Glass Fusing

The students are always excited to work with the glass for this project.  Not sure if it is because they are introduced to cutting glass, bending glass with fire and working with the kiln, but it is a great opportunity for the students to recognize that buildings, skylines and landscapes can be used as a subject for art. 

The students are introduced to the different types of glass and discuss what will happen to the glass when it is fired at a specific tempature.  Using stringers, frit, liquid frit, sheets of glass, grinders, cutters and fire the students created fore, middle, and background to help give their project a similiar look to the actual skyline or landscape chosen.

Once the project was completed they were loaded into the kiln and fired with a tack fuse program.

District Art Show

Last weekend the Mason City School District had their DAS (District Art Show) and all the buildings and grades were represented.  There was a variety of art work displayed from the students and the 8th grade shared their glass, metals, water color, sculptures and paintings. 

The 8th grade also displayed their giant thumbprint portraits with the following notes attached:

 "After working in the style of Chuck Close for a couple weeks, Mr. Benham's 4th bell students wanted to see if they could create a large painting of a person similar to how Chuck Close had created several portraits.
With further research regarding his styles, the students found that Chuck Close had created some portraits using his thumbprints.  the students decided to create a portrait with the same technique.  With approximately 340 thumbs from the 7 classes, the students chose a familiar subject - Mr. Benham"

"Mr. Benham's 3rd trimester 8th grade students created this portrait using values of purple with only their thumbprints.  The background was created by several MI students, and as you step back and squint your eyes a little you can see the image of our "Super Segrist".

Mr. Segrist was chosen as the subject of this painting because the students wanted to show their support for Mr. Segrist and give him strength as he battles pancreatic Cancer.

Just another reminder for all that , 'NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE!'"

GIANT MR. BENHAM

After working in the style of Chuck Close for a couple weeks, my 4th bell students wanted to see if we could create a large picture of a person similar to how Chuck Close had. With further research regarding his work, the students found that Chuck Close had created some portraits using his thumb prints,.  The students decided to create a portrait using only thumb prints and with approximately 170 students from the the 7 classes we found an easy subject.

The Subject:

Mr. Benham - Photo taken by 4th bell student

Subject drawn on 5 ft. canvas 

Applying thumb prints 

Student working on thumbprint portrait

Subject and painting

Subject with values and no eyes

One eye was added and different values were added

Eyes were finally added - passing students were no longer scared of portrait

Even though the portrait isn't completed, every student from the 7 classes have placed their thumb print somewhere on the portrait.  Other thumb prints have been added by other teachers and any student that enters the class and asks, "Wow, what is that ?... Hey, it looks like you Mr. Benham!"

The students want to try and complete another large portrait before the end of the school year.

Chuck Close #2

The students have been working hard on their Chuck Close inspired pictures and they are looking great.  In class we not only watched the short video on Chuck Close, but we discussed color, value, tints and shades.  Each student choose 2 colors that they wanted to use for their picture and then created a variety of tints and shades to use as a 'reference key' for their picture. 

Unlike Chuck Close, the students were only going to use these 2 colors to create the values for their picture. I also decided that it would be alright for the students to create a grid on both the source picture and their paper.  I believe that the grid help the students to draw their picture more accurately and therefore have a more successful  project.  This also will help raise young artists' self-esteem when it comes to drawing and artistic ability.

IRON MAN

(light & dark values drawn with grid)

IRON MAN

(light & dark values added according to Value Key)



Other Student Work:

(inspired by Chuck Close)

Chuck Close

The first project of the 3rd trimester is one of my favorite projects. The students will be introduced to the American artist Chuck Close. Chuck Close is a photographer and painter that has gained world wide recognition for his amazing massive-scaled portraits. Even though he was left severely paralyzed from a spinal artery collapse in 1988, he has continued to create beautiful and stunning paintings.

Metals

The last project of the 2nd trimester for the 8th grade students was a Metals Project.  Students pierced, cut, filed and sanded negative spaces in their metal to created the desired design.

Student began the project by creating 9 different 2 X 3 ideas.  They then had to decide where negative shapes would be in order to create detail within their specific design.  Next each student was given 12 jeweler's saw blades and a saw frame to begin their project.

Finally, the students used files to 'clean up' any over-cuts and rough spots that were created from their sawing.  Students were also instructed to sand their project when the filing was completed.

Here are a couple examples of the 8th grade work this year:

Track Shoe Bookmark:

Saxophone Earings:

Batik

A Batik or Batiking is an ancient art form that has been handed down for thousands of years from generation to generation. Batiks can be found in the Middle East, Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Philippines, India and more!

This month the students have been working on creating their own Batik.  A Batik is the method of dying fabric and then applying wax to those areas so that the fabric will remain that dyed color.  Once the fabric has visited a variety of dye baths, and waxed after each, the wax will be removed to uncover the design.  


The students were to choose a book that they have either read in their Language Arts Class or one that they are currently reading.  Students were then instructed to illustrate a scene from that book and add the title for their batik design.

The students have enjoyed the Batik project and are excited uncover the wax and see the art that they have created.

Students applying HOT wax to their fabric



A student removing his fabric from the dye bath

Batiks drying in the drying rack

 Here are a few of the finished Projects - 8th Grade Batiks