November/December 2023

December 22, 2023 | Pam

The year is coming to a close and I’m so grateful for my students. They are enthusiastic, art loving and immensely creative. Here is what we’ve been up to:

Star Room – The biggest topic these last two months has been ceramic clay. The kindergarten learned how to make a pinch pot, how to roll clay and add texture, how to add something to a pinch pot (like a handle) and how to glaze. It’s a process with at least two weeks in between the making of the sculpture and firing it, then glazing and firing again. But so worth the wait and effort! The Star Room is finally getting used to using SeeSaw to photograph their sculptures before I wrap them to go home. Other choices added this month include Play-Doh and blocks. On a day when I had a parent helper I guided the children in reviewing their art portfolios. Most of the work went home but the artists left two special artworks in their portfolios for potential display.

Rainbow/Sun Room – November started with a review of basic clay skills: make a pinch pot, roll a slab, and using slip and scoring for adding on. All the students made something out of clay and glazed their piece. They also started to work with the junk sculpture supplies. This includes miscellaneous recyclable junk, beads, pipe cleaners, wood shapes, tooth picks, popsicle sticks, plastic gems, buttons, wire, wiggly eyes and more. I also taught them now to make a yarn pom-pom. These classes were taught to make them by wrapping the yarn around their hand. It was a hit! Many students have completed their class requirement to use the iPad apps (spend one day each on drawing, collage, cardboard, painting and clay) and are now making art with Faces iMake and Drawing Box.

Eastenders/Skylights – Because of field trips and vacations, the 4/5 only had 6 classes over the last two months. November started with some art news: The Pokémon and Van Gogh exhibit in Amsterdam (if only we could go there on a field trip!). I reviewed how to glaze clay sculptures. This year there are 6 new colors in our collection. A student requested to learn the soft sculpture technique used in the downstairs classrooms, so I taught them. It’s a fun project with no limitations on how sophisticated one can make their sculpture. I reviewed the iPad Apps, most importantly Procreate (new to the 4th grade). These classes too learned to make pom-poms, but I also taught them the “donut” method. The last class of the year finished out with art news. The students learned about artist Naiomi Glasses, a Navajo weaver who is an artist-in-residence for Ralph Lauren. Below are some of the lovely works by the Eastenders and Skylights.

6th Grade – The artists worked hard on their portrait assignment. The assignment: “Create a portrait that expresses a feeling or message through choice of medium and style.” Subjects varied from self-portraits, portraits of famous soccer players, pet portraits and imaginary people portraits. They worked in a wide array of mediums such as digital drawing, pencil drawing, and watercolor paint. I’m sharing a few below.

6th grade also started a landscape unit in the 2nd trimester. Now I only see them once a week. One of the skill builder lesson was a guided drawing of a landscape, placing items in the foreground, middle ground and background. We reviewed some of the basics of atmospheric perspective to create a feeling of depth. In another skill builder the students tried different painting techniques with tempera and acrylic paint. I don’t introduce acrylic until middle school because of its permanent nature. To start the assignment (to create a landscape) I shared a slide show of many different styles and subjects of landscape. The assignment is underway and many have chosen to work with acrylic on canvas board.

7th Grade – The new trimester started the week after Thanksgiving. I now see the 7th grade twice a week! I started with an intro class. Students were reacquainted with the art room, their sketchbooks, creating portfolios, and grading. Everyone began with some skill builder drawings of cubes, a sphere, and an apple with highlights and shading. On another day they watched a few short videos about composition: symmetry, radial symmetry, asymmetrical symmetry and the rule of thirds. They looked at a selection of object artworks of all styles from traditional still life to Claus Oldenberg. The assignment: “Create a work of art where an object or objects are the subject. Be aware of how you are balancing your composition, make a choice about what would work best.” The artworks are now in the process of being created and I can’t wait to share them with you.

8th Grade – The artists finished their Object project, wrote artists statements, and posted their work to their digital portfolio. I included a few images below. I do not see the 8th grade for art in the 2nd trimester. 😭

September 2023

September 29, 2023 | Pam

We are off and running in the 2023-2024 school year! The art room has new tables with made to order self-healing cutting mats, a new rug, work station table and bookcase. The iPads are being updated as I write this.

