3D Paper Sculptures

Monochromatic Landscape Paintings

By the Fifth and Sixth Grade classes

Students learned to create original monochromatic landscape painting compositions using atmospheric perspective techniques. Students developed their understanding and use of acrylic paint and brush control to mix and apply tints, tones and shades.

Vocabulary

Color- A component of light which is separated when it is reflected off of an object.

Monochrome- Using 1 color, or different values of 1 color.

Value- How light or dark a color is.

Shade- Adding black to make darker values of a color.

Tint- Adding white to a color to make lighter values of a color.

Space- Areas around, between or within components of a piece of art.

Atmospheric Perspective- Creating a landscape that seems to disappear by making colors get lighter as they get farther away.

Depth- Appearing 3-dimensional.

Elements and Principles

Space

Value

Color

Unity

Emphasis

Sand Paintings

Sand Paintings - By the 3 /4 Grade Artists

Sand Painting is an ancient art form that has been practiced for thousands of years in several different cultures. Sand can be used to create a temporary work of art or something permanent that can be displayed for many years.

Sand Paintings are works of art that use sand rather than paint for its color.

Student artists developed a drawn image on a canvas. They then carefully mixed and applied colored sand, section by section with glue.

Tibetan Sand Mandalas

Sand painting is a very popular art form in Tibetan culture. Tibetan Monks will work together to create beautiful and intricate mandalas (circular designs) out of colored sand. They often take weeks to finish. Once they are completed, they bring them outdoors where the wind blows it all away. It's meant to symbolize how temporary everything in life is.

Tibetan Sand Mandalas

Close up of sand being applied

Native American Sand Paintings Many Native American sand paintings are not permanent and are not intended to hang on a wall or in a gallery. They are created on the ground and also incorporate other natural objects such as stones, sticks and shells. Native American artists will often create these temporary works of art as a healing ritual.

Tim Bengel - Contemporary Sand Artist

Tim Bengel is a young German artist who creates super realistic paintings out of sand and gold leaf. His finished creations are very impressive, but he has also gained fame by creating exciting videos of his process. He dumps off mounds of applied sand to reveal amazing images beneath!

Ilana Yahav - Contemporary Sand Artist

Ilana Yahav is an Israeli artist who specializes in sand creations. She combines sand, light and music to create interactive art performances. Her work is really unique and beautiful!

Ceramic Animals

By The Third and Fourth Grade Artists

Notan Collages

NOTAN Collages

By the ⅚ Classes

Nōtan (濃淡) is a Japanese design concept involving the play and placement of light and dark elements as they are placed next to the other in the composition of art and imagery.

In art, dark and light need each other to exist. Basically, you can’t have negative space without positive space, and vice versa. One of the most familiar symbols illustrating this concept is the yin and yang form.

Water is Life - Artist in Residence

I will be collaborating and co-teaching with Artist in Residence, Rachel Mirus in Art classes!

Here is Rachel’s website:

https://rachelscybercabinet.works/

Tissue paper printing uses watercolor paint and tissue paper shapes to create colorful patterns by leaching the tissue paper dye while also interacting with the watercolor paint. In the past I have used fish shapes as a water-themed subject, but other water themes could include aquatic invertebrates, water molecules, human watercraft, or anything of interest to students! Watercolor paint allows students to experiment and explore properties of water like flow, diffusion, mixing, and evaporation all while playing and making something colorful and beautiful.

Ice painting uses colored ice cubes to make an abstract painting based on patterns of melting. Students make patterns and stacked sculptures with the ice, add extra color and complexity by spritzing with liquid watercolor in spray bottles, and then wait for the result. I also set up time lapses so that students can watch how the melting process happened over time. Because of the waiting aspect of this project, students naturally anticipate and make predictions about what their melting sculpture will do, which becomes a testable hypothesis when they see their finished project.

Students will have the opportunity to experiment and design individual and collaborative final paintings. The collaborative pieces will be matted, framed and hung as a permanent display in our building!

We are thrilled to explore these new water & ice painting concepts, as we continue to expand our knowledge through and with WATER.

Rachel Sargent Mirus - Artist in Residence

Hi, I’m Rachel Sargent Mirus, a STEAM teaching artist and science writer. Originally trained in biology, I worked in research labs and museums across the country, and along the way I became interested in science writing and education.

I write about subjects ranging from climate change to gene therapy. My art interests focus on drawing and painting subjects from nature following the traditions of natural history illustration. While I do love making art, I am also passionate about using art to teach the life sciences. Drawing and writing encourage you to slow down and think about small details, like a beetle on a leaf, giving you the time and space to really see and understand. This practice of thoughtful observation is the skill I most want to teach: it is not only the foundation of effective illustration and description, but also how to think like a scientist.