Tag: children’s art

Student Post 2: Liley [Children’s Art]

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Kid Art OAA-Carlie

Ladies have style. Ladies have fashion sense. I love flowers and bright colors. Go ladies!

I’m baaaccck, as promise, with another student post. This one, “Liley,” is by our cup of Teayanna of Steep the Tea. She writes about a sweet art experience she shared with one of her students. I was torn between “Liley” and another post, but since I’m a big fan of children’s art and the sassiness of Liley’s girl, she won. Click here to read the story and check out Liley’s masterpiece–it is not the image above: Liley.

About the Image: Teayanna’s post reminded me of the many pieces of children’s art from the annual art fairs at my son’s school. I’ve been “hoarding” them for years. I always intend to share immediately after the fairs, but things get buried in all the digital clutter rather quickly. Anyway, this piece was done by a little girl (in second grade?) named Carlie (in 2016!). Since it’s been so long, I can’t remember any other details about the work. I love her fashionable lady and her affirmation of femininity. Go ladies!

Letter from Lu! | Snail Mail Quick Tip

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Squeals!!!

I received a “letter” from my little great-niece Lu [my niece Tiffany’s daughter]. Isn’t it adorable? I know you don’t understand the special language she used to write her letter, but trust me. It is full of ❤ for her favorite [great] aunt–me, of course! She even used my favorite colors!!!

Thank you for sharing your spectacular work, Lu!

Lu is the adorable baby in this post and this post. She’s now a whole two years old, grown enough to make art and send mail!

We’ll be spending a lot of time indoors over the next few weeks, and kids will probably be making art almost daily–drawings, sketches, paintings, crafts, and more. If you’re like me, you already have an entire museum of your kid’s art in albums, on the walls, in piles on your desk, and in a sealed bin beneath the art table. 😀  Do you really want the task of finding ways to display or store weeks more of artwork?

Of course not!

Lu’s special letter prompted me to offer another snail mail quick tip: Art in the mail!

Sending art mail is a cute way to dispose of  share some of the precious art your kids make. Simply place those one-of-a-kind masterpieces in an envelope and send them to grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents, friends, and/or the kind senior citizen who has a soft spot for your family. This will not only let them know you’re thinking about them but will also provide a bit of  sunshine while we’re all sort of “stuck.”

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I send and receive a lot of art mail. So–even if you don’t have children, you can send your own art.

It is so easy, but yields so much joy!

Children’s Art | Busy Being Roses

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…as you can see, we are
just now entirely busy being roses.
Mary Oliver, “Roses,” from Felicity

Today was supposed to be easy–a “chill” day of finishing up a few projects and meeting with my students. It turned into a crazy-busy day, so I am all too happy to take a break and contemplate the pretty–and I have kid art to share!

Every spring, my son’s school hosts an amazing art fair, featuring the work of practically every student in the school. If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you probably know that I absolutely lose my mind walking the halls and taking in the colorful spectacle. I have hundreds of pictures from each art fair. I wish I could share every piece on the blog, but there’s so much that I’d have to start a separate blog dedicated to children’s art–and it would take me at least three years to catch up! Of course, that is not a bad idea, but I’ll leave that task for others.

Since I am still “speaking in flowers,” I’m excited to share a sampling of the vases of roses on display at the art show held a couple of weeks ago.

There were several other vases full of flowers, but they were positioned low on the wall and I was not willing to contort my body to get the shots. 😀

The project is called “Primary Petals,” for which students created a vase full of flowers using water color, oil pastels, and markers. Through the activity, “the students learned about color families, explored new mediums, and focused on line quality by drawing spirals” [Description posted with artwork].

Based on the description of the project, I’m assuming the art is that of Mrs. Johnson’s students. [She was my son’s fourth grade teacher and her art projects are always sensational].

As I have been working through life’s challenges, I have been asking a lot of questions. The answers aren’t always immediate or acceptable, so it’s nice to put the challenges on hold and take a moment to enjoy the innocence and simplicity of children’s art. It’s good–every now and then–to just be, to learn from the roses.

“Roses” by Mary Oliver

Everyone now and again wonders about
those questions that have no ready
answer: first cause, God’s existence,
what happens when the curtain goes
down and nothing stops it, not kissing
not going to the mall, not the Super
Bowl.

