Sunflower Still Life

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." 

Albert Einstein

Our children created delicate black outlined water colour paintings today. There work is stunning; with time and practice they have emerged as observant and skilled artists. We love still life art because it really encourages the children to take time to carefully observe the many details of the subject and use the materials and tools they feel will help them best represent what they see. It's always so interesting to see their interpretations of the same object and how different the finished pieces are.

Delicate Branch Still Life

Our children are very interested in art and drawing. We introduced artist sketchbooks today and invited the children to contribute a piece of art to these communal collections. We considered providing one book per child but liked the sense of community and respect for one another's work that might be created if we used shared books. 

The children carefully noted what they saw - delicate, deep red buds, emerging leaves, and gentle branches. 

The children worked in quiet consideration and each drew a unique representation of their interpretation of the branches. 

Tomorrow we will offer the children a new artifact to observe and draw. 

Sketching Trees

“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn” 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

We celebrated Earth Day by spending time in our beautiful school yard sketching trees. We found a variety (large trunk, tall branches, blossoms) and the children chose to study and represent the tree they liked best using pencils as the art medium. It is always interesting to see the different interpretations and representations children have of the same object.

 

What we especially loved about this activity was the quiet, careful observation required by the children in order to notice the delicate details of the trees - the shape of the branches, the delicate blossoms, the emerging leaves - and the challenge of just using pencil to draw.

 

 

Reflecting upon the quote above by Emerson is quite fitting in the context of this experience; our children are referred to as 'little acorns' at our school who will grow into Mighty Oaks. Encouraging activities immersed in nature - appreciating the beauty and life in the world around us - will hopefully instill a love and appreciation for nature that will last a child's lifetime. 

The Beauty in Snapdragons

The more often we see the things around us - even the beautiful and wonderful things - the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds - even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less. Joseph B. Wirthlin

It's important to take time to carefully observe and appreciate nature's beauty. 

Our children were captivated by the beauty and delicate nature of the flowers on the art table today. They liked the way the flowers changed colours and the top of each stalk dropped slightly to the side. 

Many spent time carefully observing and blending the paint colours so they were just right. 

Each painting a unique interpretation of what the children observed. Beautiful!

Still Life Spring Flowers