Art @ Pioneer Ridge Elementary

Square 1 Showcase

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 17:22:00 +0000

It's almost Spring!

Square 1 Art order forms went home this past week. Students worked hard to produce images driven by their own interests and passions. Here's a glimpse of some of the fantastic work produced:

Express Yourself Day is March 27th! Bring something

that demonstrates how you express yourself to share :)

The Pioneer Ridge Art Show is coming up too - April 15th

Third Grade Collage

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:38:00 +0000

Third Graders recently finished their collages inspired by Romare Bearden. They practiced layering the objects in their artwork - thinking about which objects were furthest away and which would be in the foreground. Check out the variety of subject matters and different ways of rendering:

Fall is in the air....monsters to be gracing these pages soon!

Clay Works

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:12:00 +0000

So nice to immerse ourselves in claywork again! The Artroom is a favorite when working with slimy, smelly, sculptable clay :)

First graders practiced drawing landscapes in slabs [or pancakes ] of clay. They loved how easy it was to "erase" mistakes!

A few finished products:

Second graders practiced adding coils [snakes] to their pinch pots:

Fifth Graders are mid-way through their double-pinchpot project. While they dry, we're working on paper mache masks.

We looked at examples of figurative heads....looks like a lot of fifth graders are favoring

something a little different!

Other things we're working on:

Kindergartners, new to the Artroom, are exploring processes like tearing and glueing.

Fourth graders are finishing up their Imaginary Architecture project. They've come up with some extremely creative solutions!

Up next, more clay!

Artistic Exploration in Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:48:00 +0000

The start of school has brought four new iPads to our PRE Artroom! They're a welcome addition to the diverse array of tools and processes our young artists use to create and express themselves. Each student will have several opportunities to utilize the new equipment, both individually and in pairs and groups. For their initial explorations, second and third graders are using an app called Drawing with Carl; fourth and fifth graders are working with a more advanced drawing app called Drawing Pad. Later, we'll be using the iPads to research art history connections and learn about famous artists and their processes.

Some of our first digital explorations:

Would Jackson Pollock have just loved the symmetry tool?

maybe so!

Inspired by Winter already?

apparently; two different ways of approaching a subject!

SO colorful; what would Mark Rothko think?

I think he'd love it!

More explorations to come - and look for clay projects soon!

Welcome Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:26:00 +0000

This Fall in the Artroom...
We weren't able to focus on claywork last year at Pioneer Ridge, so this year we're starting RIGHT AWAY! Here are a few clay artists to get you inspired:

Peter Voulkos

Betty Woodman

Richard Devore

Ralph Bacerra

See you soon, in the Art Room!

Express Yourself Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 02:04:00 +0000

We finished our Youth Art Month Celebration today at PRE with our first ever
Express Yourself Day. It started out as a day to share the artwork we make at home - be it anything from lego sculptures to model airplanes or crochet - and quickly turned into a day to share our passions. Students brought in guitars, stuffed animal collections, and duck calls. In other words, it was fantastic!

Here are few of the exciting things I saw as I walked around the building:

Second Grade Rattler

and Color Exploration!

Not-so-mellow Yellow Collage

and study of a Good Friend.

A tiny creature's home

and Big Blocks of Color!

Third Grade Collections: A home for horses

and a Shrinky Dink Zoo.

Dragons...

and Birds...

and Flying Vessels.

In Kindergarten, a little more time to Collaborate, Create and Explore...

and in Second Grade, new hobbies shared.

I was so excited by the things I saw today and I watched lots of excited little faces too. It seemed like such a great way to just share ourselves as we got ready to head off for Spring Break. I hope we get this opportunity again and I appreciate everyone's help in making it happen!

Up Next: Get ready for our Art Show!!

A Few More Square Works of Art

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:27:00 +0000

Today a couple of grades eased into Choice centers (more about that later...) Students have been working so hard on their Square 1 artwork, it's been really nice for them to be able to relax and experiment a little.

Here are a few more square-shaped masterpieces:

A lavender pegasus by third grader ER.

by AM

A not-so-mean-looking Dragon by

fifth grader SR.

A tree rarely seen in Colorado by BE.

Tropical bird by AH.

Art in Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 19:10:00 +0000

Students are working to finish their Square 1 artwork in the next week or two. Before we delve into our choice-based centers and begin our celebration of Youth Art Month, I thought I'd share some of our final products. Hopefully I'll feature a few more throughout this week. Today, mostly third graders:

Many third graders chose animals as their subject matter.

This one is by SL.

Penguin by AH.

by AM.

A happy-looking cat by NM.

An artist possibly wishing for different weather; KB

A couple of fifth grade artists:

by JS.

A mountain camping scene by RJ.

More to come!