“Wild roses,” I said to them one morning.
“Do you have the answers? And if you do,
would you tell me?”

The roses laughed softly. “Forgive us,”
they said. “But as you can see, we are
just now entirely busy being roses.”

Circle Art: Let’s Make a Mess!

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All good things are circular.  —Kiersten White, Now I Rise

Shortly after my focus on photographing lines last year, I transitioned to finding circles in ordinary places. I’ve seen the art installation above [or ones similar to it] at least three times within the last year–at work, in a dentist’s office, and in a hotel.

As I was scrolling through my Flickr albums–trying to decide if Flickr is worth the new price tag–I ran across a few circle art pieces the now seventh graders completed while in sixth grade. Their work reminded me of the art installation, so of course, I have to share.

My son is not crazy about his, but he’s allowing me to post it. Why? Because “there are no mistakes in art,” as his fourth grade teacher says. [Insert my shock that he’s okay with my including it].

Circle Art by Vaughan

Sadly, I didn’t have time to photograph all the students’ circle art, but here are the few I captured. [Click an image for a closer look].

 

Circle Art by Josiah
Circle Art by Isamar
Circle Art by Edyn
Circle Art
Circle Art by J’Sai

Various tools can be used to make circle art, but the goal is to allow the process to evolve naturally–without overthinking it. It is definitely my kind of art, so I’m grabbing some art paper, colored pencils, markers, a compass, and (maybe) paint to make my own circle art this weekend. Maybe, I’ll find the courage to share here on the blog.

Why don’t you join me?

This is an excellent weekend activity for kids too, so get them to join the fun. If you need more information or inspiration on circle art, check out the Artful Parent’s Circle Art post.

Let’s make a mess!

What Would You Tell Your 18-Year-Old Self?

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“Letters to My 18-Year-Old Self” are pretty popular lately (or maybe always?). I’ve seen them on blogs, in journals, in online newspapers and magazines, even in seminars and workshops, but I’ve given little consideration to the topic. Of course, I’ve wondered every now and then if I should have done some things differently, but I’ve never written a note to my younger self–until three weeks ago when Love Notes 25 kicked off with the prompt:

Write the words you would tell your 18-year-old self.

My assigned partner, Janet T, is new to the Love Notes community. She is a “mom to two beautiful daughters” in their 20’s, so she has probably had some recent practice with the prompt. She wrote her note in a card bearing a gold embossed mermaid silhouette:

Whatever gives you happiness–let that inspire you in your daily life. The things you love make you who you are and don’t let anyone influence you wrongly.

Have courage and be kind.

“Purple Tulips.” Watercolor postcard by Christine B.

My most prolific penfriend, Christine, created the beautiful purple tulip [above] in honor of my sister Lori [and me] and wrote a six-item list:

  1. Bad things happen.
  2. Find people to trust and love as much as you can
  3. Make your voice heard
  4. Vote!
  5. Laugh until you cry and cry until you laugh
  6. Don’t hold your breath

There are many, many things I’d say to my 18-year-old self, much of it far too personal to share in a blog post or a note [to anyone outside myself], so I sent a list of things I find myself saying to my students over and over again–not so much a “letter to my 18-year-old self,” but little bits of counsel that I found (or should have found) useful:

Card designed by Hessa, age 9, Abu-Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Children’s Art Project, MD Anderson Cancer Center. [A gift from Christine].

These sorts of exercises can be fun as long as we avoid falling into the pit of regret and the type of thinking that our lives would be so much better if we had present knowledge then. Our 18-year-old selves were just that. 18. Young. Inexperienced. Insecure. Overly confident. Full of life, contradictions, crazy ideas, and impossibilities.

Despite all the craziness of youth, I wouldn’t change a thing. My life wasn’t and isn’t perfect, but my 18-year-old self made many solid decisions and did more than a few things well. As for the things I didn’t get quite right, mistakes are inevitable and we learn so much more from our missteps than from our successes.

If you’re 18 or thereabout, maybe, you’ll find some usefulness in the lists above. If you’d like a more “focused” list, check out runner and professional coach Steve Magness’ post: Advice for the Young and Driven: A letter to my 18-year-old self.

If you’re waaaay past 18, like I am, what would you say to your 18-year-old self?  Comment below.

