Homeschool Happymess: A Naturally Inspiring Approach to Education

“They always say that time changes things, but actually you have to change them yourself.”  Andy Warhol

We have had a fascinating week exploring Pop Art and experimenting with different painting techniques.

Bounce and Scooter were entranced with Warhol’s colorful rendering of common objects.

Bounce abstract with hands

They loved the repetition and cartoon-like simplicity of Warhol’s silkscreen paintings.

We also read some simple biographies of Warhol’s life.  Bounce and Scooter sympathized with his childhood illness.  Quantum was more impressed with Warhol’s “partying” lifestyle and popularity as an adult cult figure.

We concentrated on learning to mix colors and mix media.

Bounce’s favorite style was the Jackson Pollock splatter paints.  He had a great time splattering paint and adding random leaves and twigs to enhance the texture of his paintings.

Jackson Pollock

Bounce abstract

Jackson Pollock Number 18

Bounce Abstract Number 2

We had fun comparing Pollock’s work with Bounce’s paintings.  We discussed that although it might be easy to imitate the works of famous pop artists, these ideas were once considered original.

Roy Lichtenstein Drowning Girl

Warhol, Pollock, Lichtenstein and others were among the first to create “art” with modern commercial techniques and images.

Athena: Girl and Mother

Athena loved creating pop art images of her family and friends.  She loves the irreverence of these images and the way an ordinary photograph can tell a story that is different from the original.

And isn’t that what art is really about?

All artists, in every media, strive to take a moment of reality and transform it into a story that highlights a unique world vision.  Art is an attempt to redraw the everyday so that important details are highlighted and specific ideas are communicated.

Let Me Count the Days:  Homeschooling is teaching our children to tell their own stories through art, creative writing and drama.

Filed under: Art, History, Humanities | Tagged: Andy Warhol, homeschool, homeschooling, Jackson Pollock, kids abstract painting, kids modern art projects, pop art, Roy Lichtenstein | 2 Comments »