Virtual Art 2020 - 2021

 Roughly a year ago I began teaching virtual classes on the zoom platform. I am still offering virtual classes for two different age groups. I’m truly amazed at how well students adapted to this new way of experiencing their art class. Here is a sampling of work made during this past year. 

Inspired by a project from Kid Made Modern

Inspired by artist Gustav Klimt

Inspired by a project from Painted Paper Art. 

Inspired by artist Mary Blair

Inspired by artist Yoli Manzo

Inspired by artist Yayoi Kusama

Inspired by artist Alma Woodsey Thomas

Inspired by artist Marcus Oakley

Inspired by artist Victor Brauner

Inspired by Pablo Picasso

Inspired by artist Jim Dine

Inspired by artist Yoli Manzo

Inspired by artist Paul Klee

Inspired by artist Miroco Machiko

Inspired by artist Yoli Manzo

Inspired by artist Paul Klee

Hello all!

Blogging continues to not be my thing, but just a quick update......I did get Top 5 for children's art classes in 2018 as well! Thank you to all that voted.

This summer (2019) I am offering fashion illustration and jewelry making. I'm very excited to offer fashion illustration again, it has be awhile!

Here is a wonderful piece made by one of my students that was inspired by Picasso's bull series (example on top) in which he slowly took more and more away in each drawing, to finish with a simplified abstract version of the bull.

Clearly blogging is not my thing. Hopefully you follow me on facebook and instagram. @studioartforchildren there you can see current work by my students.

The year is almost over, but still want to say THANK YOU for voting Studio Art for Children as one of the top 5 Art Classes for Children third year in a row!

We did it again!!! Thank you for voting!

Thank you for voting Studio Art for Children as one of Boston Parents Paper's Top 5 Art Classes for Children!!

Brice Marden

Students studied the work of Brice Marden before starting a multi-week-long project inspired by his art. Marden is known for his serpentine, calligraphic drawings with layered networks of lines. Marden's work is often inspired by Chinese (hanzi) and Japanese (kanji) characters, and at times uses sticks as extender tools to draw with. Students were introduced to hanzi and kanji characters and were challenged to make both small and large calligraphic patterns on various papers, inspired by Asian letter characters and Brice Marden's work. During the first stage of the project, students worked at tables and made drawings using twigs as drawing tools by dipping the sticks into ink and then working to make calligraphic markings with an unconventional tool. In a related exercise, students were instructed to smudge charcoal over their pages before using sticks and ink, and later, after the ink had dried, they worked with erasers to reveal original paper color in various "negative shapes" which they discovered between their markings. For the second part of this project, students were given larger tools that forced additional challenges. Students were given yard-long sticks and ink and tempera in bowls and palettes on the classroom floor, and while standing above their paper, they made wonderfully unpredictable calligraphic drawings with increased accidental markings. For these preliminary exercises, students were challenged to think about "varied line, and shapes," and to "consider the space displaced by these markings," and to "value using multiples layers" by understanding "why certain materials and mediums came first when layering their markings." These first experimentations prepared the students for their final project, in which they used acrylic on canvas boards and painted networks of layered lines, forming crisscross shapes with brushes and various colors. In their final Marden-inspired project, students were asked to think about what they learned from making their preliminary drawings and were challenged to transfer their understanding into their final paintings. They were encouraged to consider color as a way to "activate the illusion of space." They were challenged to "pay attention to which colors appear to come forward in space, and, which colors appear to push back into space." The results of these projects are quite sophisticated for these young artists in grades 2-5.

Ming Vases

I saw this wonderful lesson on an art blog. I tweaked it a bit. We learned about Ming Vases, we discussed the time they were originally made, uses for them, and that they were traditionally blue and white. Students learned about how to draw vases using imaginary guidelines and ellipses to understand the form. Keeping in mind the light source they blended various blue oil pastels gradating light to dark. White acrylic paint was painted over the oil pastels and we used toothpicks to scratch out patterns and designs. When they were dry we cut them out and placed them onto patterned paper. I set up a vase and lit if from one side so students could see what the shadows would do. Applying what they learned from this observation they used charcoal pencil to put in their shadows. I'm so pleased with the results! I love the play of patterns. The students spent quite a few weeks on these and I believe it shows!