Rembrandt

The week of Easter seems the perfect time to study the work of Rembrandt van Rijn.  His use of light to portray Biblical stories is awe inspiring.  

Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn

1606-1669

Holland

In preparation for the coming class, please print the following image and place it in a location that you child will see often.  

printable image

The Risen Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalen

Rembrandt van Rijn

1638, oil on canvas

Royal Collection, Buckingham Palace, London

We will be making seed envelopes.  In order to complete this project your child will need to bring the following items to class:

• Reeves soft pastels - please check to ensure that you have white and black in addition to your colors - can be shared
• Tru Ray Acid Free Construction Paper  12”x18”  - One sheet black or dark blue per child 

• Prang crayons, minimum 8 color set - 1 per student
• Scotch 3M clear glue stick - can be shared
• pencil with an eraser (does not need to be an artist pencil) - 1 per student
• several cotton swabs
• several paper towels

See you on Friday, April 25th at 6:30!
Sheryl

Miro Stickers for Emergency Vet Office

It is always sad when a pet gets hurt.  I'm sure that the children who have to spend time waiting at the emergency vetrinarian office will appreciate having your stickers to distract them.

Complete project instructions available here.

Joan Miro Extension Activities

Joan Miro's life and art really do seem to be in contrast to one another, don't they?

Online activities:

• Play pinball online as you navigate through Miro’s paintings
• View an animated Miro painting
• Watch a short video showing many of Miro's works

Books:

• Read more about the fascinating life of Joan Miro in Miro, Famous Artist by Antony Mason
• Color your own Miro in this book by Annette Roeder 

Create:

• Play a game with dice to create your own Miro inspired artwork.

Consider:

As we discussed in class, Miro’s Catholic faith was important to him, and drove him to be very concerned about the common people around him.  In his words he saw the role of the artist  “to be someone, who amidst the silence of others, uses his voice to say something and who has the obligation that this thing not be useless but something that is of service to mankind.”  

One of his favorite symbols to use in his work was the ladder.  It represented not a means of escape, but a means of reaching something greater.   Consider this in light of Isaiah 58:10 which says 

"If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday."

So what does that mean?  In short, God promises to reward  those who offer help and compassion to the poor and needy around about them.  

To be clear, Christianity isn't all about behaving perfectly (anyone who says that is possible is a hypocrite).  We all sin, and that grieves our savior, but he has offered us forgiveness.  Our only obligation is to believe.  Out of that belief we then show mercy and love to others as an act of love for God.  We need to humbly serve those around us.  No pious belief can justify treating others poorly.  Instead, our faith should push us toward sincere good works motivated by right motives.   Out of that mercy and kindness God will provide us with comfort. 

Joan Miro

Everyone is creative.  We all dream and wish and hope.  Some of us are great at tapping into that part of our mind to create works of art, while others struggle a bit more to discover their own creativity.  In the 20th-century there was an intentional movement to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind.  We call this movement surrealism, and one of the most acclaimed artists was  Joan Miro.

Joan Miro

zhuan Mee-roe (click here for pronunciation help)

Spanish

1893 - 1983

In preparation for class please place the image below where it can be viewed often.  For a printable image click here.

Beautiful Bird Revealing
Joan Miro
Museum of Modern Art, New York

We are going to be creating our own surrealistic images to help animals.  In order to complete this month's project each chid will need:

• Reeves soft pastels - 12 color set - can be shared
• Tru Ray Acid Free Construction Paper 
• one sheet white - 12”x18”
• one large scrap approx 9x12" either blue red or green
• several smaller scraps approx. 4x4" in a combination of yellow, blue, green and red 

• Sharpie markers -  black only - 1  per student
• Scotch 3M clear glue stick - can be shared
• Scissors - 1 per student
• pencil with an eraser (does not need to be an artist pencil) - 1 per student
• several paper towels

See you on Friday, March 21st at 6:30!

Eric Carle Lesson Extension Activities

The felt board that you made for the Bedford library is going to be so much fun for the kids to play with.  Thanks for your hard work!  

Complete project instructions available here.

Read:

“With many of my books I attempt to bridge the gap between the home and school. To me home represents, or should represent; warmth, security, toys, holding hands, being held. School is a strange and new place for a child. Will it be a happy place? There are new people, a teacher, classmates—will they be friendly?" 

There are lots of books that we can look at to see Eric Carle's artwork, but I wanted to point out a few that offer more insight into his life.  Eric Carle has written a fantastic series of autobiographical stories in two books entitled Flora and Tiger and My Apron.  They are written directly to children in a way that is both playful and informative.  I can’t say enough how much my family enjoyed these books.  {These books are affiliate links.  Should you click through I may get a small portion of any purchases that you make.  Thanks for your support.}

Create:

Coloring pages are always fun, but if you want a bit more of a challenge, try creating your own tissue paper collage.  This PDF offers instructions that are fairly easy to follow.  

Visit:

Eric Carle and his wife have created a fantastic museum dedicated to illustrators of children’s books.  It is a lot of fun!  Even if you can’t get there in person, it is more than worthwhile to take a look at their website.

Consider:

Want to find out how Very Hungry Caterpillar, the Bible, and throw-up all tie together?  Pop by the Fantastic Five to find out.

Eric Carle

Have you ever thought of the illustrators of your favorite books as artists?  They are.  This week we are going to be studying the playful work of Eric Carle.  He has written and illustrated over 70 books, many of which are best sellers.

Eric Carle

1929 - present

American

I usually ask you to study an image by each artist, but this artist's work is best seen in it's correct format - a book.  Most families already have these books at home, so just take a few minutes to browse through  Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? or his most famous work The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  If you can't find a copy, you can always take a look at this video of Eric Carle reading his own copy.



This month we are going to be creating felt boards for the children who visit the Bedford Library to play with (and a few pieces for home too).  In order to complete this project each child will need to bring the following items to class:

• 3 felt sheets, assorted colors, 9x12" - add only 2 sheets for each additional student
• needle felting foam pad or brush - 1 per student 
• felting needle (approx. 36 gauge) - 1 per student - Students age 6 and under are highly encouraged to use a needle guard, and older students may want a grip, but the needle itself is all you really need
• Scissors - 1 per student - these should be sharp enough to cut felt.
• Sharpie markers set of 4 of varying colors 
• pencil with an eraser (does not need to be an artist pencil) - 1 per student
• optional:  Prang crayons, minimum 8 color set 

If you participated in the bulk order and can't find your felting brush - pop me an e-mail.  There were a few that were never picked up, so I may have yours.  If so, I will bring it with me to class.

See you on Friday, February 21st at 6:30!

Klimt Inspired Emergency Room Display

Take a look at your fantastic Klimt-inspired metal work.  Isn't it fun!

The staff at the emergency room was thrilled to receive it, and asked me to share their thanks with all of you.

It will be on display for the next two months, but I will make sure to get your pieces back to you before our closing session.  Great job kids!

Complete project instructions available here.