Journey to the Jungle of Rousseau

Rousseau's Inspirational Work

Samuel, Grade 3

Giana, Grade 3

Grace, Grade 2

Ally, Grade 2

Carlos, Grade 2

Aria, Grade 3

The second and third graders have been finishing up a project that gave them a chance to learn about tints and shades.  They mixed green, and then created various values by adding black or white.  They experimented with their paintbrushes, using some sumi-e techniques, using the bristles as a stamp,  and creating various textures through dabbing.  They filled their page with plants, building a jungle in which they then drew jungle animals with pastels.  They learned about the life of Henri Rousseau, and they practiced distinguishing his work from other Post-Impressionists.  Rousseau was a poor Parisian who never left France, but he became famous for his imaginative jungle scenes pieced together with his knowledge of nature gained from books or Parisian gardens. 

Middle School Dreams

Juan Karlo, Grade 7

Samantha, Grade 8

Adamari, Grade 7

Gerardo, Grade 8

Geno, Grade 7

Yaxeni, Grade 8

Kenny, Grade 7

Taylor, Grade 7

Kalyssa, Grade 7

Arely, Grade 8

Erica, Grade 8

We are having an art show!  Come join our middle school artists for a reception celebrating their work this semester.  The reception will be on May 22 from 5-6PM at the Lincoln Park branch of the Chicago Public Library at 1150 W. Fullerton.  If you are unable to attend the reception, stop by the library at any point in May, during their hours of operation.  I am very proud of their work.  They began by writing a proposal for their work, and created some sketches.  They worked on canvases with acrylic paint, practicing color theory, value, texture, form, brush technique, layering and other important skills.  Each painting is based on both the work of a famous artist who focused on the theme of dreams, and on the students' own ideas about what dreams mean.  They explain their work in artists' statements that will be on display with the work, and you can read these statements on our Artsonia account.  Follow the link at the top of the page for "Student Gallery". 

Give a "Hoot" on Earth Day

The Prescott Art Club had fun today in celebration of Earth Day.  We used recycled items like magazines and cardboard tubes that had been donated to the art room to create some cute owls.  The owls look like a crowd of environmental activists, and the kids had fun experimenting with the materials and being creative with the signs.  Happy Earth Day!

Lions and Lambs

Alissa, Kindergarten

Ava, Kindergarten

Jamie, Kindergarten



Laila, Kindergarten



Sydney, Kindergarten

March came in like a lion, and it went out like a lamb.  Thank goodness the weather is changing!  Our kindergarteners were learning this expression and were comparing the weather to animals as they made some fun masks.  They reviewed types of lines and shapes, and they reviewed warm and cool colors as they made these masks.  They were all roaring and "baaah"ing and having a great time.  They noticed the cool colors were used for the warmer weather and thought that was strange.  Maybe next time we will make blue lions and orange sheep...

Puddle Paintings

Daniel, Grade 1

Joey, Grade 1

Jose, Grade 1



Kimani, Grade 1



Daisy, Grade 1

Spring is here!  We have been creating some projects about spring weather, and this project turned out really well.  The students brainstormed what kinds of clothing we use to protect ourselves from winter weather, and they compared it to springtime clothing and weather.  We reviewed lines, shapes, patterns, cool colors and warm colors as they created these puddle paintings! 

Dr. Seuss Week

Kevin, Grade 3, Seussian Landscape

Isabella, Kindergarten, Sneetches in Love

Alissa, Kindergarten, Yertle's Turtle Tower

Nate W. , Grade 1, Lorax

Jamie's Sneetches, Kindergarten

Ermuun, Grade 1, Lorax

Daniel, Grade 1, Turtle Tower

Luis, Grade 2, Tizzle-Topped Tufted Mazurka

Sean, Grade 3, Tizzle-Topped Tufted Mazurka

Keshawn, Grade 3, Seussian Landscape

We were busy during ISAT testing week!  Back in March, I took these photos of work our students did over the course of standardized testing week.  To ensure the hallways were quiet for those testing, I travelled from classroom to classroom with my art supplies to teach art.  It just so happened that testing week was the same week as Dr. Seuss's birthday!  We did read-alouds all week, and the students analyzed the colors, images and patterns in his illustrations.  We learned about how Dr. Seuss's illustrations help to tell his famous stories.  These examples are some samples of strong work, but there were many other creative ideas that came out of this week.  I got lots of drawing from the kids that they had done at home, so I feel like they really enjoyed it.