The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

I love having the ability to set the art program to the pace and needs of each student as we progress through the year. Several project that have taken many weeks to complete with one group of students may be completed in a shorter time according to the group I teach. I appreciate the ability to create a program that serves the creative needs of the students. I thought most the projects would wrap up before the upcoming Winter Break, but we may continue with current projects when the students return in January. I usually begin the ceramic unit after the break as it is a student favorite and a gentle re-entry back into the rhythm of school. I will not post a blog next week as the week is a bit disjointed due to celebrations and events. I hope you all enjoy a wonderful holiday season and am forever thankful for all your support and encouragement.

Photograph by Deborah Fields during the recent NC snowstorm

Kindergarten Art

We added the oil pastel colors to the Marc Chagall inspired work last week and will continue work this week by painting with watercolor. The students learned how to blend the material together with their fingers, creating a "dreamy" atmosphere. We again looked at examples of Chagall's paintings, noting his use of unusual and creative colors. We talked about how his colors and technique made his paintings have a soft and dreamlike feeling. We will complete the work this week for our final class before Winter Break. I will not see the Kindergarten class next week due to VIP day. I wish you all a peace-filled break and I hope you enjoy the time with your family and friends.

 

1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade Art

I am always amazed at the level of focus and detail the young students achieve while creating Zentangle patterns. I expect a high level of work from them and they always reach and often exceed my expectations. Several creative students are designing their own patterns, many are able to translate existing patterns without my assistance and they are enjoying the process. This work helps strengthen their fine motor skills, their ability to work in steps and the skill of seeing how a pattern is constructed. I am not sure the work will be completed before Winter Break, but we will see how the next few classes progress.

1st grade work

2nd grade work

4th, 5th and 6th Grade Art

We are continuing work on the Louise Nevelson inspired wood constructions. Most students have been cleared to use the scroll saw, drill press and sander without my constant supervision and work has been flowing more smoothly. The majority of students are showing careful use of tools, are able to maintain their focus in the Maker Space and are strengthening their skills. I love seeing the willingness to try and fail at an unknown process and appreciate their helpfulness to their peers. We may have one or two more classes in the Maker Space before the project is completed. 

                                

7th and 8th Grade Art

The students are wrapping up their collaborative unit on Animal Farm and will present their final work for critique on Thursday. They have shown improvement in thinking 3-dimensional, crafting their work and translating an idea into an illustrative and informative piece. Most students chose to build their work to fill the black box displays and build a "diorama". A few students created a poster to illustrate their idea. The work will be on display in the second floor black box cases. As a side note, we will hear the Scholastic Art Award results on Tuesday, December 18th, I am so proud of every single one of our amazing 7th and 8th grade students.

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

I trust you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break, I have enjoyed hearing about the travels, the cousins the students played with and what their favorite food was! Each class has started a new project and the art room and Maker Space are hopping. If you ever doubt my love of my job, picture a class of 4th grade students using power tools for the first time. I love seeing the confidence of the students grow, their willingness to fail at a new process and their obvious joy of the creative process. 

***For my 7th and 8th grade parents, I will have a table set up at the Winter Band Concert for you to sign the Scholastic Art Award forms. The deadline for entry is December 11th, so please make sure to sign the form for your child before you leave. I usually put the mother's name on the form, but either parent signature will suffice. 

As always, thank you all for your help and support.

My family holds a apple turkey design "contest"  for the kids each year at Thanksgiving. This was the winner this year.

Kindergarten Art

I have missed seeing my Kindergarten students the past 2 weeks! This week we will begin a longer project based on the paintings of Marc Chagall. The project involves text, drawing, painting, oil pastel and collage. We began the project by looking at several examples of Chagall's paintings and talked about the use of color, fantasy and the feeling they experienced when looking at his work. What sort of things did Chagall like? Why did he use the colors he used in his work? Does his work tell a story? These are just a few of the questions the students were asked when they were studying his work. The process should take us up to Winter Break and possibly extend beyond the break. This is a very creative group of young artists, I am excited to see the work they create as they are inspired by Chagall.