Star Room students are starting to get to know the art room. They are learning how to find paper, drawing supplies, use a portfolio for art storage, clean up, and other routines.

Star, Rainbow and Sun Room classes are just completing their “Original Works” drawings. They create a drawing that families can order on things like mugs, aprons, etc. Students are encouraged to use bright colors and create something that will be fun for them to draw. The procedure we used this year is to sketch with pencil first, trace the pencil lines with Sharpie marker, then color the rest of the piece with marker or colored pencils. Families should be able to order by mid-October. Keep an eye on the Wednesday Word for updates. 4th-8th Grade classes are invited to participate as well, doing the drawing is optional. The 1-3rd grade students who finished their Original Works before the others have been working on drawing and cardboard sculpture.

East Enders and Skylight classes are already drawing, collaging, making cardboard sculptures, painting and creating artist trading cards. The trading cards work like baseball cards. Once the students have a collection, they can trade with each other. I’m seeing the most creative cards this year! The 4/5 were also given sketchbooks in their first class. They were decorated with collage and drawing to personalize the covers.

6th and 8th grade started the trimester with a quick review about how middle school art works. 6th grade decorated new hardbound sketchbooks that they will use throughout the next 3 years. These grades have started a project called “The Object”. Everyone began with some skill builder drawings of cubes, a sphere, and an apple with highlights and shading. They looked at a selection of object artworks of all styles from traditional still life to Claus Oldenberg. On another day they watched a few short videos about composition: symmetry, radial symmetry, asymmetrical symmetry and the rule of thirds. The assignment: create a work of art where an object or objects are the subject. Be aware of how you are balancing your composition, make a choice about what would work best. The artworks are now in the process of being created and I can’t wait to share them with you.

Farm School was a blast this year with mask making. After a quick discussion and looking at examples of masks around the world (think theater, Covid, disguise, Halloween, ritual, ceremony, celebration). 6th and 7th grade started with a mask form and added designs, construction paper, pipe cleaners, and raffia. The masks came out creative and fun. It was surreal to see them walking around in nature with the masks on.

7th grade students do not have art this trimester.

I don’t think I’ve taken photos of all the classes yet, so here are a few highlights.

April 2023

May 2, 2023 | Pam

April was all about Synergy’s 10th Annual Art Show!

Students helped hang the work the in the weeks leading up to the big day. Artist statements were written and final decisions were made.

On April 28th, students and families arrived at Synergy for a celebratory evening of art. There was a map with scavenger hunt to follow, music by some of the students, weaving in the art room, and snacks.

I haven’t seen so many people in the school for a long time. It was festive with a lot of good energy to honor the creativity of our amazing Synergy artists.

We couldn’t have done it without the help of the dedicated visual art committee.

I can’t wait until next year!

Enjoy the photos below.

The guests arrive!

Middle School Gallery:

4th and 5th Grade was in the hallway and the little copy room.

Downstairs Hallway:

Refreshments and snacks!

Weaving in the Art Room:

Student musicians performed in the big room as families walked around enjoying the art.

February/march 2023

March 30, 2023 | Pam

April 28^th will be the 11^th Annual Synergy Art Show! We haven’t had an in-person art show in three years because of safe pandemic protocols. That makes this year extra special. I started preparing for the event in February because I know how fast time flies. Many of our students have yet to experience the in-person art show. So, to introduce this wonderful event, I shared a slide show of photos of past art shows with every class. All Synergy students gave me 1-2 works of art for display. Some artworks were specially created for this event. Every student wrote an artist statement to help explain their work. As of the end of March, 95% of the artwork is ready to be hung for display. After Spring Break, the classes will help me hang the work. The children are taking their art through the whole process from idea to display. It’s quite exciting! Expect to see more about the art show in the blog next month! All the classes spent several weeks over the past 2 months preparing their art for display.

Flower paintings on display at the Synergy auction.

