Mr. Mills Blog

I skipped last week since we had the short week this week, but it is still business as usual here at Murray.

The 3rd graders are just about to finish up their landscapes on Windows Paint. We had some technological issues last week (all of their work disappeared) but the students did not mind the extra time in the lab. Next week, I hope to have their work on Art Sonia and on this blog.

The 4th graders are finished creating their cubes. I hope they have learned enough to make them at home. Currently, we are working on a project focusing on inspiration. We have talked about how artists can be inspired by things they see to create their own artwork. It is not copying…it is taking what you see in the world and making it your own. One of the examples I showed them was Starry Night and Burning with Cosmic Rhythm

It is easy to see how the artist on the right was inspired by the famous Van Gogh painting without it being a copy of the work. The student, then, cut out patterns, shapes, and colors from magazines that they could use for their own inspiration. We are learning how to alter or change the things they have found to make their own artwork.

The 5th graders are in the middle of painting their tint and shade pixels. After matching the squares on their  small sheet to the correct percentage of gray, they painted their squares with the correct percentage of green. We also learning how to carefully paint each square on their grid…it will make the final product look that much better.

The 6th graders are still in the middle of embroidering their pillows. I told the students this week that this is a critical point in the project because many students are moving ahead of other students in their progress. This project is almost impossible to do at the last minute. While they will still have at least two more weeks in class to work on this, they will need to think more about how they will get this done. Also, I am officially out of needles. I will only replace broken needles that I see. This project requires a lot of the students and I would like to see them rise to the occasion.

Have a great Thanksgiving break!!!