Art in Peru

 

As an artist an art teacher I find it important to travel in the United States as well as the rest of the World.  Curtis and I make an effort to visit a place in the US and out of the US every year.  This year for spring break we had the amazing opportunity to go to Peru.  We went with the idea that Machu Picchu would me amazing but it was so much more than that.  Truly a unique, beautiful, and magical place an the ART was amazing.  Everywhere you turned was out of this world textiles, crafts, and fine works of art.  What and inpiration I will incorporate in my teaching, own artwork and day to day life.  Look at some of the pictures, and go to PERU!!

WANTED

This year's Right To Read Week theme was The Wild West.  I incorportated this theme into my lesson plans as well as my wardrobe and music playlist for the week.  For this project I taught the kids about the purpose of WANTED posters in the west, then I taught them face proportion.  Every student was required to put a cowboy hat on their head and I taught the girls how to draw braids and the boys LOVED drawing mustaches, sideburns and stubble.  I then explained to them that they had to make their WANTED poster into something funny/legal/appropriate.  We got some very cute one ones.  Check them out!

Georgia On My Mind

         Portrait of Georgia O'Keefe                                                                   

In Fourth Grade we just finished a project on the famous American Female artist Georgia O'Keefe.  We connected this lesson to science as we discussed the flower works of O'Keefe and the different parts of flowers.  The we read a short bio on her, talked about her move from NYC to New Mexico and how perspective can change something.  I gave the students each a large piece of paper about 2 feet by 2 feet.  They were challenged to draw LARGE as Georgia did.  I kept telling them to SUPER SIZE it.  This was much harder for them than you would imagine.  We then colored them in with crayon, painted over in water color and sprinkled a little salt on the water color a different effect.  They kids liked these so much they took them home for mother's day.  I gave each student the option to bring something else in "natural".  I had a few kids bring in fruit and one artist bring in a peacock feather.

                                                                                                        Sunflower by Erica

                                                          peacock feather by Bailey

Blue Dog

Curtis and I went to New Orleans in December of 2002.  Blue Dog was a celebrity all over town.  George Rodrigue's Gallery is right in the French Quarter and you cannot go to this city without seeing his famous canine.  Since then, I have collected Blue Dog stuff, had a painting of him in my classroom on the wall and love to see what kids think about Blue Dog Paintings.  Recently I had my fifth graders choose between the Mona Lisa, American Gothic, Scream or Blue Dog, to study, and change.  Here are some fantastic examples!  I also just submitted them to Rodrigue's student gallery so keep your fingers crossed we get published!  Check it out:  http://www.georgerodriguefoundation.org/education

These are by: Laney, Hannah, Emma, and McKenzie