Continuous Learning: Nature

During Continuous Learning, I included several choice board options that involved nature. I find that getting outside really improves my mood so I figured it would be good for students, too. I teach in a rural area so these were accessible options for my middle and high school students.

Take a Photo That Represents Spring

Spend Time in Nature, Take a Photo to Document

Andy Goldsworthy-Inspired Nature Artwork

I love how the student organized the rocks by value

Another spiral. I love the texture of the clover showing through the sticks.

My example made with things found in my yard

2019 Nature/Science Projects

Here are some of this year's Nature themed artworks. It is my favorite theme to start with when we have completed bootcamps because it is "safe" enough for students to feel comfortable but broad enough for everyone to come up with a different solution. You can see a post from a previous year here: https://www.katiemorrisart.com/2017/12/theme-naturescience.html 

If students don't have an idea they complete a work based on the guidelines for the Jr Duck Stamp Program or State Fish Art Contest. Of course some students choose to do it just because they want the challenge or like the idea! Both of the students' whose work is shown above placed in this year's contest.

Here are a few more duck artworks as well as a fishing picture and a model of a creek.

These two sculptures were created by a very mechanically minded freshman. It is so interesting to me to watch how he builds.

This student wove together a drawing of a flower and a drawing of a flower cell.

Colored pencils are always a popular choice with my students.

Agate inspired watercolor painting. The student made two, one with warmer colors and one with cooler colors.

Half human, half animal.

Painted batik

Mixed media depiction of a galaxy. Watercolor, acrylic, and colored pencil.

2019 State Fish Art Contest

I've written about the State Fish Art Contest before (see posts here) because I feel like it, along with the Jr Duck Stamp, are great programs that merge art and science. It's always a choice for my students to complete the art and an additional choice on if they want to enter the contest or not. This year I only had 3 students choose to enter... and 2 were my own children! My kids worked on their projects over spring break and it was a good distraction from screens since spring break in Kansas is usually too cold to do much outside.

My oldest son chose the Colorado state fish- the greenback cutthroat trout. He had watched me using watercolors a few months before so he was excited to try out some techniques. He drew the fish and used masking fluid to trace the outline. He used a wet on wet technique to paint the water, letting drops of color fall on the wet paper and then sprinkled coarse sea salt and some table salt on the wet paint to create a pretty cool effect.

When the background was dry, he painted the body of the fish and later used colored pencils to add details.

Showing off his finished painting

My middle son used a wax resist technique, adding watercolor over his crayon drawing of a channel catfish.

Some states have a lot more participation in this program than others. It is not well known in Kansas but it is a worthwhile program, especially if you have students or children of your own interested in wildlife, conservation, or environmental science.

Theme: Nature/Science

Last year I debated between choosing nature or science as a theme in my intro high school class. There was so much overlap that I put them together. I showed students how a bunch of different artists have approached the theme as a way to get them thinking about different possibilities. As I talked to students about their ideas, I showed some new techniques we hadn't covered yet that might be of interest. There was a ton of variety in the students' work and this was a good early theme- broad enough that it could go in many different directions but safe enough that it helped students get used to more freedom. It will be the first theme for this year's intro classes because it was so successful last year.

Wheel thrown and hand built teapot

 I did a needle felting demo and several students played with the technique

 The Northern Lights

Weaving that incorporated sticks

 Lidded vase

Illustrations of animals were a popular choice

This student made her own embroidery pattern 

 This is a drawing of neurons.

 This drawing went on to earn 1st place in the Kansas division of the State Fish Art Contest!

 Right across the hallway is the biology room with lots of live animals. This student photographed a salamander (I think) and then drew it.

 This student brought in her rock collection and explored with wet on wet watercolor techniques to illustrate a few.

This was an 11x14 inch stippling made with different colors of sharpie based off of a photo of soap film seen through a microscope. It took a long time but she never got in a hurry and somehow kept her patience!

8th Grade Nature Themed Artwork

My middle school classes are one semester long, 8th grade first semester and 7th second semester. I tried to get most of my lesson starters from the Core Arts Standards.  One of the standards is about preparing and presenting theme based work, and we met half of that standard through this lesson.

VA:Pr5.1.8

I can collaboratively prepare and present selected theme-based artwork for display, and formulate exhibition narratives for the viewer.

I started by telling students they were going to create theme based artwork, and that as a class, they were going to decide on the theme. I took notes as they brainstormed and we combined similar themes. They voted and "nature" was the clear winner.

Next, each student came up with an idea of how they would create artwork for that theme. Projects were created in clay, drawing, and painting.

I helped each student work on the skills they needed to communicate their idea.

One student even did nature on another planet.

And now I have to tell you about the piece that was also pictured at the top of this post. The student had an idea of making a flower and she wanted to include wheel throwing. I hadn't planned to let 8th graders loose on the wheel, but I decided to do a demo and let them all have a shot at it if they wanted to. This student was seriously a natural on the wheel. After she threw the base, she started sculpting all these petals and assembled them into a flower.... which blew up in the kiln. It either had trapped air or wasn't as dry as I thought it was. Thankfully, she rolled with it and was able to save most of it. I told her I thought it could be glazed back together and I love how it turned out!