Star Room: Students worked in groups of 2 or 3 to draw and paint gigantic bright colored flowers for the school auction. The flowers were cut out and used as decoration (see photo). In another class I taught the Star Room artists how to make paper sculptures. Paper is one of the most versatile art materials around. If it is folded, bent, cut and manipulated in certain ways it can become anything. I also taught the children how to use the “Faces iMake” app on the iPads. It’s one of my favorite apps because it’s easy and fun to use. It’s like doing a digital collage. The art room got a new set of iPads so I taught our artists how to take them out, use them, and put them away. I also taught them how to use Safari to google things they want to draw. They are only limited by their spelling. Sometimes it’s important to revisit previously learned skills. In a recent class I reviewed how to use slip and scoring when attaching clay.

The painting and texture on these green palm leaves was painted by the Rainbow Room. The leaves and display were created by Sope, one of our talented auction committee parents.

Rainbow/Sun Room: Students worked in groups of 2 or 3 to draw and paint gigantic bright colored flowers for the school auction. The flowers were used as decoration (see photo). The Rainbow Room students also painted large green rectangles that they embellished with texture scrapers. These rectangles were given to one of our talented parents and made into palm leaves. (see photo above). At the beginning of February, I reviewed how to remove a weaving from a loom and in March, how to use the popular collage app “Faces iMake”.

Many students experimenting with the Face iMake app on the iPads

1^st-5th Grade: Although students in these classes are mostly choosing their materials in class, I do have some requirements. By the end of the year, everyone needs to have spent at least two classes (1^st-3^rd) and one class (4^th-5^th) on drawing, collage, cardboard sculpture, painting, ceramic clay, and digital drawing. This requirement was a response to seeing some students doing the same thing in class each day (ex. Drawing). It is important for them to experience the full spectrum of what art class has to offer and to skills in many mediums. Some of the classes over the last few weeks have been dedicated to assigning the students to material they haven’t used yet.

Eastenders/Skylight: I haven’t shared too much in the way of art news lately. Instead, we have been focusing on preparing for the art show. Many of the 4/5 students wanted to create new pieces. One of the big topics covered was a review of weaving.

Middle School: The first few weeks of February the students were working to finish their conceptual art projects and write artist’s statements for them. I’m including examples below. Our next big unit of study is “Nature”. I shared a collection of images depicting nature with different mediums and also artworks created from nature. Students practiced nature drawing and texture by following a couple YouTube tutorials. They answered a few reflective questions and drew thumbnail sketches to get started. While we were starting on the nature work the students were also putting together their art projects for the art show.

“Comfortable House” by Julian and Rio, 6th Grade

“Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees” by Neala, 7th Grade

“The Air We Breathe” by Mykel, 8th grade

“Post-It Positivity” by Zoe, 8th grade (photo of Nola)

January 2023

February 15, 2023 | Pam

Star Room – Our Star Room students have been working with different drawing materials. They learned that one can draw with water-based markers (Crayola for example) and brush over them with water to blend. They experimented with the joy of wax resist by drawing with oil pastels and then brushing over them with watercolor paints. They learned a simple technique for drawing a person using shapes. Finally they learned to use chalk pastels which I compare to painting except it is dry.

Rainbow and Sun Room – After having experience with sewing pillows, the students learned how to create a simple pattern to sew a stuffed animal. They were introduced to using low temperature hot glue guns and making sculptures with junk that has been donated and collected. The students were shown images of past art shows and started to create work to exhibit (it isn’t until late April but I like to start collecting art early). The students also learned basic weaving techniques on cardboard looms.

Sun Room exploring the junk for sculpture!

East Enders/Skylights – We started the year by looking at the art of Lucy Sparrow, a felt artist who has made corner grocery stores full of products made of felt (felt veggies, boxes of mac and cheese, etc). Her work is inspiring and fun. Students reviewed how to use hot glue guns safely and decide when hot glue is appropriate for a project. They incorporated junk sculpture into their menu of choices for class. Students created special works of art to be featured by their name in this year’s yearbook. One of the highlights of January was painting backdrop paintings for the 4^th and 5^th grade plays. Some of the art news covered includes notable architecture of 2023 and the new MLK monument in Boston.

