We've been busy creating in art! We've come up from the paint splatters. Check out some of our posts  you might have missed and take a glimpse into the art room. Click on the title's text and it'll take you right to the post.

First Grade:
Spinning Around In  Paint Circles
Grand Ol' Flags
Sparkling Snowflakes
Paper Spirals
Two Thumbs Up! 
Spiderwebs, Bats, Ghosts and Pumpkins!

Second Grade:
How do you feel today?
Falling Into Leaves
Haunted Houses

Third Grade:
Casting Off-Yarn Weavings are Coming Off the Looms
Escape Into Landscapes
What will your mark be?
Medium v.s. Tool
A Ghost's Ghost: Mural Collaborations

Fourth Grade:
The Amazing Parabolas!
Sweet Surprises
Colorful Snowflakes
Under an Owl Moon
Monster Mash Ups

Fifth Grade:
Bake Me a Cake!
Peace Poems and Cranes
Jack O'Lantern Value Studies

Wow! A whole month of school has passed in a blur! Here's how we kicked off our new school year in the art room.

First graders had their first art class at Pine Glen! We drew small creatures from observation and then added our own backgrounds from our imaginations. Come see these drawings on display in the hallway over the the stairs.

Want to see more? Click on the photo on the left!

Second graders drew self-portraits.These smiling,silly faces to greet parents when they arrived on Back to School Night to visit their children's classrooms and meet their 
new teacher. 

Third graders created zany line sculptures with multiple mediums, drew, and painted them. These abstract works 
of art are sure to get your attention! Come see them in the main hallway gallery space.


Want to learn more? Click on the photo on the left!

David A. Carter's book, One Red Dot thrilled and excited the fourth graders. Each whimsical pop-art page hid one red dot. The fourth graders created their own paper sculptures. Each in artwork the students hid one red dot. See if you can find it! Sculptures are hanging in the main hallway gallery  space.

Want to see the sculptures? Click the photo on the left!

Fifth graders used yarn to create God Eyes. 
They focused on the repetitive weaving process
and selected colors carefully to make their own color themes. Still a work in progress- more photos 
coming soon!

Welcome back! 

The first week before the students arrived the teachers went back to school. We have prepared our classrooms, spent time together exploring new programs, and sharing ideas. I spent one of these afternoons inking up printing plates with all the art teachers in our district. We spent the time creating side by side, happy to be making art. What better way to ring in the new school year than rolling up my sleeves and diving into ink! Let's begin this year the same way: happy to be among old friends (some new ones, too) and thrilled to be creating artwork! 

Many thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy and support Arts & Technology Night!
 The concert sounded amazing, the band broke the ice with their rendition of Let it Go from Frozen, and the QR codes lit up the artwork! 

After Arts Night, students used their iPads to scan the QR codes of other students' work.
They listened to and viewed the videos made by students of varying grade levels. This reflective piece allowed students time to explore and discover the artwork made by their peers.

Fourth and fifth graders worked very hard to create interesting and humorous Mona Lisa Spoofs. Our first through fifth grade students (and teachers, too!) voted for their favorite Mona Lisa Spoofs after much thought and careful consideration. These are the winners!

At Pine Glen we've been learning about the mysterious Mona Lisa. Our fourth and fifth graders have created their own spoofs of Mona Lisa. The younger grades have also been learning about this artwork. Every student (grades one through five)
will be voting on which spoof they think is the best. All spoofs have been randomly assigned a number. That number will be written down on the ballots cast. Both fourth and fifth grades will have a first, second, and third place. The winners will receive a few art supplies and some fake mustaches. 



Want to cast your own vote? You can! Simply go to the fourth and fifth pages on this blog. Look at our amazing spoofs. Cast your vote in a post. Please include the Mona Lisa number and a thoughtful, specific reason for your choice.

On Friday, May 23rd all votes will be tallied. Later that evening at 6:00 p.m.the winners will be announced on this blog. On Monday, the winners will be announced to the school!

Come one, come all tonight to see your student's fabulous artwork, listen to the band play, listen the chorus sing, and explore the LTC! 

