A Late Look At Our Barnes N' Noble Art Show

I have reached a point where my phone can literally not hold another picture, so I have begun to transfer them to my computer. This led me to discover that I never uploaded pictures from our wonderful art show at Barnes N' Nobel this year! Yikes!

So here they are. . . finally.

Second Grade Daruma Dolls

Daruma is a traditional handmade Japanese wishing doll (or charmingly referred to as a "GOAL DOLL" that keeps us focused on achieving our goals!

It is a centuries-old tradition from Japan that is positive, motivational, and fun.

Second Graders made these goal dolls by wrapping paper mache around a plastic egg. After the egg had dried students chose a color to paint their daruma dolls. 

The five colors of daruma dolls represent different TYPES of GOALS.

A RED Daruma doll is for LUCK and GOOD FORTUNE. 
A PURPLE Daruma doll is for HEALTH and LONGEVITY. 
A YELLOW Daruma doll is for SECURITY and PROTECTION. 
A GOLD Daruma doll is for WEALTH and PROSPERITY. 
A WHITE Daruma doll is for LOVE and HARMONY.  

Once students chose a color for their daruma, they wrote down a goal to go along with it. As students created a goal one eye was filled in on the daruma doll and the other left blank, as a sign of commitment to completing ones goal. Once a student completes his/her goal, they can fill in the other eye.

First Grade Bento Boxes

First Grade Japanese Lunch Boxes, A.K.A Bento Boxes

Each box contains several model magic sushi and noodles made of yarn.

Third Grade Bonsai Trees

Third grade has been working on bonsai trees and pots throughout the first semester. The project began with making coil pots and glazing them. Once that part was completed students created 3D wire and pipe cleaner tree sculptures. To top it off students added leaves made from tissue paper.

Third Grade Sakura

Third grade has been diligently working on creating clay bonsai pots, first designing the pot, then sculpting it out of clay and finally glazing their fired projects. Well while the clay was drying and being fired in the kiln we had enough time for this brief little project.

Students were introduced to one of the most famous Japanese icons, the cherry blossom tree or sakura.

Miharu Takizakura Tree in Fukushima

We discussed the importance of the tree in Japanese culture and looked at images of Japanese cherry blossom viewing parties. Then students created these neat little cherry tree branch paintings.

Cherry Blossom Viewing Party

To start out the background was created using an analogous color scheme (three colors next to each other on the color wheel) out of chalk pastel. Then the branch was created by blowing around india ink with a straw and the flowers were made with dots of red and white paint.

A quick little lesson that introduced students to another color scheme and another piece of Japanese culture.

Fourth Grade Reduction Prints

Fourth grade has just recently finished up a very involved printmaking project. Students looked at traditional Japanese woodblock printing and made guesses on how the artists were able to print in so many colors.

Students were shown that the artist printed each color in a separate layer, so to create a four colored print the image had to be inked and stamped four times. To simulate the look of a Japanese woodblock print without the woodblock students used styrofoam plates and a reduction printmaking technique. 

Here are some finished reduction prints.

Japanese Bedrooms

Second grade recently finished up making paper bedrooms. As a class we looked at typical Japanese architecture and tried to notice similarities with all the images. Some things students noticed was the appearance of shoji (Japanese sliding screens) and tatmi mats (a type of rug usually made of rice straw).

Students were then asked to design their very own Japanese room, making sure to include the tatami mat and shoji screen. These little dioramas were made entirely from paper! On the last day of the project students were introduced to the ancient art of origami. 

Each student folded his/her own origami chair which they then added to the paper room.