Middle School – The 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade has continued their study of conceptual art by defining and looking at metaphor. They looked at a wide variety of conceptual artworks and then answered some reflective questions in their sketchbooks. Using their answers, the students came up with ideas for their own conceptual pieces. Those who were stuck chose a project from a list of ideas. The artworks are in the process of being made and I can’t wait to share them with you!

8th Grade, collaborating on a collage for conceptual art.

8th grade working on conceptual art projects.

September 2022

September 30, 2022 | Pam

Welcome back! The art room is buzzing with creativity. Keep reading to find out what we have been up to.

Welcome to the art studio! (First day selfie)

Star, Rainbow and Sun Room classes are just completing their “Original Works” drawings. They create a drawing that families can order on things like mugs, aprons, etc. Students are encouraged to use bright colors and create something that will be fun for them to draw. The procedure we used this year is to sketch with pencil first, trace the pencil lines with Sharpie marker, then color the rest of the piece with marker or colored pencils. Families should be able to order by mid-October. Keep an eye on the Wednesday Word for updates. 4th-8th Grade classes are invited to participate as well, doing the drawing is optional. Check out the photos of some of the students working below:

4th – 8th Grade started the school year with task parties! I started by putting about 100 tasks printed on pieces of paper and folded into squares into a basket. The students randomly pick a task, do it, then write a new task for the basket and start over. A couple examples of tasks include “Make a crown and crown somebody”, “Turn a chair into a monster”, “Do a drawing while sitting under the table”, “Make a cast and tell a story about how you broke the bone” and “Make a burger and fries”. Students needed to be very creative with some of these! There were a variety of art supplies available. Afterwards we talked about the process and shared what was made. They watched a short video about the origins of the task party https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlEYbZhuco8 with artist Oliver Herring. Check out the photos from different classes below:

8th Grade Envelope Challenge. Developing our creativity is a key component of school and problem solving. Art class is a natural place to start. I gave each 8th grader and envelope with a small selection of materials. Their task was to make something with it. Everyone got the same supplies and were invited to add marker, pencil, glue or tape. Students could share or trade supplies as needed or work collaboratively. We ended up with a very diverse selection of creations that we shared at the end of class. Please see the photos below to see how it turned out!

Other Activities:

Star Room – The big focus for September was just getting used to being in the art room and all the little procedures. I read a couple fun books to the class including “Beautiful Oops” by Barney Saltzberg, about how a mistake in one’s art can become something incredible. “I Am an Artist” by Marta Altés, about a misunderstood and very messy child artist. “Red, A Crayon’s Story” by Michael Hall, about a blue crayon with a red label trying to figure out who they are. And, “The Art Teacher is Weird” by Geoff Schmidt, a fun story about embracing our individuality in the art room. Students also learned how to photograph their work for their digital portfolio “SeeSaw” (parent links coming soon), glue skills (think applying baby dots to avoid glue monsters), how to collage with overlapping using cut or torn paper, collage using magazines, patterned paper, and drawing. Paint is coming next!

Rainbow and Sun Room – I started the year by reading the book “I Am an Artist” by Marta Altés. It’s hilarious! I laughed out loud reading it the first time by myself. I think books like this lighten the mood and allow us to create in a free fashion. Students also learned how to photograph their work for their digital portfolio “SeeSaw” (parent links coming soon). The app is a little different this year and I think it is easier to use. Collage was introduced as well as the much adored Cardboard Sculpture. We are swimming in creativity!

East Enders and Skylights – One of my first classes with these groups started with the short film “Alike” by Daniel Martinez Lara. It’s an animated story about the importance of art and creativity. Everyone loved it and we had a thoughtful conversation afterwards about it’s meaning and symbolism. The students were also introduced to their sketchbooks and a discussion of how and why artists use them. The 4/5 spend a class decorating the covers and drawing inside them. The classes also had a refresher lesson on how to use SeeSaw (some changes this year) and some basic guidelines when working with cardboard.

