Festival of Nations!

Hip hip hooray for celebrating our many nations at ASB today! 

Thinking like an artist-on holiday!

What did you see and find over spring break? Did the artist in you find inspiration in the places you visited or find time to use your creativity to make something? Here's a peak into my creative moments and details thinking like an artist in Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur! Love the colors, architecture, patterns, nature and designs I saw everywhere I went from the new Mumbai airport to the modern and very unique city scape in Shanghai to the designs in food and buildings in KL. I am always inspired in new ways when I visit new places and this week was no exception..these concepts might begin appearing in my artwork soon! Share what you saw and did to keep thinking like an artist in break!

Grade 3 this week

Grade three moved on from

Charcoal cave paintings to aboriginal art from Australia. We've noticed some connections between the two historic types of art: both groups of people created art supplies from natural things they could find easily and both examples used art to preserve their cultural stories, beliefs, dreams and values! We're on our second project creating symbols using the dot techniques we've seen from

Australia. This week students were busy practicing techniques, sharpening the sharpest pencils in the world, and drawing connections to our own cultures and art at home like Ada's aboriginal art piece she brought in to share today! 

Grade 4 PBL Fair

This morning the grade 4 students presented their learning with an authentic audience of parents, teachers and community members. They have recently completed a Project-Based Learning Unit that challenged students to create a useful carry-on product that would be convenient for airline travel using recycled objects and materials.

  

Guests were encouraged to offer honest and thoughtful feedback to the students to enhance their prototypes.  Chris Grazel (ASB Parent and Go Air VP ) offered insights and feedback as an expert in the airline industry. It was a great celebration of the learning process for grade four- Thanks to everyone who came to support our students! 

Check out highlights of this mornings fair:

I'll post more photos in the next week. Great job Grade 4! 

Very Influential People

Very Influential People... Who are they? How are they influential? What difference can someone with influence make?  These are questions grade 2 has spent some time exploring and reflecting on in their unit of inquiry.  In art, we explored 4 very influential artists- ranging in nationality, materials/media, and contributions to the art world and in turn art history.  These artists are recognized and known for starting something new or seeing things in new ways. Henri Matisse is contributed with bring collage to the art world while Paul Klees use of mixed media and applying whimsical drawings through printmaking techniques layered on paintings was a unique approach to art making. Pablo Picasso is famous for saying " I don't paint things they way I see them, but the way I think them", and started the art movement of CubAndy Warhol created a style of art that captured and shared aspects of popular culture through his art such as food and iconic celebrities in Pop Art.  Grade 2 created pieces of art influenced by the contributions if these artists to the world of art. Check out some of their work, collage side by side to note the differences in approaches to creativity! 

We also used a fun tool too explore museums around the world to find out more about these artists and other influential artists called Google Art Project.  Check it out! You can virtually visit-and even walk through-many of the worlds great art collections.

Which artists influence you? Who inspires you and the way you express yourself? How can you have influence on others in your life (through art or other ways!)? 

Kid President- How to be an Inventor!

I really enjoy the messages Kid President shares in his creative and usually funny videos.  This message is especially cool to hear considering the current work our grade 4 students are completing on their PBL Something from Nothing Recycled Art Unit. They have been inventing and creating products that would be useful for air travel. This Friday will be the big fair to share their learning- the ups and downs- with an audience of parents, teachers, and experts... More to come on fair follow up. But for now, enjoy this fun video from Kid President and imagine all of the ways you can do these things every day as an artist!

Sea shells by the sea shore!

Last weekend Coach Dax and I spent some time on the beach. As an artist- I find the sea to be such a source of inspiration- from the fresh air, sound of the waves and beautiful sunsets reflecting in the water. 

However though I love spending time walking near the sea my eyes are usually looking down at my feet- scanning the amazing variety of sea shells! This weekend was no different- the unique patterns colors and shapes of shells is really incredible! I used my camera to snap some shots of the beautiful array of shells as a means of tapping into my creativity. I played around with sorting them by pattern color as size and photographed different arrangements. I can't help but think like an artist everywhere I go! 

Where do you find inspiration? In nature? At the beach? So you have any collections you could sort and photograph? Take a close look around everywhere you go :)