Dragons, Trees, and Copper

Three units have wrapped up in the last week including Ceramic dragons in order of the Lunar new year, relief sculpture tiles of trees, and the final stage of a three part observation drawing unit culminating in the age old method of copper tooling. 

We’re back!

It’s been awhile since a post from the artroom. What with Feb break and several snow days, projects have been shifted and moved, but we got there in the end and the results are stunning.

Grade 8 completed a multi-step self portrait in the Pop-Art style of Andy Warhol using block printing and multicolored inks.

Meanwhile, 7th graders were hard at work on a detailed (and messy) charcoal drawing.  The second stage of a 3 part observational drawing unit, students carefully looked for light and shadow in their chosen animal photo and worked carefully to translate to the black/white/grey palette and soft tones that charcoal allows. Beautiful.

An Ancient Art

Mr. Adams’ 7th graders looked at the intricate body art and facial tattooing of the Maori people. (New Zealand’s native population).  Students first studied Maori and Polynesian motifs and patterns, then pressed clay into a face mold. When the clay was leather hard they carefully carved their tattoo designs into one side of the face. After the clay was fired students mirrored the design with black glaze on the other side.  Students had to consider not only the specific patterns, but also the cultural and personal meaning behind their designs.

Last piece from the 1st Semester

Fifth graders finished up their final artwork for the term this week; coil pottery. 

They worked hard to roll even coils and incorporate pattern into their pieces.

Sculpting was followed by patterned glazing and final firing to reveal these beautiful and useful works of art.

We’re back!

Welcome back from break, everybody.  There was a bit of a hiatus on the blog as the change of term coincided with the business of the holidays, but we haven’t been just sitting around in the art studio. Students have been hard at work since returning from break and there are impressive results in all grades.

Grade 5 finished up their Monochromatic Cityscapes with a focus on pattern, overlapping, and one color with multiple shades and tints.

Grade 6 spent a long time on a block printing unit using the radial symmetry of snowflakes as their artistic inspiration.

7th Graders got in touch with their weird sides for these Surrealist spaces. 

And 8th grade students learned that faces are more than just emojis as they sculpted these grotesque planters. 

Last works from First Term

Thanksgiving break marked the end of trimester 1, but there was a great deal of art wrapped up in those last days that deserves to be seen. It is up in the FMS hallways and will be returned, but in the meantime you can see it here.

6th graders worked in the style of American artist Georgia O’Keefe using watercolors to show the large beauty in tiny flowers.

7th grade students also observed their subjects carefully but used charcoal to render these animals in rich blacks, greys, and whites.

And 8th grade students finished up a complex independent project that explored the space and layering found in famous artworks.

The second term is underway and new artwork will arrive in our hallways and online soon.

Form and Function

5th Graders and 6th graders in Mr. Adams’ art room have both wrapped up ceramic projects in the last week.  The fifth grade looked at the ups and downs of the global landscapes and created a mini-model of a natural space. The worked hard to create many textures in their landscape. After firing the models were painted with acrylic paint which really brought them to life.

Sixth grade was considering the delicacy of useful pottery, creating a small box to hold their biggest wishes. Students had to build their box, add feet and embossment, then design a simplified animal as a handle. The kids wrote a wish on a tiny scroll that was burned into the ceramic molecules in the kiln to add true magic to the piece. The final sculptures were then glazed and re-fired.

Distortion

Both the seventh and eighth grade artists in Mr. Adams’ art room have been focusing on twisting and distorting the human face and features.

Seventh graders looked at the work of the Post-Impressionist Italian artist, Amedeo Modigliani.  Influenced by the tribal art making its way to Europe from Africa and SouthEast Asia, Modigliani stretched and distorted the faces in his portraits, often painting them with empty eyes to create a mask-like effect. The 7th grade students looked at their own faces and abstracted their self-portraits in a similar style.

At the same time, 8th graders were inspired by the drawings of Renaissance artist, Leonardo Di Vinci as well as medieval gargoyles and grotesques. They sculpted 3D vessels and added deformed and distorted features, noting the physical structures of the human face. After firing, Farmer Deri joined us from the hoop house to help plant seeds and plants in the pots (creating living hair) which now hang on the wall in the FMS hallway.

Color Color Color

5th graders looked at the abstract work of Russian-American artist Vassily Kandinsky. Kandinsky claimed to “hear” color and his later work was more about playing with color, shape, and line, than any kind of representation. The students used his style to create beautiful watercolor compositions. 

Meanwhile 6th graders were finishing up a long project that focused on leaves and the patterns in nature. After observing real leaves and drawing them realistically, students “stylized” their designs in order to turn them into images they could transfer and carve into rubber blocks. These blocks became the printing plates from which students made many, many prints.

Faces & Found Objects

Seventh graders have finished a long term ceramics lesson based on the intricate and elaborate facial tattooing of the Maori people (indigenous people of New Zealand).  Different symbols represent different concepts and personal traits and students considered these as they designed their faces. The designs were gently carved into one side of the clay surface and then mirrored with glaze on the other.

Fifth grade students looked at the work of Maine artist Louise Nevelson and considered how abstract sculpture can express emotion indirectly with line, shape, and color choices.