Middle School – All the middle school students started the year by discussing how the agreement system looks in the art room and rules for using the class iPads. The 6th graders were given new hardbound sketchbooks which they spent a class or two decorating with paint pens. All the middle school students started their first big assignment: To create a work of art from an imagination-based genre that expresses a strong emotion using some of the elements of art and principles of design. We reviewed the elements and principles and I shared a slide show of fun, inspiring, imaginative works. Students answered some guiding questions to get started in their sketchbooks and started working out their ideas. This project will continue until Thanksgiving.

Farm School

I made my first trip to Synergy Middle School Farm School this year. It’s so gorgeous out there! I brought a variety of watercolor supplies: paper, pencils, sharpies, liquid watercolor, spray bottles, droppers and paper straws. I talked with the 6th and 7th graders about finding inspiration in the land and structures around us and demonstrated some new techniques. Liquid watercolor in a spray bottle comes out much like spray paint and makes for a wonderful background. Also, leaves and sticks work great as stencils. They also learned to apply the paint with a dropper and use a straw to blow the paint around their paper. Of course there were brushes for working more traditionally too. The Sharpies work well because they don’t smear when they come in contact with the water. Everyone found their own way to work with the materials and the results were fun.

Examples of original works drawings from K-6!

“Water is Life” in 7th Grade

December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 | Pam

Washing the emulsion from the screens to expose the images

The delicate process of rinsing the screens

For the past five art classes 7^thgrade has been creating screen printed works under the guidance of Calixto, artist and 7^thgrade parent. After their introductory lesson looking at Calixto’s prints and talking about the “Water is Life” theme, students were shown how to apply photo emulsion to their screens, expose their image to the screen, and print. The process has many steps, each needing time for the screens to dry in between. The results turned out great!

THE WORK:

7th Grade Screen Printing with Calixto Robles

November 5, 2019 | Pam

Yesterday the 7th grade started a special project. I am collaborating with artist and Synergy parent Calixto Robles to do silkscreen printing. Calixto is a San Francisco printmaker and painter. Originally from Mexico, Calixto was introduced to silkscreen at the Mexican Cultural Center. His work reflects patterns, images, and personal symbology as well as his dedication to the resistance of world injustice.

Calixto brought some of his colorful silkscreens to class to share. I think the students were impressed not only by their beauty but the complexity that can be achieved with the medium. He talked about his process and did a short demo showing how to create a silkscreen print. Calixto recently received a grant from the San Francisco Arts Commission to create a body of work around the concept “Water is Life”. He shared some of his ideas around the topic of water and brought some examples of silkscreen images as examples. I also shared a few pictures and facts about water with the class.

Students were asked to work in pairs to create a piece about water (or social/environmental justice). They will work on their images for one more class before learning how to transfer their designs to the screens using photo emulsion in a future class.

Stay tuned for updates!

Here is a fantastic article about Calixto from the San Francisco Examiner

Continue reading →

Social Justice in Middle School Art

March 13, 2019 | Pam

This year I have been modifying the TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) format a little bit in the middle school. Instead of yearlong open-ended lessons, the first three projects were structured around a theme. I made this change to scaffold the experience of coming up with an idea, exploring the idea, creating thumbnail sketches, completing an artwork, and reflecting at the end.

The most recent completed project was “Social Justice”. The classes discussed what social justice means, how an artist might incorporate social justice into their work, and how making a work of art might be an act of social justice. In small groups and with whole class brainstorming, the students came up with as many different social justice issues that they could think of. Examples include: racism, mental health issues, prison reform, homelessness, gender equality, black lives matter, animal cruelty, environmental concerns and much more. With so many topics in mind, I gave them a couple choices; work alone or with a partner(s); make a ceramic sculpture, mixed media sculpture, or stop motion animation. I encouraged the animators to work with at least one partner, especially if it was their first experience with the medium.

Students talked, collaborated, researched and settled into their projects over a five-week period. They watched interviews with Kara Walker, Ai Weiwei and William Kentridge. When the work was complete, artist statements were written and pieces were documented in their digital portfolio.

