Discover Artsonia!

Now that we have the beginning of the school year behind us, I have updated the student rosters on our Artsonia site.  Follow the link at the top of this page that says "View Student Gallery" to find your child's online portfolio.  Many families bought merchandise from the site last year.  Student artwork on magnets, key chains, phone cases, coffee cups and other items make great gifts.  20% of your purchase comes back to me in the form of a Blick gift card.  I use this credit to keep our classroom running.  If you did not fill out a photo/video consent form giving us permission to post photos of your child or their work, you will not find their name on the site.  I can activate their portfolio if you simply let me know it's okay.  Happy shopping!

Kimonos and Japanese Gardens

Ian, Grade 3

Christa, Grade 3

Tamia, Grade 3

Ava, Grade 3

Ally, Grade 3

The second and third graders have been learning about the art of Japan.  They made a paper doll with a kimono and obi, and they used bright designs to create the "fabric" for the kimonos.  After finishing the folding and gluing of the kimono, they created a Japanese garden in the background.  They were challenged to include a Japanese bridge, a pagoda, Mt. Fuji, koi and cherry blossoms.  I love how they turned out, and the students did a great job learning all the vocabulary associated with the project.  We have now moved on to trying out some simple origami. 

Frida Kahlo "Selfie" Project

The 6th-8th grade class has been working on a project that challenged them to think like Frida Kahlo.  Frida painted many self-portraits, and they had definite somber moods.  She achieved the effect of gloom in her work in several ways, one of which was the background.  She often used symbolism, colors and settings that showed the constant pain and suffering in her life.  Her facial expression reinforced the feeling.  The middle schoolers were asked to take a selfie and to superimpose it on a background.  Their challenge was to create a mood using colors, symbols or settings, just like Frida.  Here are some of the finished selfies...

Many Mona Lisas

Rylee's Minecraft Mona, Grade 5

Giana's Vampire Mona Lisa, Grade 4

Aria's Cat Mona Lisa, Grade 4

Keshawn's Angel Mona Lisa, Grade 4

Alex's "Frida Lisa", Grade 5

Manuel's Villager Mona Lisa, Grade 5

Samuel's Viking Mona Lisa, Grade 4

Analiz's Modern Mona Lisa, Grade 5

Melanie's Clown Mona Lisa, Grade 5

Lily's Chicagoan Mona Lisa, Grade 5

Victoria's Super Hero Mona Lisa, Grade 5

     The fourth and fifth graders began their Renaissance unit this month.  We began by comparing and contrasting art from the Middle Ages and Renaissance Art.  The students came up with an impressive list of characteristics of Renaissance Art including the use of perspective, the use of proportion, blending of colors, and more realism.  They began with Leonardo da Vinci and The Mona Lisa as their first Renaissance lesson.  You can see that they got creative with their own Monas, and I love to see that they are carrying over last year's lessons on value into their work.  Next week, we move on to talking about Michelangelo!