Art Spring Reports 2019/20

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Student NameGradeSummary Art Teacher 1Art Approval (Admin Only)
Asa Diaz-Matos1st Grade

Asa is a good-natured, kind artist. The last unit we did on campus was ceramics, which Asa loved. He immediately began making clay pizzas! This started a trend and soon, many of his classmates were making pizzas as well. For each one, Asa used a round slab of clay for the pie dough, added small disks for pepperoni and a coil all the way around the edge for the crust. He then carefully glazed them, using yellow for the cheesy surface, red for pepperoni and brown for the crust. After transitioning to virtual learning, Asa attended most of the live zoom sessions and completed a diverse range of work including a rainbow painting and a magical wand. The wand in particular stands out. Asa attached feathers and cotton balls in addition to adding a blue colored pencil to the tip of the wand. This idea was also popular and inspired some of his classmates to attach pencils to tips of their wands as well! It’s been a pleasure getting to know Asa this year.

Autumn Van Carpels1st Grade

Autumn is an imaginative, enthusiastic, hands-on artist who is eager to share her ideas. When we were still on campus, Autumn was learning how to raise her hand to share those ideas in class discussions instead of interrupting. The last unit we did before going virtual was ceramics. Autumn loved experimenting and transformed one piece of clay into many things. So engaged in the process, she would lose track of time and . then become upset when she had nothing to save for firing at the end of class. Learning to work with the clay, and discovering that it can dry out and crack, or be too wet to stand up, and that attaching two pieces of clay together requires blending, took patience. Yet, Autumn persevered and successfully saved and fired a few small pieces including a tiny fox. After transitioning to virtual learning, Autumn attended most of the live zoom sessions and completed the assignments. The mandalas she made at home stand out! She used pine needles, pinecones, sticks and earth in her nature mandala and made a beautiful drawing depicting both she and her sister holding their pet bunnies at the center of the mandala. Both pieces show Autumn’s sensitivity and attention to detail. It’s been a pleasure working with Autumn this year.

Aze Bulus1st Grade

Aze is a good-natured, curious artist. She is expressive and likes working with both two and three dimensional art materials. The last unit we did before going remote was ceramics and Aze made a wonderful pizza. She used a round slab of clay for the pizza dough, added small disks for pepperoni and a coil all the way around the edge for the crust. Aze then carefully glazed it, using yellow for the cheesy surface, red for pepperoni and purple for the crust! At home Aze attended almost all of the live zoom sessions and completed the assignments. The magic wand she made stands out! Aze wrapped yarn, tinfoil and other recycled materials around a stick to make the wand and at the end she fashioned two perfect one inch shiny cubes out of tinfoil, and hung them from short strings at the end of the wand. They not only looked magical, but transformed into a percussion instrument as well! It’s been a pleasure working with Aze this year.

Lucien Mejias-Louis1st Grade

Lucien is a strong willed artist who delights in the act of creating. He is expressive and a fast worker who is hungry to experiment and explore the possibilities and limitations of each material. When we were on campus Lucien had a hard time sitting through lessons and listening to instructions. He often called out and interrupted the teacher, which in turn made the lessons longer. This was evident in the ceramics unit, which we did just before going virtual. Lucien made three vessels and a coil-like sculpture with holes. The bowl and cup are massive! He started with a pinch pot and then added coils; the bigger, the better! Yet, even when Lucien understood the process of how to make a vessel, he wanted it to be finished almost as soon as he began. With practice, he is developing confidence in himself and is able to slow down and work more carefully. This was evident in his last clay piece, which was a smaller well constructed bowl with a lid.

At home Lucien attended almost all of the live zoom sessions and with the support of family who provided an endless stream of art supplies, Lucien was prolific! The recycled tower he made out of cardboard boxes, paper-towel tubes and plastic containers stands out! Lucien figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it, by putting larger, stronger materials at the bottom of the tower. And the tower grew taller than Lucien! Working with Lucien this year has been a pleasure.

