Grade 1 - Completed Oil Pastel Fish!

Grade 1 artists worked hard to make these beautiful fish!! Can you guess where they got their ideas for decorating them? It wasn't just in one place.

First, they looked at a fish made by the famous artist Paul Klee. Notice that the color of the top fish contrasts strongly with the background.

Grade 1 artists also looked at how the artist decorated the fish using lines.

Next, they looked at pictures of real fish in the Red Sea. Sometimes nature is a good place to look for inspiration! Have you ever seen patterns or shapes on coral reef fish?

Last, they added their own creative ideas to make their fish truly unique! See below for some of the finished artworks.



Khadija E. 1B

Leila 1B

Amina 1B

 

Zeina 1B

Mahmoud 1B

Yassin Moussa 1B

Omar H. 1A

Amr 1A

Selim 1C

Gihan 1C

Fares 1C

Great job, Grade 1!

"Art Parties" are beginning!

Every week each class has a chance to earn 1, 2, or 3 points towards getting an Art Party. So, our artists have been working hard to do their best in art and show the 3 R's, so that they can earn more Art Parties this year!

Congratulations to 3A, 3E, and 3B, who have earned the first art parties of the year! Here are some photos. Their surprise activity was pasta painting.

 

These artists had a lot of fun experimenting with the pasta. Have you ever painted with something unusual? Trying new ways to paint can bring out more creativity!

Grade 3 - Paul Klee Animals!

Grade 3 artists learned about Paul Klee, including his creative style and what he preferred to paint.

They also learned that this famous artist once visited Egypt and other North African countries, and painted artwork inspired by his visit.

For this project, Grade 3 artists focused on animals, which were one of Klee’s favorite subjects.

To put together these paintings, they made a crayon resist background and a personalized animal, and then glued it to their background.

 

 

Look for how they used the art element of CONTRAST in their work, and for connections between their subjects and their backgrounds.

Great job, Grade 3!!

Grade 5 - Recyclart Focus

Grade 5 went on a field trip to Darb 1718, an art center in Coptic Cairo. They learned a lot about why it is important to reduce plastic waste, and to recycle or properly dispose of plastic we do use!

In these pictures, they are learning about how long plastic objects can remain in the sea once they get there.

Can you guess how long a plastic bottle will stay in the environment?? It is shocking.

Grade 5 also learned that plastic breaks down into tiny pieces and gets into our water and sand. It even gets into our food! Below they are finding plastic pieces in sand from Egypt's coast.

 

At Darb, Grade 5 artists also learned about "upcycling", which means making something more valuable out of plastic things which have been used. They even did their own upcycling - making creative sculptures!

 

Grade 5 artists had a lot of fun at Darb while learning important things. Now they will make Christmas themed upcylced sculptures with Ms. Krista and Ms. Yasmin in art! Now that's something to get excited about!!

 

 

"Window to the World" Trip

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Eid al Adha holiday. During the holiday, I traveled to France and England, and had a great time. And what better time to enjoy art than while traveling!! Europe is full of interesting art museums and galleries, and I was able to visit a few of them. Besides viewing great art, traveling is also a great opportunity to make art yourself! Sketching what you see while traveling helps you to see it in greater detail, plus it is fun and develops drawing skills. It is also great to do other kinds of art while traveling, but that depends on what materials you have with you. This time I brought some art supplies with me. You might think about making a portable art kit to bring along with you and your child.

 

This week, I am sharing some photos of my trip with all of my classes. You can see some of my trip photos below. You can also see some of them on our art room Instagram mskristasartists.

Henri Matisse

Paul Klee

    

Wassily Kandinsky

 

 

The above paintings were in London, at the Tate Modern.

 

Looking at art in a museum is a completely different experience from looking at it on a screen or as a photo. This week, I showed my student artists the following two artworks.

 

In the first one, it is difficult to tell by the photo whether the artwork is flat or 3D, and it is especially difficult to tell what material(s) it is made out of. After discussing several possibilities, we watched a video I made of the artwork. The video included side views. Then, we discussed how it was more clear what the artwork consisted of when viewing it from all sides. In the same way, many artworks are best enjoyed and understood in person.

 

 

 

In the next one, we looked at a surprise I found when viewing a painting with a shiny surface. There is another boat which fades into the background, and the shiny paint amplifies that effect so much that it nearly dissappears! This fun little effect would not be appreciated if I hadn't been looking carefully at the artwork in person!

 

 

On my trip, I also looked for artwork which was in the world around me, not just artwork in museums. I found beautiful architecture. This week some of my classes compared the style of architecture in the pictures I shared. I also found some outdoor sculptures. Outdoor art is wonderful because it is easy for everyone to enjoy! Below are a few examples. Where have you seen beautiful architecture? Where have you seen outdoor art? You could try making a temporary outdoor sculpture with your child.

 

 

 Finally, when traveling it is a great time to make art! Or at least, to jot down some ideas to use later! I brought a sketchbook and did some drawing. I shared this with my student artists this week too. In class, they all have a sketchbook for practice and preparation. I recommend that they keep a sketchbook at home also.

 

 

 

 

Current Projects!

  Here are some current projects. Please practice or add onto these ideas at home!

  

Grade 1 - Line Design Fish  - in progress
Focus : I can create art from real and imaginary sources of inspiration.
             I can use a variety of lines and patterns in an artwork.

Inspiration : Paul Klee, Coral Reef fish, inside ideas!!



                                                         Grade 2 - Line Design Painting

  

Focus : I can recognize and use horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines.
             I can use a variety of lines and patterns in an artwork.

Inspiration : Paul Klee, the lines around the art room, and inside ideas!



 

 

 

Grade 3 - Paul Klee Animal with Word Art Background

 

Focus : I can recognize and use good craftsmanship (neatness, care) in artwork.
             I can use contrast (light and dark areas) nicely in my artwork.  

Inspiration : Paul Klee animals and letter art, and inside ideas!

Word art background. Animals are in progress!

 

Grades 4 and 5 - "Art is a Window to Myself" symbol

 





Grades 4 and 5 are completing a visual symbol which represents themselves. This symbol will be added to a mural called "Art is a Window to Myself". Grades 4 and 5 artists have been doing an amazing job of designing something that will let any viewers know important things about them. It was a challenge because of the limitations I gave them : limited size and palette. They will be adding their symbol to a mural throughout the year.

 

Here is my example of a visual symbol which combined two elements to represent what I like ( painting and the sea)