug addiction. After Andy Warhol died in 1987, Jean-Michel became very sad and isolated himself from his friends and family. He died of a drug overdose later the next year. He was only 27.

Jean-Michel has a painting in the High's permanent collection, just like his friend Andy. Contact the museum and go check it out! For more information about this prolific African American artist, a gallery of his pieces, some of his famous quotes, and a collection of artworks dedicated to him by his closest friends visit www.basquiat.com.

October is Nat'l Arts and Humanities Month + First Art Club Meeting!

President Obama has declared October National Arts and Humanities Month! Mr. President has to say about fine arts:

"Artistic expression and memorable ideas can resonate with us, challenge us, and teach us important lessons about ourselves and each other. At their best, great works of literature, theater, dance, fine art, and music reflect something common in all of us. They open dialogues between cultures and raise poignant questions about our world. They are also vital components of our children's education and our national growth -- not only teaching our youth to observe closely, interpret creatively, and think critically, but also bringing new cultural experiences to our communities and helping drive economic progress."

What will you do this month to celebrate the Arts? Click on the picture above for a link to the full presidential proclamation and read about our first Art Club meeting after the jump!

Art Club Reminder

Remember, our first Art Club meeting is next Wednesday, October 3rd from 2:45 to 3:45! If you haven't yet, be sure to send your student's permission form and $20 fee back by tomorrow.

Art Club Adopt-A-Kid!

You may have noticed a new widget over in the sidebar there.

THAT, friends, is a new way to support the Art Club! Some of our students just don't have the money to pay the club fee--if I had it in the Art department budget or in my own bank account, believe me it would be covered. If you would like to Adopt-A-Kid and donate his or her $20 fee, you can do so via PayPal or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, AmEx, Discover) using the DONATE button on the widget.

If you choose to sponsor a student, be sure to leave your name and address in the comments so that she can send you a handmade thank you card! You can also share our cause on your own website by clicking Add to site.

As always, THANK YOU for your support!!

House Resolution 1162 + Fav Artist Fridays!

November 6th is fast approaching, voters! If you haven't yet familiarized yourself with House Resolution 1162, please click the apple below and read about the proposed amendment to Georgia's constitution. This issue directly affects your kids, their schools, and teachers like me.

As is often the case, the language being used on the ballot just doesn't tell you enough. Get to know what you're voting for (or against!!) before you hit the polls in a couple months.

Now on to Fav Artist Fridays! (after the jump)

Great News + Fav Artist Fridays!

My apologies for the delay in posts! I was out sick last week and spent this week catching up. I've returned with some pretty great news, though . . .

Super excited to announce that Art Club is officially open to 4th and 5th graders with recommendations from myself or homeroom teachers! We will be meeting every 1st and 3rd Wednesday from 2:45 to 3:45 in the Art Room. Our first meeting will be Wednesday, October 3rd.

If your student is nominated you will receive a detailed parent letter and permission form (also available for print below) to be returned with a $20 fee by Friday, September 28th.

 

I've got some really amazing stuff planned for our club--artist talks with professionals, contests, and a big surprise for the end of the year!

In other news, Love T. Nolan will be holding its very first Fine Arts Night and Art Show on February 26th, 2013 in conjunction with our annual Black History program!! We will be teaming up with Artomé and every LTN student will have work in the show that has been professionally matted and framed available for purchase to help raise money for the Art Department! More info soon.

Onward to Fav Artist Fridays! (after the jump)

Great News!!

Dr. Lemons has just given me the go ahead to start an after school art club here at Love T. Nolan!! I am so excited! Be on the lookout for more information in next week's Thursday's Notes.

I've also started a class twitter! Click on the little bird above to start following me and check back regularly for updates, links to great resources, and tweets from local Arts organizations.

What We're Up To: Contour Line Exercise

Fifth grade is learning about Vincent van Gogh at the moment!

Left: Vincent's Chair with his Pipe, 1888
Right: Gauguin's Armchair, 1888

After comparing and contrasting two of his chair paintings (shown above) we discussed positive and negative space and that both are equally important in a composition (shown below).

Afterward, students started their own contour line drawings. We put chairs and stools on tables around the room for them to use as reference and the kids got right to work!

I reminded them to look at the subject of their drawings (the chair/stool) as much as--or even more than--their papers; that way, they are more likely to draw what they actually see not just what they think a chair looks like.

I'm so pleased with the results so far! Can't wait to see how these projects turn out.

Fav Artist Fridays!

I'd like to introduce you to one of the artists our third graders are currently studying, Swiss-German impressionist painter Paul Klee!

Klee in his Studio; image courtesy of
http://recontextualizingtheavant-garde.blogspot.com/.

Mr. Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland on December 18, 1879. His parents were both talented musicians--his father a music teacher and his mother a Swiss singer--and taught him to play the violin. He became so talented on violin that he was invited to play as an exceptional member of the Bern Music Association at age 11! Once he reached his teens, though, he decided to focus on visual arts.