Lyyli Chanoff1st Grade

Lyyli is a confident artist who oftentimes has an idea of what she wants her artwork to look like before she begins. Lyyli works hard to make the art materials match what she envisions in her mind’s eye. She enjoys working in both two and three-dimensional materials and is a perfectionist, always taking the time she needs to complete each piece up to her high standards. The last unit we did before going remote was ceramics and Lyyli made a teapot with a lid and a pizza pie. She carefully constructed the teapot and was excited to learn how to add the spout with coils. Lyyli carefully glazed this piece green and black. It is functional and should make a lovely pot of hot tea! The individual slices of pizza are covered with toppings and Lyyli glazed each one differently, creating a multi-colored pizza pie; each piece is delightful! After Lyyli successfully transitioned to virtual learning, she attended most of the zoom sessions and worked independently to complete projects. A highlight was the guitar she made out of recycled materials including an egg carton and paper towel roll. She used rubber bands for strings and made frets out of pencils so that the guitar can actually be tuned! It’s been a pleasure getting to know Lyyli this year.

Maya Moseley1st Grade

Maya is a warm-hearted and a curious artist. She gets excited about each assignment and is always eager to do her best. Maya’s confidence in herself as an artist flourished as the year progressed. One project that stood out was her recycled tower. She taped paper-towel tubes and plastic water bottles together, making a hollow structure. As Maya’s tower grew taller, she found herself standing on a chair to reach the top. Excited by the possibilities her sculpture presented, Maya turned her piece into a marble run/musical instrument by pouring marbles into the top of it. She delighted in hearing the sounds they made traveling down to the bottom of the sculpture! It’s been a pleasure working with Maya this year.

Nathaniel Griffin1st Grade

Nathaniel is a good-natured, enthusiastic artist. He listens to directions, follows instructions and works with great focus in both two and three dimensional mediums. The last unit we did before going remote was ceramics and Nathaniel loved working with clay. He made four sculptural pieces including a coyote and a small human figure. He did a good job blending the clay together when building and also learned the importance of hollowing out thick sections, like the head of his coyote, to protect against cracking. This spring when classes went remote, Nathaniel took some time to adjust and then attended all of the live zoom sessions. The string instruments that Nathaniel made in an integrated sound unit we did with the classroom teachers were amazing! He made both a banjo and a guitar out of recycled materials. The pieces were structurally sound, beautifully constructed and musical! Nathaniel used pencils as frets to change the sound of each (rubber band) string. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Nathaniel this year.

Nico Santini1st Grade

Nico is an expressive artist who likes to get right to work. When we were on campus, he had difficulty sitting through and listening to lessons. However, once Nico was engaged in a project, he enjoyed exploring the possibilities and limitations of each art material. Nico was usually only able to stay focussed for short periods of time, and became frustrated when he couldn’t immediately make the art materials match the ideas he had in his mind’s eye. Alternatively, if Nico really liked the assignment, he immersed himself completely and was attentive for long periods. This was evident when Nico worked with clay. He constructed an airplane and joined many of his classmates in making pizzas. With the help of a teacher, he persevered through the challenging nature of clay and learned how to successfully attach two pieces together so they wouldn’t crack. With this knowledge, he then worked independently and with ease on his sculptures. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Nico this year.

Sonny McColl1st Grade

Sonny is a good-natured enthusiastic artist. He listens to directions, follows instructions and works with great focus in both two and three-dimensional mediums. Sonny works at his own pace and takes the time he needs to make sure his work is up to his high standards. The last unit we did before going remote was ceramics. Sonny loved working with clay and made two sculptural pieces including a coyote. He did a good job blending the clay together when attaching different pieces and learned how to hollow out thick sections of his sculptures so that they wouldn’t crack in the kiln. When classes went remote this spring, Sonny attended all of the live zoom sessions. The recycled tower he made out of cardboard boxes, egg cartons, paper-towel tubes and plastic containers was amazing! Sonny figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it, by putting larger, stronger materials at the bottom of the tower. As the tower grew taller, Sonny found himself standing on a chair to reach the top. He had to balance the size, shape and weight of each piece so it wouldn’t topple over. It’s been a pleasure working with Sonny this year.