All the sculptures are on display on the shelves next to the art room. I plan to share the stop motion movies in the front hall for our annual art show on April 26. The artwork has gotten a lot of positive feedback from students, parents and staff. When you see the work and read the statements it is evident that our middle school students are thoughtful, compassionate, and paying very close attention to the injustice and inequity of the world they live in. It is inspiring, warms the heart, and brings a tear to the eye. I’m so proud of them!

“Homelessness” by Pierce, Lucas, and Francis

Middle School Drawing

November 14, 2018 | Pam

The first quarter of middle school art was filled with drawing!

The students started by creating a list of their interests and inspirations in their sketchbook. The list is a reference for when they experience artist’s block (it happens to everyone at some point).

Students also had time to explore a variety of drawing materials around the studio. They experimented with black and white charcoal, graphite, sharpie, and pen.

The first project of the year was based on an open-ended theme assigned to each class.

6^thGrade: “Boundaries”

7^thGrade: “Place”

8^thGrade: “What’s the Point?”

In a small group they brainstormed and recorded their ideas. Each group shared their favorite ideas with the class. Since young art students tend to want to work with the first idea that comes to mind, the students were asked to choose three ideas that were interesting. They drew multiple thumbnail sketches of each to stretch their ideas. Next they chose one idea to focus on.

To keep this first project simple, the children were limited to using only graphite, charcoal, or black sharpie for their project. The drawings did not contain any color. They had a variety of sizes of paper to work with in white, black and gray.

After completing their work, each artist wrote a statement about their work and posted the drawing to their SeeSaw Digital Portfolio.

I am so impressed by their creative responses to the prompt. I’m posting a few examples from each grade here. Hopefully some of these interesting pieces will be in our annual art show.

6th Grade “Boundaries”

“A Walnut” by Naima, 18 x 12″, charcoal on paper

“Island” by Victor, 12 x 6″, Sharpie and charcoal on paper

Untitled by Naomi, 12 x 9″, Sharpie and charcoal on paper

“Atmosphere” by Solomon, 12 x 6″, Sharpie and charcoal

“Firewall Reached” by Sebastian, 12 x 12″, graphite on paper

“Stuck in Bullies” by Miel, 6 x 9″, white charcoal and graphite on black paper

7th Grade: “Place”

“Isolation” by Elsa, 9 x 12″, graphite and charcoal on paper

“The Desert at Night” by Francis, 12 x 18″, charcoal on paper

“Thoughts” by Sarah, 12 x 9″, graphite on paper

“The Mysteries of Tatooine” by Jason, 12 x 6″, charcoal on paper

“McDonalds” by Pierce, 12 x 18″, graphite on paper

8th Grade “What’s the Point”

“Chin” by Julius, 9 x 12″, Sharpie on paper

“Sharpened” by Gemma, 12 x 12″ charcoal and graphite on paper

“Sword in the Stone” by Emiliano, 9 x 12″, charcoal and graphite on paper

“Inside” by Jared, 12 x 9″ graphite on paper

“Shadowy Mountains” by Ezra, 12 x 9″, graphite and charcoal on paper

“Here’s the Point” by Kate, 12 x 9″ white charcoal on black paper

Technology in the Art Room

December 14, 2017 | Pam

Lila teaches Melisse how to add photos of her sculpture to her digital portfolio “Seesaw”

Dylan draws in an app called “Procreate”

Technology has an important place in the art room. It is used by contemporary artists either as a resource, a tool, or the art itself. The studio now has 10 iPad Pros to work with! Students are being introduced to searching for images using Safari and drawing in a program specifically designed for the iPad Pro.

Classes are also being introduced to digital portfolios. As they finish projects they can be photographed and documented in an app called Seesaw. It is easy to use and a fun way to collect their best work while taking home the original. If you are a parent, I will be posting links to Seesaw on ParentSquare so you can log into your child’s folder and see what they are doing in art class!

I am exploring other apps for stop motion, photography, and drawing. There is more to come and it is going to be really fun!

