Original Works 2019

This year the kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students are participating in Original Works. I am thrilled by the artwork the children are doing!

Original Works is a fundraising program for schools. The children create a work of art that is sent to Original Works. The company then reproduces the image on things like mugs, note cards, and tote bags. These make for fantastic holiday gifts and raise money for Synergy! For more information, check out their website at http://www.originalworks.com.

This time, I kept the project completely open ended. Students were given a paper with a pre-drawn border. They chose what to create. Drawings were sketched in pencil, traced with Sharpie marker, and colored in with colored pencil. As a final touch, some of the 1st through 3rd graders added watercolor.

The order forms should be sent home in about a week, orders will be in by early December. The dates will follow when the orders are sent home.

Bennett (Star Room)

Ramon (Star Room)

Anousheh (Star Room)

Sora (Star Room)

Alex (Rainbow Room)

George (Rainbow Room)

Rainbow Room

Katya (Rainbow Room)

Sepp (Sun Room)

Camille (Sun Room)

Griffin (Sun Room)

Roomie (Sun Room)

Autumn Corn by the Rainbow Room

Autumn Corn by Cecile

Autumn Corn by Zev

This is one of my favorite projects, a lesson in color mixing that ends in a beautiful fall project. The students began by looking at photos of different kinds of corn and talking about it’s many uses. I also brought in some decorative corn. The colors are amazing!

The children were guided in drawing the cob, kernels, and husk. They then painted some of the kernels with the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue). I guided them in mixing the primaries to create secondaries (orange, green, and purple). Some of the kernels were painted with those colors too. Finally, we mixed all the colors together (with a little extra yellow) to create a shade of brown. That color was used to paint in the remaining kernels and husk.

On another day, the class used a black crayon to trace all the kernels and draw wavy lines in the husk. The corn was cut out and glued to a sheet of colored construction paper. The corn was cut out again, this time leaving a border of color around the edge. I love how organic and Earthy they all look!

Autumn Corn by Mykel

Autumn Corn by Baxter

Foil “Sugar” Skull by 6th Grade

Foil “Sugar” Skull by Tae’Aurie

Foil “Sugar” Skull by Diego

In celebration of Day of the Dead the children created foil calaveras! The 6th graders were guided in drawing a basic skull, then added a border, patterns and designs to their piece. A piece of thick aluminum foil was wrapped around a piece of cardboard. Their drawing was taped to the front of the foil board. The children traced their drawing with a pencil, deeply embossing the foil. After the drawing was removed, the lines were traced again to further deepen their design. The lines were then traced with black Sharpie marker, and the designs were colored in with other permanent markers. The students embellished their piece and emphasized parts with glitter, sequins, and acrylic paint. Finally, a stand was made out of cardboard and hot glued to the back so the work could sit up on a shelf. All the pieces are unique, colorful and a joy to look at!

Foil “Sugar” Skull by Kate

Foil “Sugar” Skull by Niko

Skylights Auction Item

Kiwi Platter by the Skylights

The Synergy School annual auction “Space Adventure” is set to take place on March 12, 2016. Students in the art room have been creating works of art that can be auctioned off to benefit our school.

The Skylight’s contribution is “Fruit Platters”! I purchased the platters at a ceramic supply store in Richmond called “Clay People”. The platters were prepped with several layers of white glaze. The students worked in small groups and chose a photo of a sliced fruit. Half of each group worked on the center fruit, the other half designed the border. They were painted with glaze and fired. I love their bright bold designs. The glaze is school safe and of course non-toxic and lead-free.

They will be auctioned separately. Remember, your bidding war with benefit the school!

(On a side note, the Eastenders also glazed two lovely serving bowls. Unfortunately, they were defective and cannot be contributed to this year’s auction.)