Vivien Mones1st Grade

Vivien is a good-natured, independent artist who enjoys working with both two and three dimensional materials. The last unit we did before going remote was ceramics. Vivien worked slowly and enjoyed transforming one piece of clay into many different sculptures. For several classes she experimented with the clay and immersed herself in the process of making one piece and then changing it into another idea. Vivien did fire one small mug, which came out beautifully. It has a yellow interior, purple rim and green handle! When we went remote this spring and Vivien started making art at home, she flourished. Having no social distractions seemed to put Vivien at ease and she was able to have fun and concentrate for long periods of time. The recycled tower she made out of cardboard, paper-towel and toilet paper tubes, plastic containers and many other recycled materials, stands out. She worked with gravity, rather than against it, by putting larger, stronger materials at the bottom of her tower. As the tower grew taller than her own height, Vivien found herself having to balance the size, shape and weight of each piece she added at the top so it wouldn’t fall over. It’s been a pleasure working with Vivien this year.

Alastar Hattenbrun2nd Grade

Alastar is a good-natured artist who approaches each assignment with an open mind. Both his recycled tower and marble run, which he made at his home this spring just after classes went remote, showed great ingenuity and playfulness. Alaster used cardboard, paper-towel and toilet paper tubes, plastic containers and many other recycled materials to create the sculptures. He figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it, by putting larger, stronger materials at the bottom of his tower. This knowledge carried over into making the marble run. As he learned about force, gravity and friction, Alaster adapted his marble run by making switchbacks to make sure the marble wasn’t traveling so fast it went off the track. Both sculptures were a big success! It’s been a pleasure getting to know Alaster this year.

Anna Von2nd Grade

Anna is a good natured, playful artist who enjoys working with both two and three dimensional materials. Although she was often quiet in class and hesitant to share her ideas, Anna liked exploring the art materials. In the cardboard construction she made last semester when classes were on campus, Anna delighted in changing the size and shape of feathers, beads,colored paper and other found objects so she could add them to her cardboard building. She attended a few virtual classes and enjoyed the assignments. It’s been a pleasure working with Anna this year.

Clio Paynter2nd Grade

Clio is a good natured artist who is open to new ideas and excited by each assignment. Clio’s marble run, which she made at home this spring just after classes went remote, showed great ingenuity and playfulness. Clio used painters tape to connect paper-towel, toilet paper tubes, and other recycled materials to make a run that spanned an entire staircase! She figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it, and adapted her marble run by making sure that the marble wasn’t traveling so fast it went off the track. Her marble knocked down several dominos at the bottom of the run. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Clio this year.

Filip Sheridan2nd Grade

Filip brings great enthusiasm to each assignment and particularly likes engineering challenges. He is an independent, resourceful artist who approaches each project with an open mind. Filip went above and beyond to create a marble run that spanned the length of his basement wall. He used cardboard, paper-towel and toilet paper tubes, and rolled up paper that he taped to the wall to create this sculpture. Filip figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it; and as he learned about force and friction, he adapted his marble run by making switchbacks to make sure the marble wasn’t traveling so fast it went off the track. In the end, the marble gained so much speed it knocked down two wooden blocks at the bottom! Getting to know Filip this year has been a pleasure.

Hudson Saborido2nd Grade

Hudson is a good-natured artist. He enjoys working with both two and three dimensional materials and is a fast worker. In his marble run, which Hudson made at his home this spring just after classes went remote, he used cardboard, paper-towel and toilet paper tubes, plastic containers and many other recycled materials to create the sculpture. Working independently, and after much experimentation, Hudson figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it. He adapted his marble run by adding switchbacks to make sure the marble wasn’t traveling so fast it went off the track. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Hudson this year.

