I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.
The best part of art is getting a chance to make it yourself. With this in mind, Happymess kids have invited their friends over for an all-day art festival. They plan to take their studies in to their own hands, literally, and create the paintings they have been studying.
Happymess kids have been studying Impressionism, modern 20th century art and various forms of sculpture. They are particularly interested in Pointillism. This school year, Happymess kids have had great fun visiting several museums in NYC and Washington, DC.
The artists they most want to learn from are Seurat, Van Gogh and Monet. They have chosen three specific works to study.
Seurat: La Grande Jatte
Van Gogh: Starry Starry Night
Monet: Water Lillies
It is now time to try their hand at the artistic process.
They want to create a composite painting that will encompass several different Impressionist techniques and will reflect the work of Monet, Van Gogh and Seurat.
We have almost a dozen children filling our small art studio. They are involved in several projects simultaneously: painting, gluing, folding, drawing and drilling. The biggest obstacle is trying not to step on wet paint and buckets of glue.
The younger group is creating a sculpture from found objects. This is a major project, with this being only the first step but they are hard at work building, gluing and constructing separate pieces to be added later.
Meanwhile, Van Gogh is beginning to make an appearance in this Impressionist collage…
Quantum is learning origami. He is hoping, with his friends, to fold 1000 cranes so they can make a wish for good luck.
It is time to begin adding Monet to the masterpiece…
Finally, the composite Impressionist painting is completed. The final painting is 8’ by 8’ and has been painted, in one day, by a total 5 student painters.
The best way to know God is to love many things. Vincent Van Gogh
Let Me Count the Days: Homeschooling is spending the entire day in the art room, studying and painting in the tradition of the grand salons.
Filed under: Art, Contests, Field Trips, History, Humanities, Theater, World Awareness | Tagged: art, art history for kids, education, homeschool, homeschooling, Impressionist paintings, inspiration, kids modern art projects, modern art |
Homeschool Happymess: A Naturally Inspiring Approach to Education 
I am a homeschool art teacher and just love this project! Keep up the good work and never give up your love for art!
The children really gained a much better appreciation of art through this project. Initially they had no idea how many “dots” were required to reproduce a pointillism painting. They also really came to understand Van Gogh’s use of light and movement in his painting. The whole idea of “art” became much more alive and meaningful to them as they found themselves covered in paint and really experienced the joy of creating something. Living art is much more stimulating than viewing paintings on walls in rooms where nothing can be touched. It is my hope that this experience will give them greater capacity for understanding when next confronting “museum art.”
Allia
Very cool, you have some really talented kids on your hands.
Thank you. They really worked hard and had so much fun with this project!
Allia
Beautiful finished product! I hope you’ll update with a picture of the 1000 cranes when they are finished.
That’s a great idea. I will certainly have the 1000 Crane Update. Currently they are up to 440 and counting. They are folding as I write.
Allia
Just amazing! I wish all kids were homeschooled; at least after all the homeschool blogs I read. The kids get more introduction to the arts, language, history, science, and a better understanding of themselves and other cultures. They get more face-to-face training and more hands-on time. This was a grand idea!
You have hit upon exactly our motivation for homeschooling. We really wanted our children to have the opportunity to learn from all the amazing authors, artists, philosophers and scientists who have made discoveries and contributions to our world and its culture. We are hoping, through this blog and our social interactions, to inspire others to also explore our mutual cultural heritage.
[…] I.C.E. had a challenging (but fun) time making them. If not, you can read about their experience here and […]