7th and 8th Grade Art

I have appreciated the level of work and interest the older students have held for the work on the Gala horses. They have added so much of their personality and interests to the individual elements for each horse and have enjoyed working on the project. The 7th and 8th grade classes are the only classes I have that are mixed grades, so we have two 7th and 8th grade combined horses. They are each distinct in their design, similar in the skill level and both are wonderful sculptures. 

This group also had the distinct experience of having a visiting artist come into our class to give a lesson. My husband and I are hosting a Japanese college student who is studying English at Case Western Reserve University. His name is Shoki Kobuchi and he is working towards his degree as an English teacher in Japan. He was gracious enough to take a day off his studies to teach the students Japanese calligraphy (shodo). The students were very polite, engaged and appreciated his translations of all their names and various words and phrases. I was very grateful for his time and I enjoyed learning a new artistic method as well. 

7/8 group Y (side 1)

7/8 group Y (side 2)

7/8 group Z (side 1)

The Ratner Montessori School Art Program

We have had a couple of truncated weeks in the art program, but still manage to keep the program and projects moving at a steady pace. We are adjusting our work cycles in art to create a series of horses for the upcoming Gala. Each grade level has worked on a design, voted on the elements and approach for each horse and has begun to execute the designs. The horses are 24" wood shapes that the students are painting, building and creating in art. I love seeing the different focus for each grade level and I am so thrilled for every student to be a part of creating art for the event. Look for more details from the Gala committee on how you can place a bet on the horses and possibly bid on the sculptures at Gala, May 5th.  

                         

 

Kindergarten Art

We had a whirlwind of activity while learning the printmaking process. The artists each pulled several prints and could track how their work improved the more prints they created. I love the excitement and focus the students showed and they were very pleased with the work they created. We also glazed the ceramic bowls they had created and I will fire their work in the kiln first. I am waiting for the temperature outside to rise a bit, as the kiln is outside and does not fire correctly in frigid temperatures. I will send the work home as soon as possible! The glaze used is food safe, dishwasher and microwave safe as well. I hope the students will use their bowls, it is really great to eat out of a dish you created and they are excited to make their art part of their daily routine. 

Kindergarten students use a LOT of glaze

1st, 2nd and 3rd Grade Art

All the glazing has been completed for the clay work and the students are anxious to see the long awaited final results of their work. As our kiln is outside, I have to wait until the temperature rises to a balmy 30 degrees before I can do any of the glaze firings. After the glazing was completed, they began working on the designs for the Gala horses. I enjoyed seeing all the creative ideas, listening to them compromise on the final design and hearing them kindly debate why one design would be better visually than another design. It is always great to see students collaborate and work together so well. 

Because we cannot have a dozen artists working on one piece at the same time, they are also creating a small South American molas design with black paper and oil pastel to tie into their class study of South America. The work should be completed this week. 

4th, 5th and 6th Grade Art

We have had a couple of busy weeks in art sorting through hundreds of prints, glazing the ceramic work, designing the horses for the Gala and working on design challenges and projects. The students all worked diligently on the designs for the horses and are working well together. Group projects are tricky in art because the creations are personal and students feel a strong sense of ownership with their work. It is a great skill to learn how to compromise and adapt ideas for a group project and the students have been working towards creating the best design possible using everyone's input and ideas. They are enjoying working on the horses and look forward to displaying them at the Gala. 

7th and 8th Grade Art

We had a couple of short weeks in art where the group only had art one time in the week. We finished up all the glazing of the geometric solid projects, worked on the design for the Gala project and mounted the best prints out of the series for display. The prints are displayed in the front foyer of the school, I hope you will take some time during conferences to see the work.