A great start to the New Year!

Welcome back students and families!  It is great to be back having had an extended winter break this year.

Kindergarten

Kindergarteners learned about the Pop Art of Brazilian artist Romero Britto as we continue to study pattern.  Students most enjoyed Britto's work creating bright and lively hot air balloons for the Super Bowl XLI (the Bears vs. the Colts in Miami).  With a work of Britto's for inspiration, students created their own Valentine's Day themed artwork in a different color scheme for each class!

Here are the Texture Puppies on display!

First Grade

First graders tore brown paper to create a jagged Southwestern foreground before stamping Indian Paintbrush flowers onto their sunset backgrounds!  They used a unique method with cardboard for the stamps.  A very lovely finish to the lesson inspired by both our American Indian Pow Wow field trip and our reading of Tomie de Paolo's The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush.  Great job, first grade!

Second Grade

Second graders finished their Eric Carle turkeys and lions, both of which incorporated radial patterns in their design.  Next up, students will participate in the creation of a Catholic Schools' Week artwork to integrate Art with Spanish!


Third Grade

Third graders began their Winter Birch tree paintings as they continue to bring in found objects for their upcoming found object sculpture.  The Winter Birch trees incorporate many fun and unique watercolor techniques, from the application of masking tape for a tape resist (pictured below), to wet-on-wet application of paint and the application of coarse salt to absorb paint and create a stunning texture.  Students had fun tearing the masking tape to make the jagged trees, which we will shade with watercolor paint.  After that, students will draw the bark texture with Sharpies. This is a fun project with gorgeous results!

 

Fourth Grade

Fourth grade learned about the lighthearted work of Pop Artists such as Wayne Thiebaud, who created large scale paintings of food with thick application of paint.  On Thiebaud's paintings of cake, the paint actually looks like frosting!  Students were also encouraged to know that many people dismissed Thiebaud's artwork, but he continued to make what he in his heart felt was right for him.  He eventually became extremely successful!  This coincided nicely with the exhibit at the Art Institute, "Art and Appetite," in which a Thiebaud is actually on display (along with work by Andy Warhol and many more of different periods).  With the direction to create "diner-style food," students in fourth grade used air-dry clay to create these mouth-watering works of art!  What a talented group!  Next, students painted these artworks with acrylic paints, some colors of which students mixed themselves.  Next week, students will apply clear acrylic gloss as a final touch before working on a Catholic Schools' Week-themed artwork.  Great job, 4th grade!

Fifth Grade

Fifth grade is studying rhythm and variety, so what better expression to emulate than the Tree of Life by Gustav Klimt!  Students examined this radiant and detailed artwork before painting their own winding branches in gold metallic acrylic paint.  Next, students will accentuate details with metallic Sharpie and paint pens, as well as adorn their artworks with small adhesive "jewels."  Good work, 5th grade!

Sixth Grade

Sixth grade began their study of mixed media this week. We approached this unit through the creation of Foil Drawings!  Students began the process by drawing a religious-themed drawing or design, inspired by the Illuminations we read about in our Scott Foresman textbookss.  Next, students overlaid tacky glue on these designs to create a textured surface, over which we will apply our foil with Q-tips and add, of all materials, shoe polish for a lovely burnished effect!  6th graders are encouraged to bring black or brown shoe polish for their next class.  These panels may or may not be fixed to one another to create tryptchs.

Also, take a look at the 6th grade's Op Art Trees from earlier this trimester!

Seventh Grade

Seventh grade explored shades and tints, as well as analogous colors, through the painting of their Variety Seascapes!  To create variety, students will add pattern and various lines with both thin-point Sharpie and gold metallic Sharpie for contrast.  Great work, 7th grade!

Eighth Grade

At last we have finished our construction of our forms in 8th grade!  Students began painting this week and enjoyed this process greatly.  Can you tell what they are creating?

As always, thank you to the students of ICSJ for sharing their creativity and trying new and challenging projects with an open mind!  Thank you parents for your support.  Have a great week!