A blog about ART! Both my work and the work of my students.
In my career, I have been lucky enough to have extremely talented and dedicated students who create work that is extraordinary and very sophisticated for their age. These works are some examples of students who have done that. These acrylic paintings were done by students who were between 16 – 17 years old when they created them. Super proud teacher!
At the beginning of the academic year, the supplies and materials had not yet arrived due to shipping issues, causing me to re-evaluate the units that I had planned. I decided to create an installation project using recycled cardboard and paper that we had on campus and the limited paint supplies that I had access to. Pop Art and Claus Oldenburg were our source for artistic inspiration and the subject matter, none other than our very popular corner shop, Lawsons. The outcome was great, creating a beautiful display for the school using recycled materials! Well done to the grade 6’s for such an excellent project.
Yayoi Kusama is one of my favourite artists. Aside from her revolutionary approach to art, the fact that she is a Japanese artist made this project even more enticing to complete as the final installation artwork is displayed in my previous school’s Innovation Centre in the Nothern Tohoku region of Japan. This was a mammoth task, one which I challenged my grade 7 students to complete. The students created more than 65 mod roc/plaster of paris balloons, painted them in Yayoi Kusama’s polka dot style, and then suspended the installation using cables across the open area that divides the first and second floors of the building. The final outcome was incredibly effective. I am very proud of the students for their hard work on this project. I have added images to show the step-by-step process we went through in order to achieve this work.
I love images that contrast or clash and create interesting dynamics in an artwork. It is also a lot of fun putting these images together in a way that creates an aesthetically pleasing artwork. This was the task set for the Grade 7 students. They were asked to choose a variety of images including objects, landscapes, people, animals, insects etc. and then collage them together in a composition.
The Grid Method is a foolproof method of drawing, as long as you are methodical about it and draw what you see and not what you think you see. After teaching the Grid Method to my students, and having a few practice sessions, my grade 8 students completed A3 pencil self-portraits using this method. The outcome is incredible and a valuable technique for students.
Making an ‘artist copy’ artwork is never an easy task for students, but it helps them understand the process that artists undertake while creating a piece of art.
Coloured pencils are deceptively challenging. Understanding how to use this medium effectively requires a lot of practice, and due to the nature of coloured pencils, they aren’t very forgiving and therefore can be a rather frustrating medium to work with.
Asking my grade 9 students to create an ‘artist copy’ artwork using coloured pencils pushed them out of their comfort zones allowing for a better understanding of the application of this medium. These works turned out beautifully.
Still Life artwork forms the basis of understanding how to draw in an observational manner. My students set up their own Still Life compositions and completed these outstanding A2 Artworks using a variety of H and B pencils to create depth and tonal variety. I am exceptionally proud of these works considering that they were created by Grade 9 students.
As part of the whole school campaign to educate people about the damaging effects that fast fashion has on the environment, Grade 9 students were asked to collect recycled materials and create an outfit. These artworks were created over a 4-hour period and displayed proudly in the school’s entranceway using only upcycled and recycled materials.
Vincent van Gogh is one of my favourite artists of all time. His work is bold, bright and expressive and has a lot of hidden layers and meanings. What you see is not always what you get. An artist who was so ahead of his time and not given the recognition he deserved while he was alive. I love to teach students about his work and then get them to experiment with his technique. His technique can be adapted to acrylic paints and is a great way for students to get familiar with this medium. These grade 7 students did a massive 1,4 m x 1,2 m collaborative artwork using small canvases and acrylic paint to create a beautiful final piece.
In Art Club this term, students were asked to explore the relevance of the profound artwork, “Guernica” 1937 by Pablo Picasso (Oil on Canvas). After a lot of consideration, observation and discussion of how this masterpiece is still incredibly relevant today, students were asked to create their own interpretation of the work. These are A1 acrylic paintings with Posca pens. These students are 15 and do not take art as a school subject.
alexisbiccardblog 