Judah White2nd Grade

Judah is a good-natured artist who takes the time he needs to get started and then works quite quickly. Both his recycled tower and marble run, which he made at his home this spring just after classes went remote, showed great ingenuity and playfulness. Judah used cardboard, paper-towel and toilet paper tubes, plastic containers and many other recycled materials to create the sculptures. He figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it, by putting larger, stronger materials at the bottom of his tower, which ended up being almost twice his height! This knowledge carried over into making the marble run. As he learned about force, gravity and friction, Judah adapted his marble run by making switchbacks to ensure that the marble wasn’t traveling so fast it went off the track. His marble knocked down a line of dominos at the bottom of the run. Both sculptures were a big success! It’s been a pleasure getting to know Judah this year.

Mira Goldmark2nd Grade

Mira is a good natured artist who is open to new ideas and excited by each assignment. She enjoyed all of the engineering challenges, especially the marble run, which she made at home this spring just after classes went remote. Mira’s run showed great ingenuity and playfulness. On her bedroom wall, Mira used painters tape to connect paper-towel, toilet paper tubes, and other recycled materials. She figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it, and adapted her marble run by making sure that the marble wasn’t traveling so fast it jumped off the track. She did this by using sandpaper on the bottom of the track to create friction and slow the speed of the marble. Working with Mira this year has been a pleasure.

Opal Merenda2nd Grade

Opal brings great enthusiasm to each assignment. She is an independent, resourceful artist who approaches each project with an open mind. For her marble run, which she made at home just after classes went remote, Opal used cardboard, tape and a few other recycled materials to create this sculpture. She figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it, by experimenting with how many marbles went down the run at the same time. She learned about force and speed by attempting to knock down a tower of paper cups at the bottom of the run with a handful of marbles, which worked like a charm; and then with just one marble, which left most of the cups still standing. Opal brings a sense of humor and playfulness to every project. It’s been a pleasure getting to know her this year.

Ronan Kneissl2nd Grade

Ronan brings great enthusiasm to each assignment and particularly likes engineering challenges. He is an independent, resourceful artist who approaches each project with an open mind. Ronan worked with his sister to create a marble run at home. He went above and beyond to make the sculpture travel down an entire staircase! Ronan used cardboard, paper-towel and toilet paper tubes, plastic containers and many other recycled materials to create this sculpture. He figured out how to work with gravity, rather than against it; and as he learned about force and friction, he adapted his marble run slowing the marble down so that it didn’t travel so fast it went off the track. He also experimented with knocking down different items at the bottom of the track. The lighter ones fell over, but the large, heavy wooden blocks did not! It’s been a pleasure getting to know Ronan this year.

Sophia Kneissl2nd Grade

Sophia brings quiet enthusiasm to each assignment. She is a steady worker who takes the time she needs to complete each piece, and she enjoys working with both two and three dimensional materials. This was true when we were on campus in the art room, and when classes went remote. At home, Sophia worked collaboratively to make a marble run with her brother using cardboard, paper-towel and toilet paper tubes, plastic containers and many other recycled materials. This sculpture is outstanding and extends down an entire staircase! In addition, Sophia made many lovely drawings and paintings. The pointillism painting she created from observing flowers is especially lovely. She used many colors and various sized dots to create a different texture for each petal. It’s been a pleasure working with Sophia this year.

Stella Weickel2nd Grade

Stella is a good-natured artist with big ideas! She’s eager to do well and enjoys working with both two and three dimensional materials. In the cardboard construction she made last semester when classes were on campus, Stella delighted in pushing the materials to their limit. She enthusiastically added wheels and pulleys, beads, string, felt, paper and other found objects to her construction. Yet, at times Stella became frustrated when she couldn’t make the art materials match the idea she had in her mind’s eye. For instance, she had difficulty adding wheels to her piece and wanted to give up. Encouragement and help from the teacher, and taking some time away from her project helped Stella calm down and re-engage. As she gains more experience working with both two and three dimensional art materials, it’s my hope that confidence in her abilities as an artist will continue to grow. It was a pleasure working with Stella.

