Library Bookmarks

Homer Extension Activities

Isn't it is amazing to think that such a talented artist lived right here in New England?

Winslow Homer's life was truly fascinating. Check your local library to see if you can borrow a copy of Winslow Homer: An American Original - it is an old but fun movie. My husband even enjoyed this one.

Sit with your child and look through several of Homer's works. Some are rather thought provoking. The Gulf Stream, which we discussed in class, shows a man in great danger. You may want to discuss Psalm 56:3-4 "When I am afraid I will trust in you. In God whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid."Remember our discussion of contrast? Take a look at these two works by Homer. They are very similar. Do you think that the use of contrast made a difference between Sailing the Catboat and Breezing Up? - How many other differences can you find?

Looking for a hands-on project? Try learning to draw like the school children of Winslow Homer's time. Or take on his favorite medium, watercolors! Don't forget to use your crayons this month. Crayola always has great ideas at their site.

The National Gallery of Art has created a fun printable document with lots of games and info about Winslow Homer. Get it at: www.nga.gov/kids/homerscoop.pdf

Did you know that Winslow Homer was buried only about an hour from here? If you happen to be near Cambridge this month, take a quick look at his gravesite in Mount Auburn Cemetery. (While you are there you might be interested in seeing the burial sites for Nathaniel Bowditch, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, among others.)

Don't forget to stop by your library this month to see your artwork on the new bookmarks that they will be giving away!

March - Homer

This month's featured artist is:

Winslow Homer

(pronounced HOE-mer)

1836-1901

American

In preparation for class please print Homer's work entitled Breezing Up (1876, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.) and place it in a location where your child will see it often.

Click here for a printable version.

We are going to be studying color value during this class. Please choose to either bring shades of blue OR shades of gray paper as described in the supply list below. It would be best if you did not mix the two colors.

For the next class you will need:

Out of Light Gray (or light blue) construction paper

- One 9"x12" sheet

- One 4.5"x6" sheet

Out of Black (or dark blue) construction paper

- One 5"x9" sheet

- One 7"x9" sheet

Out of White construction paper

- one 6"x9" sheet

Black (or dark blue) Crayon - One per person

Glue (white or glue-stick)

Scissors - One per person

See you on March 8th at 6:30!

Gift Boxes for Town Employees

The artwork that the children created is ready to decorate the tops of the boxes that you will deliver to local town employees. You can choose to either print your own artwork and attach it to the box yourself, or if it is more convenient, you may pick up the artwork at New Hope Christian Fellowship.

Click here for a printable version - you may need to re-size the image to fit your box.

Suggestions for gift boxes:

Homemade

Get your child involved and bake up some of your favorite sweets. Cookies and cakes are always appreciated. Rice-krispie treats have an easy recipe that kids can make in the microwave without much adult assistance. *Note: it is much easier to share if treats are wrapped in individual serving sizes.

Thanks a million

Let the employees know just how much you appreciate their service by allowing your child to truly be a “kid in a candy store” when they pick out candies to fill their box. Be sure to including treats like Hundred Grand candy bars, chocolate coins, and candies wrapped in gold foil such as Worther’s Originals.

Healthy

Treat boxes don’t necessarily mean junk food. Healthy treats are appreciated too. Take your child with you to the produce section and allow them to choose their favorite fruits, and nuts. Add a few granola bars and a handwritten note of thanks.

There are lots of places to choose from for delivery sites. Consider visiting your town dump, the library, fire station, police, town offices, the department of transportation (they keep your roads plowed), or any other public office.

Enjoy!

February - Picasso

Hi everyone -

I'm going to make this quick because I have about four zillion things to get done before I get to bed tonight (and it is already past 11:00), so please forgive the weird formatting issues. My computer is fighting with me tonight and I have decided to let it win.

This month we are going to be using Black markers and chalk stain, and our artwork will be used to decorate boxes which will be filled with treats for our town employees.

WANT TO GET MORE INVOLVED IN OUR COMMUNITY SERVICE EFFORTS? If your family would be willing to fill and deliver one of the boxes (you can deliver in your own town, it does not need to be exclusive to Bedford), please let me know. I will give you the box, artwork, and ideas for treats to put inside, and you can bring it to your favorite librarian, sanitation worker, or fireman at your convenience.

