Oil Pastel - Abstract Aztec Calendars

The Aztecs were an amazing civilization and culture who dominated MesoAmerica (Mexico) during the 14th to 16th century. Throughout their main existence, they were known for advancements in architecture, art and astronomy. 

Members of the Aztec culture would spend nights lying on the ground looking at the stars,

studying the earliest ideas about our solar system. The Aztec calendar was mainly based on 

their religious beliefs, but it gives us a glimpse into the earliest ideas the calendar and time.

In this lesson, I asked the students to think about how they would create their own Aztec calendar.

Using various shapes, forms and objects, students were asked to continuously push their drawings outward to give the effect that the work of art is continuously growing. 

We discussed the ability to use oil pastels in a completely different fashion than crayons or colored pencils. Students used their fingers and the blending of multiple colors on top of each other 

to not only discover how to use the medium, but what chemical reactions occur when specific colors come together.

Mark Rothko and Lights in Nature

The work of Mark Rothko has been known to evoke specific emotions and moods 

based on the colors they emit. These large canvas paintings present an array of different

color combinations and allow the viewer to feel as if they are somewhere they are not.

I recently viewed some abstract light painting techniques, where artists used lights and fire to create fast moving and flowing orange colors over a midnight black sky.

Here are some examples of how Rothko's work reflects the same emotions as the light paintings.

Local Arist Apprecation - Ryan McGinness

Ryan McGinness 

Acrylic on Canvas

This painter uses constant symmetrically balanced lines to build the 

visual texture of his paintings. 

Each line is carefully crafted at specific values to achieve making some lines look as 

if they are further back than others.

Third Grade Organic Forms - Pastel Drawings and Clay Sculptures

The third grade students learned about organic forms from nature and how they differ from the common shapes we learn about in school. Form versus Shape is a common practice in studying visual arts. This sculpture lesson started with a study of the nature forms by enlarging it's size and adding colors that were not actually present in the original form. 

I collected items like seashells, coral and tree bark, items that contained various curves and texture.

 

Using pencil and then pastel, students colorful blending techniques to show texture and depth.

 

  

  

We then began making a sculpture of the organic form using additive and subtractive methods.

 

 

  

The last step is to add color using acrylic paint because of its opaque qualities. I gave the students very fine brushes to help them paint different colors in tight areas and to be able to add fine details.

I instructed the students to paint more than one layer of paint to allow the sculpture to have thicker color and more value. 

 

  

  

  

 Andy Goldsworthy is a nature artist whose work is almost completely derived from mother earth. 

While on hiking journeys, Andy Goldsworthy searches for specific pieces of nature to be used in future sculptures that re-define the idea of form.

Always making sure to place his work in the places where he collected the objects, 

Goldsworthy changes the natural landscape with color and size.

 

 

In our Kindergarten project, I brought in various objects from nature and from the art studio.

Each student worked as partners to re- arrange and re -work a given material into an Andy Goldsworthy inspired sculpture.  

The children learned about balance and placement to create a sculpture.

Outdoor Piano Installation Near LACMA - Public Sit and Play

Outdoor piano installation across from LACMA - Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

This life like piano is fully functional and all of the public is welcome to give it a whirl. 

This work of art truly takes on a life of its own.

 

Kindergarten Alexander Calder Mobiles

Here are some shots from the Kindergarten lesson on kinetic art and the art of mobiles.