October in the Artroom

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:10:00 +0000

October is such a wonderful time of year for Monster-making! In Kindergarten we turned off the lights and read the not-so-scary The Monster at the End of this Book. Students used Grover as inspiration for creating their own "Friendly Monsters":

First Graders looked carefully at the creatures in Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are and thought about the human/animal traits that some creatures incorporate:

Click HERE to see more first grade monsters:

Art in Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 01:11:00 +0000

Artwork is beginning to grace the halls at PRE this Fall. Here's some of what we've been working on:

First Graders have been practicing printing by creating their own foam block stamps:

Second Graders recently made some Yarn print Collagraphs:

And then did some additive work:

Third Graders are finishing up their "Dream Rooms." They designed and built their room, created their furniture and will be adding posters and rugs this week:

Fourth Graders have just finished their foam relief Character prints:

And experimented with a variety of additive work:

After re-creating their own color wheel, Fifth Graders are working on Landscape paintings, using photos from magazines as a resource:

Kindergarten Elbow Pots, People Movers, Clay Slab Vases and

More to come....

Welcome Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:50:00 +0000

Hope everyone's summer was Fantastic!

The paints are open, the clay is here and the Artroom is ready for your creative expression!
This year I'm excited to share that in addition to everything else we do in the Artroom, we'll be learning about six different Art Movements. Here's a little about each of them (we'll learn more throughout the year):

Naturalism

Leonardo da Vinci

Most artists worked this way during the 1300’s - 1600’s
Most popular during the Renaissance
Artists paint things realistically, without changing them
Features realistic-looking objects and people in a natural setting

Romanticism

Joseph Turner

1780’s - 1850’s
Celebrates emotion and nature
Emphasizes emotions painted in a bold dramatic way
Explores human nature
Exotic settings with dramatic action

Impressionism

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

1860’s - 1880’s
Explores the effect of sunlight on different things
Looked at the happy parts of everyday life
Loose brushstrokes, bright colors mixed right on the canvas
Outdoor setting, explores weather and atmosphere

Surrealism

Rene Magritte

1920’s - 1930’s
Artists used their imaginations
Confusing and startling images
Dream-like, sometimes coming from dreams
Free association or unconscious thoughts

Photo-Realism

Ralph Goings

1960’s - 1970’s
Artists painted from photographs, not from life
Used slide projectors or grids to transfer to transfer images to canvas
Results that are nearly photographic - looked like photos
Idea of capturing a moment in time

Post-Modernism

Jeff Koons

1980’s - Present
Includes Digital Art, Installation Art, Conceptual Art, Video, etc.
Can incorporate text (words) as a central element
Depiction of consumer or Popular Culture
Uses Appropriation (to borrow, use or incorporate ideas or elements from other artists/creators)

See You Soon!

The Third Annual YAM PRE Art Show

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:06:00 +0000

While the weather wasn't so cooperative (think snow storm), our PRE Art Show was a HUGE success! Each of our 474 students showed off their own creative and unique form of artmaking. Here are some highlights:

A rich variety of third grade subject matter and material choices,

including one student's response to Jasper Johns' Three Flags...

A tempera paint vehicle study by 3rd grader TJ...

Our Sewing center was beyond popular - here's a seascape

by 4th grader EP...

A more abstracted sewn image, by AR...

The Sculpture center produced all sorts of fantastic structures -

here, a recycled materials sculpture by TR, 4th grader...

A collection of artwork by fourth graders who visited the Clay center ...

(actual pieces safe inside the glass case outside the artroom!)

Several students found inspiration in the works of Jackson Pollock:

a splatter/straw painting exploration by AH, 5th grader....

One of several artworks relating to dragons

(must be that new "Learn to Draw Dragons"

book we've recently acquired) - this one by DH, 5th grader

JP's kinetic sculpture (see bottom of previous blog post for earlier

version of this sculpture)

On the primary side of the Art Show, COLOR reigned supreme!

For the first time this year, kindergartners visited Choice centers

and picked their favorite piece for the Art Show.

They also created artist statements by responding

to the prompt "What I like about my picture is...."

Robots were a popular choice at the Imagination center

in first grade, this one by DM...

Another seascape, this one drawn by GR, 2nd grader...

The Statue of Liberty by RR, 1st grade...

and A drawing from imagination, by LL 2nd Grader.

Coming Soon: Springtime artmaking and the Johnstown Library Artshow!

YOUTH ART MONTH, here we come!

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:22:00 +0000

March is just around the corner, but students have been hard at work preparing for our annual Youth Art Month Art show. Students have been working at choice-based centers for several weeks and are just beginning to make decisions about which pieces to hang in the show.
Here are some works-in-progress:

An underwater exploration by BJ, 4th Grade

JM, 3rd Grade

TT, 2nd Grade

RW, 5th Grade

A product of our "Fashion Design" center by TS, Fifth Grade

OS, 3rd Grade

BL, 5th Grade

From our new sewing center by TR, 5th Grade

An animal collection by AW, 2nd Grade

SC, 5th Grade

MD, 4th Grade

BE, 2nd Grade

JM, 5th Grade

AH, 5th Grade

CG, 5th Grade

BL, 2nd Grade

ZB, 3rd Grade

A moveable toy sculpture by TR, 4th Grade

JP, 5th Grade

HY, 5th Grade

by SS, 5th Grade

Up next, the 3rd Annual PRE Art Show!