 

Children’s Art: Fun with Picasso

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By Adriana

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. –Pablo Picasso

In honor of the last day of school–and because I’m taking a 10-minute break from life–I’m spending a moment or two savoring more art from the art fair my son’s school held in April. Instead of brilliant sunflowers, today we experience masterful art in the style of Pablo Picasso’s Cubism Period. [Click an image for a closer look].

By Joanna
By Mikhail
By Michael
By Anna
By Jeremy
By Adriana
By London
By Joshua
By Dallas
By Ferren
By Jordon
By Laci-Nicole
By Nita
By Lyric
By Krislyn
By Shia

The art was completed by Mrs. Johnson’s fourth grade class. My son was in her class a couple of years ago, so I know she uses art to introduce students to artists and art forms. In fact, I have lots of photographs of the art her students created over the last few years. Maybe, I’ll find time to share more this summer. [Fingers crossed].

To find out about Picasso and his Cubism period follow the links below:

Are you inspired to make art? Check out 25 Picasso Inspired Art Projects. Ignore the “for kids” part.  Adults can do Picasso too! 😉  And if you do have kids, add these projects to your summer fun!

Children’s Art: Crayola and Sunshine

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My son’s school holds an art fair annually. Every year, I leisurely visit each display–at least twice. I missed the fair this year because I was in Chicago. I was pretty sad about missing out, so you can imagine my surprise when I walked into the school to meet with one of the teachers and found a lot of the art still on the walls! (I’d been told it had all been taken down immediately after the fair).

If that weren’t thrilling enough–I almost passed out with excitement when my eyes beheld the sunflower display of Ms. Middleton’s second grade class.

Gasp!

“Sunflower Wall,” Ms. Middleton’s Second Grade Class

Don’t you want a closer look?

Ms. Middleton’s Sunflower

Here are the kids’ sunflowers–made with crayola, innocence, and loads of sunshine. [Click an image for a closer look]

Aren’t they beautiful? Pretty impressive for second graders, huh? Their sunflowers are certainly better than any I can draw.

If you love sunflowers, stay tuned. I’ve declared this “Sunflower Week” on Pics and Posts!

 

 

Lessons in Art and Piano

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Pure exhaustion made me miss my “Focus on Black” post last Friday, so I’m posting this morning to avoid the same mistake this week.

Today, I’m using children’s art to “introduce” African American artist Romare Bearden.  Even though Bearden is far from an “unknown” artist, few people know who I’m talking about when I reference his work:

Considered one of the most important American artists of the 20th century, Romare Bearden’s artwork depicted the African-American culture and experience in creative and thought provoking ways. Born in North Carolina in 1912, Bearden spent much of his career in New York City. Virtually self-taught, his early works were realistic images, often with religious themes. He later transitioned to abstract and Cubist style paintings in oil and watercolor. He is best known for his photomontage compositions made from torn images of popular magazines and assembled into visually powerful statements on African-American life.  -from Biography.com

Last year, my favorite (now retired) second grade teacher, Mrs. Crarey, introduced her students to Bearden’s work. They studied his art, noted his interest in jazz music–which influenced some of his art–learned about his collage technique and then created their own Bearden-esque masterpieces. [Click an image for a closer look]

The children used rulers, pencils, Sharpies, crayons, and markers to imitate Bearden’s collage style. As you can see, they used piano keys patterns for their borders.

I pretty much love everything Bearden created.  The Piano Lesson: Homage to Mary Lou is my favorite, probably because it was the masterpiece that inspired African American playwright August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, one of my favorite plays.

The piece was inspired by jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams who collaborated with Bearden’s wife, Nannette, on a musical and dance composition.  If you are familiar with Henri Matisse’s The Piano Lesson and The Music Lesson, you will see his influence on the work as well.

There are two versions of the work–the original:

Romare Bearden’s  “The Piano Lesson: Homage to Mary Lou” (popularly known as “The Piano Lesson”). Watercolor, acrylic, graphite and printed paper collage on paper.

And a signed lithograph:

Romare Bearden, “The Piano Lesson,” Lithograph

For more about Bearden’s life and influences, click the links below:

The Bearden Foundation’s page features more resources such as a timeline and an impressive collection of Romare Bearden’s artwork.

