Andrew Wyeth Extension Activities

Don't forget to join us to plant flowers this Tuesday evening!

Here are the details:

Tuesday 4-17-12 6:30PM

Earl Legacy Park in Bedford

200 New Boston Road

Corner of Wallace and New Boston by Riddlebrook School

directions available here

Bring your own shovel/trowel if you have one!

Did you know:

Andrew Wyeth was a homeschool student from the age of 8 until he turned 18. He tells about his education history in this short interview with the Center for Talent Development.

Meet the Artist:

The great thing about 20th century artists is that we have many records of their lives as well as their work. Take a look at this short video of Andrew Wyeth at work.

Try it yourself:

Andrew Wyeth is known for his ability to create intense emotion through his choice of interesting backgrounds. Try cutting out a small portrait from either a photograph or magazine and placing it on different backgrounds. Plain white, a jungle scene from a magazine, or a photograph of your own backyard will offer drastically different results.

See it in Person:

Andrew Wyeth spent many summers only a few hours from here. If you are traveling to Maine soon, swing by the Farnsworth Art Museum Wyeth Center in Rockland. In addition to seeing quite a few paintings by Andrew Wyeth and his famous family, you will also have the opportunity to tour the Olson house, setting for Wyeth's famous painting Christina's World.

Matisse Extension Activities

We sure created a lot of tiny paper scraps! Thanks for all the help cleaning up.

Take a look at your beautiful work:

The Cub Scouts of Troop 5 have agreed to assist us with the assembly of our pillowcases for cancer patients, and I can't wait to share the results with you. The kids of ConKerr are really going to enjoy their gifts.

Here are a few activities to keep you busy until we meet again.

Read:

You might enjoy Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors, a fun collection of notes between a teacher and student studying Matisse. I also really liked Matisse the King of Color, a picture book with excellent biographical information.

Play Online:

Matisse for Kids is a fun interactive website. Matisse's dog, Raoudi, is your guide as you learn about the artist, his techniques, and his works. Collect items for your portfolio and create your own work of art.

Create:

Try making your own your own Matisse inspired wearable collage using the instructions from Plastr Craft. Note: you do not need to have this specific product in order to make the pins. Painted cardboard or bits of colored clay could easily be used instead.

Consider:

Remember the funny story about Matisse bringing his artwork to the bedrooms of his sick friends? Well, many (many, many) studies have been done to determine whether he was right. Does art does help us to heal? Some researchers believe so. You can read a bit more here about the pain reducing effects of art.

There is another kind of healing to consider too:

Psalm 103:2-5

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits--who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Blessings,

Remington Extension Activities

The ornaments that you made for the Bedford Library are beautiful. Make sure to take a moment to stop by and see them upstairs. If you look closely you may even see your work as you drive by. Directions are available at the library website.

I hope you will have time during your Christmas holiday to play with your art supplies. Here are a few ideas that relate to our study of Remington to get you started.

Create:

Remington loved horses. Try another collage project using the instructions at All Kids Network. At first glance this project looks as if it is just for the little ones, but I encourage everyone to give it a try. Making your paper horse look realistic can be a lot of fun when you begin adding details.

Get published:

Remington drew "Cowboys of Arizona Roused by a Scout" on the back of some wrapping paper and mailed it in to a New York magazine when he was young. It was printed on the cover of Harper's Weekly in 1882, and he eventually became one of the most famous illustrators in America.

Submit your own drawings for consideration in Highlights Magazine by following these instructions. Maybe you could become a famous illustrator too!

Study:

For older students - Remember how we discussed Remington's romantic desire to depict the West as a flawless landscape? Take a look at this CBS article to learn more. It is very interesting to recognize just how much Remington shaped our perception of the western frontier to this day.

Read:

Remington was an author in addition to his work as an illustrator. You can read several of his books for free online.

Crooked Trails

The Way of the Indian

Watch:

Study Remington's painting "The Scout" with the guidance of an articulate art commentator.

I hope you all enjoy celebrating the birth of our savior.

See you in January!

Challenge - Collage & Mondrian

Piet

Mondrian

Would you like to learn more about Piet Mondrian?

Take a look at this fun timeline. You can move your cursor over the bar at the bottom to speed up or slow down the speed of play. I liked watching it in reverse. It is interesting to see how different his first works are from his later ones, like Broadway Boogie Woogie. While you are online try painting like Mondrian at the Mondrimat.

Want to create another collage? You could even try to make one behind your back using these instructions. Do it as a game, or make it even more challenging by trying to create straight lines like Mondrian.

It is Christmas time!

Do you need a gift for someone special? Try making these super easy tissue paper collage votive candle holders. You could use primary colors like Mondrian, or red and green for the holidays!

Our ornaments are going up on the tree tomorrow afternoon! Take a hike out to the trails at Earl Legacy park and see how they turned out. It will be so fun to surprise everyone.