A one day vacation with Friedensreich Hundertwasser

Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser (December 15, 1928 – February 19, 2000) was an Austrian artist(who later took on New Zealand citizenship).  Say that ten times fast! 


Hundertwasser's original and unruly artistic vision expressed itself in pictorial art, environmentalism, philosophy, and design of facades,postage stamps, flags, and clothing (among other areas). The common themes in his work utilised bright colours, organic forms, a reconciliation of humans with nature, and a strong individualism, rejecting straight lines.


Although Hundertwasser first achieved notoriety for his boldly-coloured paintings, he is more widely known for his individual architectural designs. These designs use irregular forms, and incorporate natural features of the landscape. TheHundertwasserhaus apartment block in Vienna has undulating floors ("an uneven floor is a melody to the feet"), a roof covered with earth and grass, and large trees growing from inside the rooms, with limbs extending from windows.


Click here to read more. 


Here are some of my favorite paintings by Hundertwasser:

Third and fourth grade artists looked at many examples of Hundertwasser's work.  His artwork often depicts specific buildings and places from around the world. Students were asked to think about where they would like to go if they could take a one day vacation anywhere in the world.  Then they drew their destinations in the style of the artist. We used a mixture of black paint and white glue to outline the pictures, then painted then with liquid watercolor paints.  

Pre-K larger than life Ice Cream Cones

Just in time for summer... I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!  

Pre-schoolers were challenged to make ice cream cones as tall or taller than themselves.  

To get ourselves excited about this tasty treat, we listed to this funny song about ice cream, words by Jack Prelutsky, sung by Natalie Merchant.

Taller than Mrs. A-K!

Adding sprinkles made from colored rice

Desert Sunset in Saguaro National Forest by first and second graders

First and second grade students read "Cactus Hotel," by Brenda Guiberson.  They use watercolors to paint a sunset sky, using the wash technique.  After the sky was dry, they painted silhouettes of different types of cacti and desert creatures.  Beautiful! 

Cactus Hotel  

Written by Brenda Z. Guiberson
Illustrated by Megan Lloyd
Henry Holt, 1991

"On a hot, dry day in the desert, a bright-red fruit falls from a tall saguaro cactus.Plop. It splits apart on the sandy floor. Two thousand black seeds glisten in the sunlight."

It is another hot day in the desert. Birds and other animals scurry about looking for food. When they get tired they stop to rest at a giant cactus. It is their hotel in the desert!
Many different animals live in the cactus hotel. It protects them; and they protect it, by eating the pests that could harm the cactus.
The cactus grows larger and larger and will live for about two hundred years. When one animal moves out, another moves in. There is never a vacancy in the cactus hotel.

This story--about a desert, a giant cactus, and the animals who live in it--is one that even the youngest child will understand and enjoy.   

from http://www.brendazguiberson.com/books/cactus.php

 

Monet's Waterlilies by grades 5+6

Fifth and sixth grade artists looked at Monet's waterlily paintings and learned about impressionism.  They were amazed that some of Monet's waterlily paintings are the size of an entire wall!

We started by painting the water background on our pictures, exploring color mixing and different types of brushstrokes.

Next, then painted lily pads and waterlily flowers and finally added details with oil pastels.