Art With Ms. Ammons: Images from the Upcoming Middle School Art Show

Keyshana, Grade 8, Study of Frida Kahlo

Keyshana's sketches, revisions, notes, research and inspiration images used in the creation of her painting

Since February, the middle school classes have been working on a long-term project. I could not be more proud of their work. Most of them have never completed a painting on canvas, and they had previously worked mainly with the traditional elementary school tempera paint. As a class, we researched various art movements including Pop Art, Impressionism, Surrealism, Expressionism, Fauvism and Realism. The students brainstormed ideas for a painting or chose a famous painting they liked. Their assignment was to create their own painting that connects with the work of a master painter. Some students had to find a painting that matched their own ideas. Other students chose the painting first and changed it to something with personal meaning. Many did both.

Alexa, Grade 6, Study of Vincent Van Gogh

Through their work, we discussed aerial perspective and depth in backgrounds, value, color theory, texture, scale and proportion. They learned a lot about using acrylic paint through trial and error, but we also had demonstrations in blending, glazing and sketching from a grid. This project required the students to be as patient as the teacher because every work of art was completely different. I grouped students who were working on similar tasks, and these groupings changed as the paintings progressed. They are adding final details and are reflecting on their work.

The local public library at Lincoln and Belmont has agreed to display their paintings for the first 2 weeks of June. Be sure to stop by and see the completed works. We all worked very hard and learned a lot. Some of the reflections show personal connections the students made with their work. This is very advanced for middle school, and it makes me excited to see what they can accomplish next.