Agastya Wahal3rd Grade

Agastya is a good natured artist with an open mind and quiet enthusiasm for both two and three-dimensional projects. He’s a slow worker who takes the time he needs to complete each artwork. For the last in depth project we did on campus Agastya made a paper mache sculpture of a serval. He enjoyed the process of making an armature with wire and wrapping it with newspaper to flesh out the cat. But thought the paper mache felt slimy! He painted the serval light yellow and added small black spots on the body, and black rings on the tail to imitate a serval’s pelt. He completed the sculpture by adding toothpicks as sharp claws. His dedication and interest in making art continued as classes went virtual. Agastya participated in most of the live zoom art classes. The Earth Day mandala he made out of natural materials included small poplar logs, large pieces of bark and bright yellowish green leaves. The piece is lovely and whimsical! It’s been a pleasure getting to know Agastya this year.

Ahzli Jernquist3rd Grade

Ahzli is quiet and good-natured. She enjoys art and delights in exploring both two and three-dimensional materials. For the last in depth collaborative project on campus, Ahzli chose to study the Arctic hare. She made a lovely pencil and watercolor study of the hare, and with teacher support successfully wrote three facts about the hare’s lifestyle and habitat. Ahzli then made a whimsical paper mache replica of the animal, complete with long ears that stick straight up. She covered the sculpture with soft cotton to create the fur. In the follow-up unit, Ahzli made two shadow boxes depicting the western pocket gopher. She worked independently with the hot glue gun and gained an understanding of foreground, middle-ground and background. Her dedication and interest in making art continued as classes went virtual. Ahzli participated in all of the live zoom art classes, and did many other art projects at home with the support of family members. Her mixed media collages and giant green turtle sculpture stand out as particularly adventurous! It’s been a pleasure getting to know Ahzli this year.

Alessandro Illgen3rd Grade

Sandro is an independent artist who is able to stay focussed for long periods of time. He’s curious about each assignment and does his best to make the art materials match what he envisions in his mind’s eye. This was evident in the last in depth project we did on campus which was an animal study. For this project Sandro made a shadow box depicting the habitat of meerkats. He gained a clear understanding of foreground, middle-ground and background, and worked tirelessly to draw and then paint each and every detail of a meerkat family. The piece is beautifully executed! His attention to detail and interest in making art continued as classes became virtual. He attended almost every live zoom class and approached each assignment with enthusiasm and lots of questions about art materials and how to best execute his ideas. The drawing he made of animals in the Hudson River estuary food chain particularly stands out. It shows the hierarchy of who eats whom, from small fish all the way up to birds of prey. It’s a beautifully rendered piece. Getting to know Sandro this year has been a pleasure.

Aster Jernquist3rd Grade

Aster is an independent artist and keen observer who listens intently, yet is often reticent to offer his opinions. He approaches assignments in both two and three-dimensional mediums with curiosity. Aster is slow to begin, but once an idea takes hold he works with great focus. This was evident in the last in depth project we did on campus, an animal study, for which Aster made a chinchilla shadow box and a paper mache koala bear. In making the shadow box he gained a clear understanding of foreground, middleground and background. He enjoyed painting the chinchilla and it turned out beautifully. For the koala bear, he successfully made a wire armature and newspaper body, and then added paper mache. Aster mixed up several shades of gray paint to depict the fur and added small round cardboard ears; all of which come together to create the whimsical likeness of a koala! His commitment to making art continued as classes went virtual. Aster participated in all of the live zoom art classes, and did many other art projects at home with the support of family members. His cardboard squirrel sculpture stands out as particularly inventive, as Aster wrapped yarn around the entire piece to create the squirrel’s fur. It’s been a pleasure getting to know Aster this year.

Student NameGradeSummary Art Teacher 1Art Approval (Admin Only)