Share looks up images of Rudolph in a Safari image search

Maggie is exploring different types of “brushes” in Procreate

The Flipped Classroom

December 1, 2017 | Pam

I’m experimenting with creating a “Flipped Classroom” approach for middle school. This means I will create instructional videos and post them to Haiku for the children to watch when they have time. To do this, I created a YouTube channel. Please check it out! My first video is about Watercolor Techniques. I was nervous and made some mistakes, but I live by the “Progress not perfection” motto.

Here is the YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUeFcSuiGxMpm8yg0LCtozQ?disable_polymer=true

What is a W.O.W.?

November 20, 2017 | Pam

W.O.W. stands for Wonderful, Original, Work of Art.

The concept of the W.O.W. art project was created by 6-8th grade teacher Barbara Berry-Palm, of Maine Junior High. At the time, her 8th graders were struggling to produce work and the W.O.W. was created as a guideline for them. She shared her idea with other TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) teachers and it stuck. Although I share the concept of the W.O.W. with all the Synergy students, it is most appropriately applied with middle school. This semester the 6th-8th grade children are expected to produce two W.O.W. pieces.

What is a W.O.W. piece?

*Something the child has thought about

*Something the student spent several art periods working on (more than 2 or 3)

*Something the student has fixed or improved or perfected

*Something that looks ready to hang at school

*Something the student is proud of and shows their time and effort

*Something that took time

*Something that may have caused some frustration to create

*Something the student has shown to others and asked for their feedback

*Something framed with construction paper, a border, or a stand (3-D)

*Something that has substance, that the student can write about in an artist’s statement

*Something that came from the heart

*Something the student found satisfaction and interest in creating

*Something that might be repeated in a new way

*Something where space has been used well

*Something that other artists have noticed and asked the student about

*Something that has happened through experimentation

*Something the student has practiced for a long while (drawing, clay, printing, etc.)

What is NOT a W.O.W. piece?

*A quick experiment

*Playing with art materials (fun and important, but not a W.O.W. yet)

*Splatter painting (with nothing else)

*A collage without a focus

*A collage that isn’t glued down well

*A construction that looks sloppy or falls apart easily

*Something with smudges, rips, and torn parts (looks uncared for)

*Something that has too much empty space

*Something that has not been discussed with other artists (feedback)

*A traced drawing

*A magazine picture or photo copy glued to a page

I gave Synergy’s students a simplified version of what I stated above. I think it sums up the concept well:

Painting (K-8)

November 16, 2017 | Pam

All the classes (with the exception of 4/5 who are making backdrops for their January play) are working on painting. The middle school watched a short video called “I Need Color” about actor Jim Carrey, who is also a painter. The children are learning to set up and clean up the paints on their own. The poster below lists they steps they follow. When cleaning up, they follow the steps backwards. Some skills and materials used for painting in the art studio are:

*Tempera cakes

*Watercolor pans

*Liquid tempera

*Liquid watercolor

*Wax resist

*Mixing

*Blending

*Stippling

*Brush choice

*Set up/Clean up

Painting is Extra Fun When Shared With a Friend

Art in Middle School

November 9, 2017 | Pam

The middle school has had a great start to art this year! They have been working on drawing, collage, and now painting projects. A couple weeks ago I opened a Haiku account. I have been posting text references, videos, and photos of some of the things covered in class. The children can look there if they need a refresher. They are also expected to have two completed W.O.W.’s (Wonderful. Original. Work of Art) by the end of the year. If your child is in middle school, please remind them to check my art page.

Collage (K-8)

October 26, 2017October 25, 2017 | Pam

All the classes have been introduced to collage! Most classes watched a short video about photo collage artist Amber Fletschock from Minnesota.It’s a great little video about how she finds her images, composes her works, and gets inspiration from nature. Some skills and materials used to collage in the art studio are:

*Starting with a “base”

*Tearing paper

*Cutting paper

*Using regular scissors

*Using scalloped scissors

*Using white Elmer’s glue

*Using glitter glue

*Using glue sticks

*Tissue paper layers with watered down glue

*Looking at shapes and texture

*Using paper crimpers

*Creating photo collage

*Making paper bag puppets

*Using stickers

*Using hole punches

*Using patterned paper, magazines, old books, maps, and foam shapes

*Using Exacto knives

All of the above were covered in K-8 classes to varying degrees of complexity and speed. Students learned that artists create mixed media pieces, combining various kinds of collage with drawing materials to make original works of art.