1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade Art

We started a new process this week based on Zentangle designs. Zentangles are highly detailed patterns created with the repetition of curves, lines anddots. Simple shapes are repeated, overlaped and combined to create the image. I enjoy the focus of zentangle designs and the success the students achieve with the work. There are several levels of skill involved in creating a zentangle pattern. Some students can view a pattern and quickly determine what steps are needed to create the work. Other students can easily create their own patterns and repeat the lesson to others. I appreciate the variety in skill level and the students enjoy the work. The 1st and 2nd grade classes will create a large circle "mandala" using at least 7 different patterns. The 3rd grade class will create a more difficult zentangle cube sculpture. This week our focus is on breaking down several patterns and practicing line control in the designs. 

This is an older students completed zentangle mandala

4th, 5th and 6th Grade Art

We have begun a sculptural project based on the assemblage work of Louise Nevelson. The students watched a short video and a presentation of several images of her work while making note of the compositions and materials used in her art work. We talked about the negative space created with her assemblages, the use of black, white or gold color in her work and the relationship of shapes and layers in her art. All the students had lessons on the drill press, the scroll saw and the belt sander in the Maker Space. They are beginning to gather wood materials to create their assemblage sculpture. The 6th grade class has the option of working on a free standing sculpture, all the other students will work within a set scale to create their work. If you happen to buy any clementine oranges in the wooden boxes, please save the boxes for the art program.

7th and 8th Grade Art

We are collaborating with Language Arts to create a visual representation from a choosen quote based on the book "Animal Farm".  The students worked with Mrs. Urban to define the quote and began to develope an idea of how they would represent the quote in a visual language. We worked together to give them a few guidelines to follow and work on their individual projects began last week before the Thanksgiving break. Many students are creating a diorama in the black display boxes on the second floor. They have to design the scene, add details and create props that illustrate their quote. Other students are creating a poster to illustrate the quote. I expect this project to take a couple of weeks to complete as the class is a bit shortened with band rehearsals this week and next week. 

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

Well, we had a good run of solid weeks of school, now we enter the holiday zone! I am able to see all my classes with the exception of  the Kindergarten class and feel assured that they have art every day in their classes. The fact that the students all have access to art in their main rooms is one of the cores of Montessori philosophy that I appreciate. You can see the benefits of daily access in their willingness to explore materials, the care taken with each material and the general thoughtfulness the students show in their art. I appreciate the support in each classroom as it affords me more detailed instruction with the students. 

Frost "trees" on my car this morning 

Kindergarten Art

The Kindergarten students worked very diligently last class to complete their entire tipi designs. They cut out the large template of the tipi shape, drew out their designs based on traditional tipi patterns, added their pictographs and finally painted the designs using red, blue or yellow paint. I will place all their tipis on top of their cubbies for you to take home at conferences. They are a bit large and difficult for the younger students to carry. I hope you will all enjoy displaying the pieces in your home for Thanksgiving. We will not have class this week due to conferences and will miss class next week for Thanksgiving.  

1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade Art

The lesson this week was on silhouettes of tree forms and how to create the form of a tree using India ink. We talked about the different sizes of branches, how a tree has large, medium and small branches and the overall form of trees without leaves on them.  We discussed the difference between realistic paintings of trees and how some artists imply trees in their work. Students could choose to paint one or several trees using any method they prefered, realistic or more creative. The ink was applied with a brush on top of the chalk pastel background they created last week. I love how different all the art looks even though each student uses the same materials and has the same lesson. We are fortunate to have a creative minded group of students who know how to express their individual points of view. 

4th, 5th and 6th Grade Art

The watercolor still life paintings are completed and they are really well crafted, the compositions are strong and the students are pleased with their work. It is always a tricky balance at this age to present realistic techniques and higher expectations for the length of projects, these students have not disappointed me yet! They showed consistent interest in working on their art, accepted several prompts on how to improve their technique and were engaged throughout the process. The results are evident of their focus and work. I would love to have them up for display by conferences, but I am not sure I will get them mounted and hung by tomorrow.

 

7th and 8th Grade Art

We had a few students that were not able to complete the upside down drawing exercise, so I extended the lesson so they could finish the work. The other students worked on a series of blind contour drawings. This process also helps with observation, slowing down the act of drawing and adds confidence to the mark making of art. There is a sense of freedom when you know the drawing is not going to look "right" and the students enjoyed the humorous results of the exercise. I am truly enjoying teaching this group of artists this year, they have brought great energy to the projects we have approached this year.  While I would love to share all their contour studies with you, they made me promise that I would not display their work. Sorry, but I have to abide by their wishes on this one.

DIWALI CELEBRATION