Time:
The gallery space will be open at 6:00 p.m. and the concert starts at 7:00 p.m..
 Please note that while the concert is going on the gallery space will be open. 
 At the end of the concert the gallery space will be promptly closed.

Artists Shown:
Each first through fifth grade student has one two-dimensional 
and one three-dimensional piece on display.
 Please encourage your student and their guests to use museum hands 
and museum distance while they enjoy all the artwork. 

Display Areas:
The artwork is hung in the main hallway and to the top the stairs. 
Also, artwork is displayed around all sides of the oval room in lobby
 between the cafetorium and the gymnasium. 

New to the Art Show:
This year we've added a new element to the art show. On selected artworks there are QR codes. These codes can be scanned by WiFi enabled devices. Once scanned, the artist themselves will expand upon their work with information on the artistic process or add a vivid layer of creative writing. Please download the QR code reader App ahead of time 
and remember to bring ear buds. 

Downloaded a QR reader App? Still unsure what to do? Well we've got a video tutorial made just for you! This video will take you step-by-step and show you how to use the Qrafter App:

This fantastic tutorial was made possible by the efforts of Maeve- a fabulous fourth grade student on the Tech Team at Pine Glen. Many thanks to her for spending her recess to design this very helpful and easy to understand video for us to learn how to read QR codes. We greatly appreciate it!

A New Way of Learning about Art:
Learn about the artwork- right from the artist! Hear each of our artists (grades one through five) delve deeper into their thoughts, dream up creative writing, or explain the process behind the artwork. This year at Arts & Technology Night,  May 6th at 6 p.m., many pieces of artwork will have a QR Code attached to them that will help you do this.

What is a QR Code?
A QR Code is a type of special barcode that can give your smart device information quickly and easily, so you can scan a picture to go to a website instead of having to type in the complete address yourself.  

You'll open your QR reader app and then hold your wi-fi enabled, smart device over the code labeled with your student's name. The QR app will scan the code and up will pop on your screen a link. Tap that link and you will learn about the artwork right from the artist!

What do I need to do?
Before Arts & Technology Night you’ll need to download the App for easy access.

Where do I get the App?
If you have an iPhone, we recommend QRafter App. Get it here: http://bit.ly/pgqrafter
If you have an Android Device, we recommend QR Droid. Get it here:  http://bit.ly/pgqrdroid

What do I need to bring?
Please bring a pair of earbuds or headphones to listen to your device. It is very exciting in the gallery space and it can get very loud.

You've got the app? Great! 
Here's a check list to help you be ready for Arts' Night: 

• Download the QR reader app.
  
• Fully charge your smart, wi-fi enabled device.
  
• Bring a set of ear buds.
  

See you on Arts' Night on Tuesday, May 6th !

Here are some updates for happenings in art class during March. Click on each link to go directly to the page:

In first grade we made clay into pinch pots. They were bisque fired and then students glazed them with bold, bright colors. These will be on display on Art, Music, and Technology Night on May 6th.

In second grade we've been making color wheels and learning all about colors. 

In third grade, we made clay creatures. We used our knowledge of how to make a pinch pot (something we learned in first grade) and made a pinch pot base to form our creatures. Our creatures may be imaginary but they seem quite real! 

In fourth grade, we completed our work for Square 1 art. We used our initials or a simple, but meaningful word to showcase our many designs in a graphic, bold artwork.

In fifth grade, we folded origami peace cranes and learned about the story of Sadako and the Thousand Peace Cranes. 

Stay tuned for more happenings as we gear up for Arts' Night on May 6th!

Our students have been creating a one of kind artwork piece- for you! These artworks are a part of a fundraiser for the Pine Glen P.T.O. and can be ordered on all sorts of amazing products. The order form recently went home and is due back by April 7th. The final orders will be back at pine Glen for pick up before Mother's day. This is a great opportunity to give  a gift that is personal and unforgettable- as well as help support our P.T.O. that constantly gives back to our community. 

There are two easy ways to order:

1. Order online at www.square1art.com/shop.  The art access code provided on the back of the order pamphlet is the personal code for your child's artwork.

-or-

2. Complete the order form and return it to school with checks payable to Square 1 Art by April 7th.

If you have any questions, please e-mail our contact at [email protected].      

