artwork

Female Artist Books

Using prefabricated female art history collages, students learned about female artists. Students chose an artist whose life or artwork interested them as their pseudonym for this class and as the subject of their individual lotus flower artist book. The class also created a collaborative women artist book using all the female artists they collectively chose.

Altered Composition Journals

Students covered composition books with their favorite color. Each week during the first 5 minutes of class, students selected an image to add to the cover of their journal. After their journals were complete, they were laminated and embellished with ribbon and other found objects. During class, students used their journals to sketch ideas, write notes, and compose artist statements.

    

Making Special Collages

For this project, students completed “play sheets” in their journals where they collected images and ideas about special times, special people, and special places in their lives. They also viewed the story of Little Red Riding Hood from the book Picture This by the children’s book artist Molly Bang and created a collage using geometric shapes and colored paper.

Untitled by J. C.M. a.k.a. Magdalena Abakanowicz

My art work doesn’t have a title. The design reminds me of my grandma who told me to put my head up. I said “no” because I was crying. She always said to look at other people. When someone looks at my artwork I want them to know that your eyes are the key to your heart. Now I look at everyone in their eyes – never look down because I can see if they are lying or love me.

Pizza  by S.J. a.k.a. Elizabeth Layton

The title of my art work is Pizza. I picked the design because I love pizza. What I like about my art work is it looks real. If I could change one thing about my art work it would be nothing. When someone looks at my art work I want them to think: WOW she really likes pizza. When someone looks at my art work I want them to see nothing but pizza. When someone looks at my art work I want them to feel: I want to go get some pizza.

Daddy’s lil Girl by D.A. a.k.a. Eva Hesse

The title of my artwork is Daddy’s lil Girl. I picked the design because I love my dad very much. If I could change one thing about my art work it would be nothing because I like it just the way it is. When someone looks at my artwork I want them to see the love I put into it. When someone looks at my artwork I want them to feel love for their parents.

Family Picnic by G.W a.k.a. Ruth Asawa

The title of my artwork is Family Picnic. I picked the design because I love my family. What I like about my artwork are the colors. If I could change one thing about my artwork it would be nothing because not everything is perfect even art. When someone looks at my artwork I want them to think: WOW, colorful, full of love. When someone looks at my artwork I want them to see my love for my family. When someone looks at my artwork I want them to feel warm and fuzzy.

Circle of Wholeness Mandalas

After a group discussion about what students have lost and found in their lives, students learned about mandalas and circular designs from different cultures, such as Native American medicine wheels, the Aztec calendar, and Tibetan wheels. They viewed examples of work by artists who incorporate beads and found objects in their art work for inspiration. Each student artist selected a pre-drawn cardboard circle, created a boundary with colored beads and developed their composition. Eight to ten found objects and beads were selected to represent things they have lost or found. Symbolic objects and materials were incorporated to represent positive aspects of their lives.

My Birthday

by M.F. a.k.a. Judy Chicago

I picked this design because it represents my birthday, my favorite aunt who died, my favorite color and my ex-best friend who broke her arm. That’s what the broken candle stands for. The stones represent me lying on the beach and finding stones. I chose the materials because blue is another one of my favorite colors, I love stones, the pink barrettes remind me of when I was younger, and the candles are for my birthday. What I like about my artwork is the way I made a design out of my feelings. One thing I would like to change is that my aunt died. When someone looks at my artwork I want them to think that I’m a creative person. I want them to feel how I’m feeling. I want them to see how I took everything I love and made it into a mandala.

Life by M.S. a.k.a. Lee Godie

The title of my artwork is Life. I picked the design because I liked how it looked. I love my family. What I like about my artwork is its mine and it expresses how I view things. If I could change one thing about my artwork it would be nothing because I like how it looks. When someone looks at my artwork I want them to think, see or feel whatever they would like.

Portraits of Beauty/Ugliness

After looking at examples of artwork by their female artists and completing a beauty/ugliness play sheet in their journals, students discussed examples of these themes in art and life. Each student selected her own content, process, and materials to create an individual portrait.

Crocheted Blanket by M.S. aka Lee Godie

The title of my art work is Crocheted Blanket. I picked the design because I liked all the different colors and shades of colors. What I like about my artwork is after I created it I felt proud, accomplished, and happy.

My Book by G.W a.k.a. Ruth Asawa

The title of my piece is My Book. Books capture you into the moment of reading and take you into another place. Books bring you into another world – one different than your own and one you want to be in. You get trapped – caught up – like I have shown in my altered book.