Portraiture

  March is Youth Art Month.  It's also Women's History Month. Two 5th graders celebrated them both with a  portrait of our New York State Senator, Suzi Oppenheimer. 

portraiture -- the art of representing the physical likeness of an individual. 

Artwork by Emily W.

" My portrait is a three-quarter turn and drawing the face was challenging. I also thought at first, it would be hard to draw, but as I went along it became easier. I learned that you should just try your best and let your mind be free. My favorite part was doing the jacket because I mixed lots of blues and purples, and the background where I used a sponge and tempera paint." 

Artwork by Lauren C.

" In my portrait, I used a lot of different materials. I used color pencils, pastels, crayons, a black sharpie marker, and pencil. To me, good artwork has lots of different materials in it. I like the way I added the American flag in the background. "

The Senator was honored and impressed by the artwork!

Senator Suzi Oppenheimer represents our area, the 37th district.



The Harrison Report, June 10, 2011, Back cover (pg. 8)





March Weather

Kindergarteners have been observing the changing weather, noticing how "March comes in like a lion, and out like a lamb." They explored some new art techniques to help portray these very different animals.

_______ In _______ 

_______ Out _______

 

  

3rd Grade Mural





By Josh C.

Every student in the third grade participated in creating a mural that said "Care About Others and Care About Yourself." Each student painted a picture on a section of the cardboard which was hung up on a wall in the school. Some of the kids painted pictures of Earth and some made pictures of them with their friends. My friend Chip and I painted a picture of us passing a basketball to each other. I chose that because I like to play basketball with friends and our art teacher, Ms. Palefsky, suggested to our class that we paint something that shows us being nice to someone or caring about others.

I think the mural turned out really well. It is really colorful and big. I think visitors would enjoy looking at the mural. I hope it inspires visitors and other students to make their own mural.

We recycled cardboard from a tall cabinet box to construct our hallway mural. We spent weeks planning, preparing and painting.

Planning.                                                                

Every 3rd grader designed their own 7" x 9" section of the mural. Students' artwork responded to the mural's theme, "How do we care about others?"

Preparing.                                                              

After gridding the 3' x 14.5' cardboard base, we painted our message in white, preparing for a darker, multicolor background.

Painting.                                                                
Each student filled their section with acrylic paints, mixing new colors and making sure all the cardboard was covered. We avoided using the color white so the background would be darker than the letters (creating contrast and good readability).
   

 

 Special thanks to Mrs. Fowler for volunteering her expertise.

Some Art History.                                                      

A mural is any piece of artwork painted directly on a wall, ceiling or large permanent surface.

Murals bring art to the public view.

The Mexican mural movement in the 1930s used murals as a tool for social & political change.

Haring's artwork responded to the New York City street culture in the 1980's.

Ava Wins Art Contest!

    

To raise awareness of Dental Health Month in February, a local dentist hosted a contest asking kids to create artwork for the theme  
“What keeps my teeth healthy?"

Entries were judged on originality, artistic design, and best representation of the theme. Our 2nd grader Ava G. took the challenge and won first prize! Her winning illustration was displayed in the Gallery of The Rye Arts Center. Congratulations, Ava!