Art Literacy – Delacroix

Delacroix – Young Tigers – 1830

“I would say that color has a more mysterious and perhaps more powerful influence: it acts as one might say, without our knowledge.”

The sixth and last artist the students will study this year is the French artist, Eugene Delacroix (1798 – 1863) Delacroix is considered the greatest French Romantic painter. Brilliant with color and the use of expressive lines, he created passionate works of art based on literature and international events. Delacroix was intelligent, well educated, wealthy and extremely literate. He loved poetry and used his own imagination to create stories to illustrate as well. His paintings are full of emotion, action, and human struggle that evoked a “restless energy”. His work contains wild animals in combat and beautiful fabrics and costumes. Delacroix intended to create a beauty “that is not quiet”. He used color to portray emotion and his paintings can often be recognized by the use of red. He used red to draw the eye around the piece and create balance.

During the months of May and June students will study the life and works of Delacroix and then produce a mixed media drawing of a lion using color and strong, active lines to create movement and balance. Look for their work to be on display throughout the school.

Henri Matisse

“My aim is to express my emotions…a soothing, calming influence on the mind, something like a good armchair that provides relaxation from physical fatigue.”

The fifth artist the students will study this year is the great French artist, Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954).

Matisse was born in northern France in 1869. Henri became one of the young artists who were drastically changing how artists were painting during this time. Matisse loved color and he explored all the ways he could use color to add interest and emotion to his work.  It was the beginning of modern art, which is art that has been created during the last 100 years. It is more about expressing feelings and emotions than creating art which looks realistic. Matisse is most well known for his paintings and paper cut-outs. The students will study many of his works and discuss the color schemes, simple shapes, and composition Matisse used throughout his artwork. During his lifetime Henri Matisse was hardly ever satisfied with what he did the first time around. He was always making changes and painting things over again or rearranging them. Henri Matisse worked right up until the day he died. He had been an artist for more than 60 years; creating art that he hoped would make other people happy.

Student artists will create a paper cut-out still life with an aquatic theme. They will start with a complementary color theme and then “draw’ with their scissors to create the shapes that will complete their piece of art. Look for them to be displayed around the school during the month of April.

Oaxaca Wood Carving

The young artists at Bonny Slope are studying the Oaxacan wood carvers of Mexico during February and March. Oaxaca (pronounced wa-HAH-ka) is one of the largest and one of the poorest states of Mexico. Located about 200 miles south of Mexico City, the people are primarily farmers. In the last 30 years, about 200 families living in three small villages have begun producing fanciful and imaginative woodcarvings. These people began selling their carvings as a way to supplement their farming income. Even when most of their income comes from selling their carvings to tourists, they still consider themselves farmers first – artists second.

The folk art of wood carving in this region can be traced back hundreds of years. Usually a whole family will take part in creating a woodcarving. The father and son carve the wood. Grandparents and younger children then sand the carving. Finally, the mother or older daughters paint it in bright colors. There are four major themes in Oaxacan woodcarvings: Fiesta, Nature, Death, and Superstition.

Students will create a 3- dimensional animal/creature sculpture and then add bright, bold colors to enhance the sculpture. Lines, dots, dashes, geometric and hypnotic patterns will be used to create the magical effect that can be seen on the Oaxacan carvings. Look for them to be displayed outside the library throughout March.

Art Literacy – James Lavadour

James Lavadour – Sun Spots: Red Trees 2007

“I don’t think that a person needs to understand me or my background to benefit from my painting. All that’s required is a receptive heart and an open mind.”

Bonny Slope student artists are studying the life and work of James Lavadour over the next 6 weeks. He was born in 1951 in Pendleton, Oregon, to the Walla Walla Tribe on the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

As a young boy, James would take walks with his father through the canyons and gaze at the cliffs and ridges. He found that he had an amazing ability to “see” beyond the obvious. The landscape became figures of humans and animals drumming, singing and dancing. James Lavadour continues these walks today. He does not paint on location or from photographs. Rather he paints from the memories, dreams and images he experiences during his time in nature. Lavadour has been slowly discovered over the years. He has had exhibitions from Oregon to Switzerland. His work can be seen during the month of April at the PDX Contemporary
Gallery in Portland. He continues to paint in the upper story of an abandoned school house, on the Umatilla Reservation. The lower level is The Crows Institute of Arts, which he established in 1992 to provide opportunities for Native American artists. Student artists will create and abstract collage of different mediums while exploring the meanings and emotions connected to color. The lesson is also an exercise in letting art “happen.” Look for examples of their work throughout the school during the next few weeks.

BSMArt Fair – it’s not too late!

It’s not too late to submit art for the BSMArt Fair! You don’t need to fill out any paperwork at this point.

If you have any questions, please contact Pam Winklesky

BSMArt – Do Art is coming January 14, 2010!

The BSMArt (Bonny Slope Makes Art) Fair is coming on Thursday 1/14/10 from 6 -8 pm.  We’ll be displaying artwork from all Bonny Slope kids and from future Bonny Slopers (kids coming next year).  At the fair we’ll be doing: Printmaking, Shrinky Dinks, Watercolor Resists, Friendship Bracelets and MORE.    To participate, look for flyers with details in your child’s Friday Folder