Collaborative Project; Cut Stencil Collage

Drawing (K-8)

October 18, 2017 | Pam

I always like to start the school year with drawing. I think of drawing as the foundation of all art, no matter what the medium. It is important to draw. Lessons this year started with:

*all the ways to use a #2 pencil to draw

*colored pencils

*crayons

*oil pastels

*drawing from life (I have some plastic animals for the children to draw)

*drawing from images (I have some “how to draw” books and books filled with images)

*markers (Crayola and Sharpie)

*stencils

*texture plates

*compasses

*pens

*pen and ink

*charcoal and chalk pastel

*shading

*scratch art (manufactured paper and homemade)

*oil pastel transfers

*comics

*using clipboards

*using magnifying lenses

All of the above were covered in K-8 classes to varying degrees of complexity and speed. Students learned that artists create from what they see, what they feel, what they imagine, and what they remember. As materials were introduced, the children chose their subject matter and materials. They are producing a huge variety of projects!

Art to See This Summer

June 2, 2017June 1, 2017 | Pam

Happy Last Day of the 2016-2017 School Year!

I always remind the children that if you go on a trip, make sure you check out any art museums where you go. Also, bring a sketchbook and camera. Whether you are visiting Paris, France or a local park, there are inspiring visuals everywhere.

Here are some wonderful exhibits to see right here in the Bay Area this summer:

SFMOMA, San Francisco

Edvard Munch – June 24 – October 9

DeYoung, San Francisco

Stuart Davis – April 1 – August 6

Legion of Honor, San Francisco

Degas, Impressionism, and the Paris Millinery Trade – June 24 – September 24

Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

Flower Power – June 23 – October 1

Oakland Museum, Oakland

Roy De Forest – April 29 – August 20

Dorothea Lang – May 13 – August 13

Other museums:

MOAD, San Francisco

BAMPFA, Berkeley

Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford

San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose

Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento

Figurative Independent Study by 7th Grade

May 18, 2017 | Pam

The human face and figure can be among the most challenging things to render. For the past few months the 7th grade has been practicing! First, the students were guided in drawing a generic face with proportion. This was followed up with a one day self-portrait done in pencil. We moved on to the figure and the students were guided in drawing a person with proportion. In another class, figures were drawn in various active positions using basic shapes.

Finally, they were asked to create an artwork of their choice using the human face or figure with proportion. How this was interpreted was up to them. I asked the class to look to other artists or styles they like, consider self-portraits or portraits of people they know, apply the project to issues they are passionate about, or just focus on materials and go from there. Students used paper maché, acrylic paint on canvas board, tempera paint on paper, watercolor, pencil, marker, collage, and glitter. Here are some of the finished pieces. They are varied, expressive and thought provoking.

Figurative Independent Study by Sasha H.

Synergeyes Art Show 2017

May 1, 2017May 1, 2017 | Pam

Downstairs Hall with Rainbow, Sun, and Star Room Art

Upstairs Hall with 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Art

Work by the Eastenders and Skylights at the Top of the Back Stairs

Shoe Drawings by the Eastenders and Skylights

Friday, April 28th was the 5th Annual Synergeyes Art Show! Here are a few pictures I took right before the show opened and as the event was happening. The school was packed with art! We had a great turnout. Folks snacked in the big room, took a tour of the “galleries”, made collages in the art room, and listened to a special performance of “Soul Rat” our middle school neo soul band. It was a fun and special night for everyone. Thank you so much for attending, and a huge thank you to the Art Committee for their hard work.

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Synergeyes (Synergy School's Visual Arts Blog)

Synergy School's Visual Arts Blog

7th Grade