Today was the first day back from March Break and we're right back in the thick of things. Tomorrow is our field trip and a pancake lunch will be provided. Please send snacks and water for your child, and remember to dress them warmly! We'll be outside for a good part of the day.
Lately, I've been inspired by the art I've found in picture books and I've used it to fuel our art program. (In April, I hope to turn the tables on you and ask students to bring in a piece of art they are inspired by for their show and share.)
As an adult, Van Gogh's work is beautiful but coloured by my knowledge of his sad life story. I found a children's book about experiencing the world through the eyes of "Vincent" and the students were inspired by the beauty of the work.
When we talked about painting our own versions, the students came up with the idea of using oil pastels in the same way that we had for the mittens in order to show the swirls.
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| Here's a journal entry showing the back of Vincent's head painting, the book that inspired us, my version and the materials students needed to create their own works of art. |
Here are some of their comments about Van Gogh's Starry Night in their own words:
Serenity: He mixed all the colours.
Adelaide: I noticed he used lines and swirls.
Henry: He used squares for the houses.
Julia: Triangles for the top of houses. It makes me feel sleepy and sad. The sky looks like tears.
Noah: He used a lot of blue.
Amanda: There are swirls for the sky.
Emma: I notice orange and yellow for the moon. The moon is the only orange in the whole picture.
Annalese: I'm not really sure what I feel.
Linnaea: It makes me happy. It looks like it goes up and down.
Jackson: I can tell there's a mountain.
Henry: It makes me feel like when I go to sleep.
I feel like the results are quite successful:
We also had great luck making prints of animals based on Haida art based on this book:
More of that to come...
In the meantime, prepare yourself and try to think of a piece of art, perhaps a painting or sculpture that your child loved at the museum or art gallery, or perhaps a book whose art inspires them. I know this is a tougher topic, but I do promise to take all inspiration and run wildly with it.
Library is on Wednesday. Welcome back from the break!
Sincerely,
Ms. Goegan