February flew by fast in a gust of snowy wind. It may have been snowing outside but we've been creating up a real storm inside the art room! Click on the links below to learn more about each of these posts:

• First graders painted lovely watercolor hearts.
• Second graders created schools of clay fish.
• Third graders scratched away to complete their Snazzy Sneakers. Check out the gallery of images!
  
• Fourth graders made preliminary sketches for their clay animals. The results are top secret. Stay tuned for photos of the artists at work!
• Fifth graders finished their Zentangles and have begun to make castles out of clay.

Here's what we've been up to in the art room. Click on the link to be sent to the post for more details and photographs.

In first grade, we made our two-dimensional paper plates into three-dimensional spirals. We were also visited by our stuffed animal friends. They were our muses for our drawings from observation.

In second grade we painted our monochromatic masterpieces. Students mixed many shades and tints of their chosen color.

In third grade, we made our own scratch boards and drew the patterns on the soles of our sneakers.

In fourth grade, we've begun our Rangoli designs in sand. This is a unique and different medium for us. We were very excited to create symmetrical designs in this medium.

In fifth grade, we got all tangled up in lines with our Zentangles. These repetitive designs can create a calm, creative state of being.

Also, in second grade we combined science, art, and technology. The second graders created their own news room and forecast channel video. The second grade classroom teachers Ms. Anderson, Mrs. Lane, and Ms. Varrell helped students research and write about the weather in their classrooms. In the art room, we created the backgrounds and props. In the computer lab using the green screen, we filmed these forecasts. Mr. Callahan, or technology specialist edited the video to polish our final product. Check out the second weather forecasts: Ms. Anderson's class, Mrs. Lane's class, and Ms. Varrell's class. Our second graders are weather experts.

Click on the links above and check out our work. Stay tuned for more updates!

Hello  Amazing Subscribers,

It has come to my attention that if you have subscribed to this blog, you are only getting e-mail updates of posts on this main page. This blog also contains other pages organised by topic and grade level. I've included links to this posts to keep you in the loop. Here are the most recent posts and some you might have missed: 

In first grade, we made spiderwebs.

In second grade we went on a leaf hunt.

In third grade, we designed ghost murals for the P.T.O. sponsored Halloween Dance.

In fourth grade, we made drawings from observation using the birds of prey from the Science Department.

In fifth grade, we studied human proportions and drew Mr. Bones dancing in many poses.

Also, Gabby Z. submitted the first sketchbook page! Be sure to check it out and submit your own!

Keep checking in for more artistic adventures!

There are so many mediums to choose from! These are just a few. Which one is your favorite and why? Is your favorite not shown? Share with us why you like YOUR favorite medium. Not sure what the photograph is? Place your mouse on top of the image and the name will appear!

Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter. He is often grouped with the Impressionists but he was more of an expressionist. He painted the world not how he saw it, but how he felt it. He felt things very deeply and often he felt lonely and sad. It is said he sold only one painting when he was alive and often had to tear up his paintings to use them to stuff the holes in his roof to keep the rain out. Not many people understood his art. His brother, Theo, appreciated Vincent van Gogh's work. Van Gogh painted with thick, heavy strokes with palette knives and brushes. 

I've always loved The Starry Night. The sky is kept from twisting and swirling into darkness by the pulsating stars. The moon hangs in the corner like a lantern casting light into the edge of night's dark cloak. A large cypress tree stands guard over the quiet, sleepy village below. Each brush stroke is part of the movement of a dancing sky and a dreaming earthly home below.

This is why I am painting this work of art outside my classroom door. I hope students can see how I attempt to make my own rendering of this artwork. Students will see how I struggle and how every painting goes through, what I like to call, the "wonky phase" when nothing looks as you had planned or want it to be- and that's okay! That's exactly how it should be for awhile. I hope my students see that to create something great is a challenge, but it is worth the effort. As Vincent van Gogh said, "I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream."

It's a new year! The last two weeks have been a wonderful time seeing old friends who are slightly taller smiling back at me (some proudly displaying missing teeth) as I greet them at this door for a new year of art classes. New friends have also arrived here ready to begin their adventures in art.