Creative color wheels

Grade 5 celebrated the completion of their very creative color wheels last week at ASB.  The students wrapped up the year reviewing and learning color theory. They learned about the 12 color color wheel that includes primary, secondary and tertiary colors and learned their order and the organization of the traditional wheel. Color groupings such as analogous and complementary colors were reviewed as well. Students were then challenged to put their knowledge and creativity to the test to complete a uniquely designed color wheel showcasing all 12 colors using a variety of materials. Some students worked independently while other paired up or worked in small groups. They used materials ranging from oil pastels and watercolor paints to wood, fabric, clay and even water to create interesting 2D and 3D color wheels. The pieces were on display in the lobby during the past week and are headed home as we wrap up our year in art this week. Way to go grade 5! 

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! 

A peak inside our busy art room

What we've been up to this week...

Grade 1: painting to music

Grade 2: exploring styles of influential artists

Grade 3: how cultures have used art as expression through time

Grade 4: collaborative project-based recycled art unit

Grade 5: linoleum printmaking

Crests Complete!

Grade three celebrated their successful completion of each class crest this week. You can see them hanging around ASB soon!  Well done grade three artists on an impressive show of collaborations and commitment to craftsmanship.

Here's a peak into the process: 

(3C Mural now on display at the ES Campus Entry!) 

The grade 3 students worked together to create this collaborative mural of the ASB Crest.  Each group started with a two-foot square image of the crest, and used a grid process to transfer and enlarge the image to create six-foot square murals of the crest.

They each worked on small sections (grid boxes) of the drawing to enlarge the image one piece at a time. Once all of the pieces were drawn out, the pieces were fit together like a puzzle and the mural went through a process of revision and refining. After the sketches were ready, the marker outline set the drawing in place. The last step was to add color.  Inspired by the use of the grid drawing process, small grid squares were drawn in the background and filled in with shades of colors determined by the class through a thoughtful reflection of color theory. 

Ultimately each student played an important role throughout each step of this process and they have created something as a group that would have been overwhelming as individuals. Collaboration was the key to this successful mural project. We are happy to share this process and beautiful product, which represents who we are at ASB.

Art from Ordinary Objects

Last week a group of 10 creative KG-Grade 2 students explored the art of Andy Goldsworthy. He is a well known sculpture artist who used mainly natural elements and nature itself to create stunning and simple yet interesting artwork. We talked about the patterns we noticed (simple shapes, using the thing such as rocks or leaves repeated over and over again, sometimes adding color but usually keeping the natural color of the natural object).  

We wondered:

What would it be like to find one of his artworks in nature? surprising, awesome, funny, weird

How does this art make us feel?...and Why? calm, peaceful, curious, excited, happy... the environment and music also help us feel this way

How could we get or give that same effect using materials we found naturally around us at school? naturally found objects at school might be markers, pencils, crayons etc...

How would it feel to make a piece of art that is temporary, or will not last forever? sometimes just making art can make us happy, it's ok to break or remove a piece of artwork after we have shared it with others, not all art has to be perfect and in place forever

Where would we choose to build pieces like this to inspire people around us? in our home, in our private room/bedroom, at lunch, in school where lots of people will see it...

Using the most natural objects we can round up in school (without harming any plants or living things), we assembled designs on the ground using office supplies, rocks, sea shells, pencils, rubber bands, gems, and assorted wood blocks.  While these elements were not the same as those Andy Goldsworthy would use, they are easily found, simple and common, and can be used to create surprising and interesting designs. As a group they created an amazing collage of items that really wowed the people passing by. We also tried using ordinary objects in drawings and in cards we could give to other people to inspire and surprise them with creative beauty. What a fun day using our imaginations and putting our creativity on display!