Until next time…

Freedom Quilt Patterns | Farewell, Mrs. Crarey

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(Log Cabin)

School ends in a few days and Mrs. Crarey, my favorite second grade teacher, is retiring.  I’m sad for all the children who will miss the opportunity of learning under such an amazing person, but I’m happy for her.  She’s earned her retirement and  she will certainly make deep impressions wherever she goes.

Mrs. Crarey is simply awesome.  Even with a classroom full of many different personalities and learning styles, she has a way of dealing with her students as individuals and stimulating their intellectual curiosity.  I love her not only because she is awesome but because she just loves my son, and even today–three years after he finished second grade–she is a friend of his heart.

I will always be grateful for the way she kept his curiosity piqued and gave him more challenging work when he surpassed benchmarks.  She used his love for reading, robots, science, animals, Star Wars, and mystery to keep him engaged.  That meant a lot to this mom who was uncomfortable in a newish environment with a kid who was pining for home (New Orleans) and still adjusting to a school day structure and approach to teaching and learning that were very different from the Montessori curriculum of his previous experience.

When I blogged about the fifth grade African masks a few months ago, I mentioned there was so much more art to see–much more than I can cover in a couple of blog posts.  But in honor of Mrs. Crarey’s retirement and the tremendous gift she has been to the school, this post focuses on her group’s art fair exhibit.

Mrs. Crarey approaches art purposefully.  She typically has her students complete art projects that connect to a lesson. When my son was in her class, the students drew and learned about owls, West African-style dwellings, jewelry, and women’s attire, geckos, dinosaurs, which I blogged about three and a half years ago, Dr. Seuss, and so much more.  I’m going to miss taking a walk down to her classroom and taking a peek at her students’ masterpieces.

In addition to other art pieces, the class created quilt blocks. After reading Bettye Stroud’s The Patchwork Quilt: A Quilt Map to Freedom, reading about the Underground Railroad, viewing and studying maps of the “slave states” and “free states,” students selected a quilt pattern to draw and color.

“Freedom Quilt”

According to some studies, the quilts played an important role in helping enslaved persons make their way to freedom.  Each quilt piece held significant meaning and provided directions and warnings. Although there have been verbal statements from descendants of enslaved persons regarding the quilt code, there has been no physical proof.

Take a look at the children’s quilt pieces [click an image for a closer look]:

(Log Cabin)
Addy (North Star)
Alfonzo (Log Cabin)
Aniyah (Bow Ties)
Azariah (Monkey Wrench)
Bailey (Bow Ties)
Blake (Drunkard’s Path)
Brendun (Monkey Wrench)
Brooke (Flying Geese)
Ferron (Monkey Wrench)
Jayden (North Star)
Jadon (Log Cabin)
Jeremiah (Drunkard’s Path)
Kara (Log Cabin)
Kayli (Crossroads)
Kendra (Drunkard’s Path)
London (Bow Ties)
Makayla (Log Cabin)
Mekhai (Log Cabin)
Michael (North Star)
Richard (Log Cabin)
Sara (Crossroads)
(Log Cabin)

Follow the link to find out what each of the patterns mean: Freedom Quilt Codes.

Farewell, Mrs. Crarey…We’re not sure how we’ll survive the coming years without running into you for our quick chats, but we wish you well on your journey.  Thank you for the fond memories, for your generous spirit, and your heart of gold.

Much love…XOXOX

Mrs. Crarey and My Little One, December 2013

A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart.

African Masks [Children’s Art]

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My son is all better and back in school, but I must say, I was in kiddie art heaven last Thursday while I waited to meet with his teacher to collect the assignments he missed.  The school held its annual art fair and though I didn’t see everything, what I did see was pretty impressive.

I’m in the throes of midterm grading, so I’m just going to share the colorful masks done by my son and his peers in Mrs. Trott’s 5th-6th grade (combined) class.

They all started with a basic mask and added touches that express their personalities.

Adam
Antonio
Brianna
Edyn
Elijah
Emani
Hannah
Jaleesa
James
Jasmyn
Jolynn
Josiah
J’Sai
Kyemoria
Malcolm
Mekhi
Micah
Naomi
Tahjee
Vaughan
Zahra

I love every one of these masks!

The students have been learning about the continent of Africa–its landforms, peoples, histories, and cultures–so I’m sure this was a fun exercise to complement their lessons.

Well, I’m back to grading.  I’ll be back eventually with pics of some of the other art.

Happy Monday!

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