Our featured artist is:

Pablo Picasso

(pronounced Pee-KAH-soe)

1881 - 1973

Spanish

In preparation for class please print Picasso's Three Musicians (1921, Museum of Modern Art, New York) and post it in a place where it can be easily seen.

Click here for a printable version.

You will need to bring the following supplies to class:

• 11"x11" white construction paper - one per person
• 12"x12" colored construction paper - one per person, any color
• Several tissues/paper towels (please check to make sure that they do not contain lotion)
• Black cone tipped marker - one per person
• Chalk Pastels
• Scissors - one per person
• Pencil (regular #2, not a drawing pencil) - One per person
• Glue stick (NOT WHITE GLUE THIS WEEK!!!)
• Q-tips - 1 per person

See you on February 8th at 6:30!

Challenge - Soft Pastels

Did you like using soft pastels? They are one of my favorite art supplies. I just love the gentle blending that you can get from them.

My daughter used lots of blue in her beautiful plaid that she created on Tuesday, and all she has left is a few scraps of blue - BUT did you know that is easy to re-form your scraps into a new pastel? Collect all of your little bits of the same color and then crush them. Add a drop or two of alcohol then roll into a fairly thick stick. Let it dry for a few days and it is ready to use.

Remember that when you work with soft pastels you need to work from Dark to Light. This might be hard for those of you who are used to watercolors where you work Light to Dark. With soft pastels, once you have your light colors down you can't go over them with darks without loosing your crispness and making your colors muddy. Watch this sped up video of an artist at work and keep an eye out for which colors he chooses. Experiment with layering your pastels on a scrap piece of paper - you will see the difference very quickly.

Pastels can be messy, so keep a paper towel nearby to brush away any stray dust which can mark your paper. If a accidental mark is made that won't brush away, with a normal eraser, you can erase pastels. Sometimes traces will stay on the paper, because pastel dust holds in the pores of the paper, but often you will be able to make the changes you need. For very fine corrections try using a flexible kneaded erasers.

Mary Cassatt loved to depict close relationships, especially between mothers and children. Try this yourself. Pull out your pastels and draw a portrait of a mom and her child. They could be

holding hands, working on something together, or just looking into one another's eyes. Try to capture the tender feelings that Mary Cassatt was so good at showing in her artwork.

There is a great simple biography and slideshow of Mary Cassatt's work at GardenOfPraise. She also has posted several wonderful games including a jigsaw puzzle of The Boating Party which you probably still have hanging somewhere in your home. Lots of a fun is to be had at this site. Don't miss it.

I have printed up your work from Tuesday and plan to deliver your get well cards tomorrow. Hopefully I can get some pictures posted for you soon. The residents are sure to appreciate your thoughtfulness.

January - Cassatt

2011 - Welcome to the new year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

This month we are going to be studying the work of

Mary Cassatt

(pronounced kuh-SAHT)

1844-1926

American

In preparation for class, please print out The Boating Party (1893/1894, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC) and place it where your child will see it often.

Click here for a printable version

Enjoy spending time intentionally discussing the picture with your child. Encourage them to notice things with you. It doesn't need to be complicated - point out the shadows, or have your child see how many lines that they can find which point to the baby's face. Another idea is to show the picture to your child and give them 30 seconds to study it. Then, take the picture away and ask them questions about what they saw - What color are the baby's shoes? What kind of boat are they in? How many hats did you see?

Have fun exploring this painting. It is a fun one!

Next Tuesday we will create pastel drawings focusing on color and line in the style of Mary Cassatt. Copies of finished projects will then be shared with residents of a local elder care facility.

You will need to bring the following supplies:

• One 9"x12" sheet of construction paper in any of the pastel colors per child - pale green, pale blue, pale yellow, etc.
• One 9"x12" sheet of black construction paper per child
• Paper towels and/or baby wipes
• Box of Soft Pastels
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pencil

Soft pastels create lots of fine dust so please wear short sleeves and/or bring a smock to protect your clothing.

See you January 11th at 6:30!