Black Columns in a Landscape by Paul Klee, 1919

 

Southern (Tunisian) Gardens by Paul Klee, 1919

After studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Germany he became great friends with artists like Wassily Kandsinsky, August Macke, and Franz Marc who were trying new things all the time! But it wasn't until a visit to Tunisia in 1914 that Klee really got inspired.  He said of his trip:



"Colour has taken possession of me; no longer do I have to chase after it, I know that it has hold of me forever... Colour and I are one. I am a painter."



Burg und Sonne (Fortress and Sun) by Paul Klee, 1928



Fire in the Evening by Paul Klee, 1929



Paul Klee's style and technique continued to change throughtout his artistic career and he was influenced by everything from war to jazz. Today, his paintings can sell for upwards of $7.5 million and in 2005 a museum was built in his honor in Bern, Switzerland. It holds about 4,000 pieces of his artwork!



Insula Dulcamara by Paul Klee, 1938

Check out www.paulklee.net/ for more information, quotes, and images.

What We're Up To: Unit 1

We're getting into the swing of things here in the art room! Students have finished a short sketchbook assignment and are on to the first lessons of the year.

Teacher samples, essential questions, and standards
for each grade posted on the front bulletin board.

Art is a Language is the theme of our first unit. We focus on the elements of art: shape, form, color, texture, value, space and line. I love explaining to students that the elements of art are like building blocks; we choose the ones we want and compose our artwork with them!

Here are the projects each grade is beginning and the element(s) of art we're focusing on, as well as any special resources I'm using:

KINDERGARTEN



Pigeon Pizzaz  featuring line, shape,
color, and pattern.
(lesson written by FCS Art teacher Martha Arrington)

 

Caldecott Award-winning book
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

1st GRADE



Line Pattern Elephants featuring line, pattern, value, and
secondary colors.



First book in the Elmer series by artist
David McKee 

2nd GRADE  

Robert Indiana-Inspired Pop Art Initials
featuring pattern/repetition, complementary
colors and line.

Book of Love Pink-Blue-Green 
serigraph by Robert Indiana

3rd GRADE

Paul Klee-Inspired Shape Portraits featuring
geometric shape, line and warm/cool colors.
(lesson written by FCS Art teacher Equiana Frazier)

Senecio by Paul Klee

4th GRADE

Matryoshka teacher sample featuring contour line,
geometric/organic shape, pattern/repetition. 

The original matryoshka doll set designed and carved by
Vasily Zvyozdochkin and Sergey Malyutin, respectively, in 1892.

5th GRADE

Vincent van Gogh Chairs featuring
contour line, positive/negative space,
pattern/repetition and color schemes.
(image from www.artsonia.com) 

Vincent's Chair with His Pipe
by Vincent van Gogh, 1888.

Be sure to click on the links in each of the captions for more information, to purchase the books I use in the classroom, and to visit great interactive websites! 

Fav Artist Fridays!

This is the first in a series of weekly posts about great artists, past, present and future! Some you might recognize, while others may be brand new to you. I thought I'd start with an artist I love and who has inspired a lesson or two in my classroom:  Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser. That name is quite a mouthful, isn't it?!



Friedensreich Hundertwasser
(December 15, 1928 – February 19, 2000)

Mr. Hundertwasser was actually born Friedrich Stowasser on December 15, 1928 in Vienna, Austria. His father died when he was only a year old. Both Jewish, he and his mother were forced to hide from the Nazis during World War II. Luckily for us, Friedensreich survived the war and became one of the most exciting contemporary artists in Austria!

City View



Good Morning City

Irinaland over the Balkans

Exodus in Space

Mr. Hundertwasser was so talented that he also designed coins and stamps for Austria, Senegal and the UN in the 1970s and even became an architect! His buildings look a lot like his artwork.

Click here for more information and a catalogue of his other works.

Welcome Back!

I'm so excited to be starting my fifth year here at Love T. Nolan! I must say, the 2012 - 13 school year is off to a great start and I've got lots of ideas swirling around in this red-topped head.

Now, before your students start bringing home their masterpieces--or if you're one of the lucky parents whose kids are already at-home artists--I thought I'd introduce you to a great blog:  The Artful Parent. I especially like the post about talking to your kids about their artwork here.

I know sometimes it can be kind of tricky to tell exactly what your child is creating, especially the littlest ones; even I have to ask students to, "tell me about your project," every once in a while. Hopefully, this article will help keep your mini-artist's self confidence high as can be!

Don't forget Open House will be held Monday, August 27th for kindergarten through 2nd grades and Tuesday, August 28th for 3rd through 5th grades beginning at 6:30 p.m. Be sure to stop by the art room to say hi and scan our blog's QR code!

Ojo de Dios

Caught this googling some images tonight--don't you love that we've created a verb out of a search engine?

Couldn't find a credit for this one; will
continue searching.

Aesthetically pleasing AND a preview of what's to come. Stay tuned!