4th grade field trip to Denver Art Museum

Every year I write a grant to Reach Out Crest View parent organization for a field trip to the Denver Art Museum. ReachOut Crest View (ROCV).Crest View Elementary School’s parent-teacher organization, is chartered to raise funds to support academic enrichment, scholarship needs and capital improvements, provide activities and events to develop and strengthen the school community, and sponsor periodic forums and events for parent education on issues related to elementary education and children. The ROCV has enabled us to do some amazing projects, professional development, and field trips.

Cultural Identity Mural collaborative art project with Crest View & New Vista HS

Crest View students collaborated with 30 high school students from New Vista High School to create a Cultural Identity Mural.  The murals our now installed in Crest View Elementary cafeteria.

5th grade Notans

5th grade studied the art of  Nōtan 濃淡  which is a Japanese design concept involving the play and placement of light and dark as they are placed next to the other in art and imagery.  We talked about positive and negative space as well as symmetry to create a cut out Notan. Here are some of their works. They turned out amazing!

2nd Grade Autumn Collages

We discussed warm and cool colors and students learned different techniques to draw a tree.  Students used magazines to find warm colors to cut our for their leaf shapes.

Solar System Art!

We integrated the 4th grade space science unit into art class. We talked about how to use value to create an image that looks more like a sphere rather than a flat circle. Students used tempera paint to explore color gradation and they also experimented with using watercolors to create a wet on wet technique in order to make a more realistic planet.  Students worked in collaborative groups to invent their own solar system.  They shared some very creative stories to explain the history of their solar systems.

1st grade Faith Ringgold Story Quilts

We read Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold each student made a paper story quilt using a pattern for their borders.  They drew a picture of themselves flying over people important to their lives or places they dream of going to or enjoy.

2nd Grade Sunflowers

2nd grade studied the artist Vincent van Gogh. We looked at his Sunflower paintings and students learned how to draw sunflowers from different angles.  They also learned how to use curvy lines to make an object have form such as the vase in their paintings.

5th grade Abrstract Leaves

5th grade created abstract leaves inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe.  Students learned about value, warm and cool colors, abstract art vs. representational art ,and geometric vs. organic shapes.

Kindergarten Pumpkins and the curvy vine

Students learned how to make orange using red and yellow. They also learned how to draw a pumpkin and how to use curvy lines to create form.  Students cut out their pumpkins and glued them on to black paper. They added a vine and used curvy lines to draw it and the leaves. Some students added stars to their backgrounds.

4th grade Moon Silhouttes

4th grade learned about value using tints and shades. They also learned what a silhoutte is and how it is created and different from shadow. We were inspired by this year's super moon.

3rd Grade Autumn Silhouttes

3rd grade learned about collage using tissue paper, drawing trees, overlapping, space, warm and cool colors, and silhouettes to create these amazing works or art.

Andy Goldsworthy Autumn Art Project

It  was a beautiful fall day outside so to take advantage of the weather I decided we should go outside and make art.  We watched some video clips of Andy Goldsworthy's Rivers and Tides. We talked a bit about design and how his art uses organic materials found in a particular location and how he cannot be attached to his work because weather and the elements take a toll on his work and erase it or alter it as time goes passes.  This was difficult for the kids as throughout the day I heard them complain that kids changed or "ruined" their work during recess.  They took photos of their work with the iPads. The results are incredible.