What do Artists Do?

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:39:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, students thought about this question and wrote responses on the white board while they worked on their art projects. Here's a sampling:

Artists put their thoughts into pictures

Artists make people happy with their work

Artists think about what they want to do

Artists look at items carefully and draw those items

Artists keep on trying new things

Artists inspire other people

Artists create masterpieces

Artists plan what they’re going to do and then get supplies they need

Artists paint what they love, not what other people want

Artists make ideas come to life

Artists experiment

Artists draw what they want to draw.

Artists in Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:23:00 +0000

Here's what we've been up to in the PRE Art Room:

Fifth Graders practiced the Japanese art form Notan this week,

a paper-cutting practice that emphasizes an awareness of positive and negative space.

To see more Notans (Ms. Seaman's class) click here:

Fourth graders are also thinking about positive and negative space this week. They just finished a series of action poses and will be turning their photos into silhouettes.

Just before Winter Break, third graders finished these Tape Resist paintings. After getting used to the process, they decided they loved "drawing with tape."

Second graders have just finished learning about the collage artist Romare Bearden. They used magazines, construction paper and drawing supplies to create these exciting works of art!

First graders studied Vincent van Gogh's painting Starry Starry Night this week, and then created night-time silhouettes.

Kindergartners have been thinking about Winter. Here are some of their Silly Snowmen!

Coming Soon....Youth Art Month!!

Choices Artists Make

noreply@blogger.com (Becca Reid) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:01:00 +0000

Second graders each spent an afternoon making their own choices in the Artroom recently. Some chose to build a paper sculpture and some chose to make drawings or paintings of some of their favorite subject matter:

First Graders just finished some images inspired by Space. Next they'll be building sculptures made from recycled materials. To practice, we spent a day building using tools like Legos and Tinker Toys:

Winter in the Artroom

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:58:00 +0000

What we're making this winter:

Winter Artmaking

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 20:45:00 +0000

Third, Fourth and Fifth graders are working dilligently this week to create artwork for our Yearbook Cover Contest. Artists are using our school mascot (the Pioneer Ridge Stallion) as inspiration. These two photos are a couple of the first entries handed in.

Second graders have been working on some observational drawing recently, this week focusing on the Still-Life. As students closely observe everyday objects they are checking to see how well they can pay attention to FOUR aspects of their drawing: Shape, Overlapping, Shadow/highlight and Composition!

Some more second grade still-life photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/ms.ment/StillLifeStudies

First graders finished their Polar Bear Collages this week. After drawing their bear and tearing painted paper to fill in the shape of its body, students practiced sponge-painting to create a colorful background.

Kindergarteners finished their Snowmen this week; Students used torn and cut paper to create their friendly snowmen.

Creatures Run Rampant!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 17:46:00 +0000

A glimpse at 5th grade creature creations:

The New Year in the ArtRoom

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 16:33:00 +0000

We finished 2006 in the Art Room with a bang! First graders studied the artist Vincent van Gogh and made their own Starry Night paintings using colorful brush strokes and shapes.

Third Graders used a tape-resist technique to create landscapes. They depicted foreground, middleground and background - and made sure to include a horizon line!

Fourth graders created Art Element books, making sure to incorporate these elements: Color, Shape, Line, Texture, Value and Space.

This January we're beginning several Drawing units at PRE, with Third Graders begining with some life drawing, and second graders working on some observational drawings.

Marvelous Monsters!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 16:10:00 +0000

This past week at PRE many students worked on creating Monstrous Artwork! First and Second Graders made up their own monsters and then made paintings of them.

Fifth Graders have begun a paper mache Creature Creation Project. This week they'll begin to craft their creatures' skeletal structures.

Fourth Graders are finishing up their Imaginary Bird Drawings this week. Students were inspired by real names of birds to create vivid and creative imaginary drawings. Students will also be creating poetry about their Bird.

Fall Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 20:58:00 +0000

With our first snow in sight PRE students are working on some really colorful and creative Art Projects:

Kindergarteners were inspired by the letter "M" this week to make create monster drawings from by the book The Monster At The End of This Book.

First Graders took a break from making their Bat Puppets to draw a snowy winter scene.

Second graders have just finished painting their Rainforest-inspired clay snails and are working on their Spiral Snail paintings.

Third Graders are beginning a clay rattle project, slipping and scoring to connect two pinch-pot vessels.

Fourth Graders are finishing their Imaginary Bird projects and are beginning some creative writing inspired by their bird.

Fifth Graders are just finishing their Kapok Tree tempera resist paintings and are preparing to begin a "wild" clay project!

Hallway Rainforest

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 23:06:00 +0000

Students at Pioneer Ridge Have created a hallway Rainforest this Fall, using scrap materials, colorful paper and tempera paint. Next, students in all grade levels will be working on an art project related to a specific part of the Rainforest.

First graders have just completed their Paul Klee Shape People paintings.