Term 4 has been fantastic and jam packed so far.
PLC made their cow launchers to launch their cows 'into space'.
SLC explored paper mache with their bowls.
CLC created coral reefs with different paper construction techniques.
YYLC explored the work of Pete Cromer and Bronwyn Bancroft with their clay slab Australian animals.
Here are some comments from students:
'I love to do paper mache with Holly in Visual Arts.' - Moksha SLC
'I think it is great. I love the painting.' -Vincent SLC
'I liked it so much because we could do it two different ways and I like paper.' - Evie CLC
'Making the coral reef made us learn new skills and make a collage.' - Lujain CLC
'I love doing paper mache.' Debbie and Ishanya SLC
'Making coral reefs has been an extraordinary experience! It is undeniable that coral reefs are an amazing painting, anyone can try it. First you make abstract shapes that can be 2D or 3D, next you glue the shapes to a blue piece of paper. Next, you admire your artwork! - Viaan CLC
'I liked it because it was really fun! I love paper mache! - Billy SLC
'In Visual Arts, we were making animal sculptures inspired by Pete Cromer and Bronwyn Bancroft. We used plasticine, clay, clay tools and wire we had A LOT of fun, we are lucky to have you as our teacher Holly! And thank you for the fun materials and great times! - YYLC 
'In Visual Arts we have been working on an animal sculpture inspired by Pete Cromer and Browyn Bancroft. We were allowed to choose one of Pete Cromer's animal collages to turn 3D into a model. I chose an echidna and I made it out of plasticine. It was a very fun art work to do because I haven't really worked with plasticine  before.' -  Isabella A, YYLC
'In art these past weeks we have been doing Pete Cromer and Bronwyn Bancroft inspired art works. This was such a great activity to do. we used clay, plasticine, mod podge, and we designed fun and colourful animals. It was the best!!' - YYLC
'In these past 2 weeks  in visual arts, we have been creating a Pete Cromer and Browyn Bancroft animal. We used clay and plasticine which made the class super excited. We loved the activity as it involved a lot of creativity. Once we finished the crafting and decorating we had the choice to use mod podge which makes the plasticine hard so it will not break off. It was very enjoyable! - YYLC
'During the last 2 weeks, in visual arts we have been creating and designing animals using clay and plasticine, we created them with the inspiration of Bronwyn Bancroft and Pete Cromer. It was such a fun and interesting artwork to make because of the challenges creating them, as well as trying to use both artists.' -YYLC

As part of out study of texture, we created watercolour paintings of Uluru. The goal for the students was to add texture to their foreground and on Uluru. Students also explored perspective by adding an Australian animal in the foreground. I honestly believe that many of the students created their best ever piece. Here is what some of them said about the project:
'All these paintings inspired me a lot.' Radin
'I liked making this artwork because I enjoyed painting the animals and Uluru. I think my artwork turned out really well.' Gabrielle

 As part of our study of the Element of Art; Texture, we explored the artwork of Aelita Andre. Aelita is a Melbourne born artist who started painting before she could walk. She held her first solo show in New York when she was just four years old and sold all 23 paintings! Aelita creates abstract art and often glues items in it. The SLC students created an abstract painting and then glued different items on, such as; glitter, beads, bottle caps... I think you will agree they did a wonderful job. Here are what some of them said:
'I wanted to do a galaxy so I used purple, pink and blue.'  Kavya
'I liked it because we could use whatever we want.' Evie
'I felt happy making this artwork because I liked using glitter.' Billy
​'This was very fun because I got to splash paint around.' Sadie

This term we have been exploring lines and shapes in our art. Some of the fun activities we have done were; Shape People, Line & Pattern Activity and Shape Stamping.

These construction projects were inspired by the work of Australian painter, Russell Drysdale. Students created their own plan and had 3 weeks to construct their Homesteads.

Neurographic drawing as an art form is relatively new and is created by scribbling loosely on a page to make large circles and a variety of shapes. It was developed by a Russian psychologist, artist, and architect, Dr. Pavel Piscarev in 2014. It invites us to draw freeform lines on paper, called neurolines. As the line travels across the page, it encourages us to relax. It acts as a form of meditation as the pen creates line and shape. We’re able to disconnect from the things we’re troubled by and focus on the drawing for a few moments. 

"Neurographic art was extremely fun and mindful. The art made me really calm. It was interesting experimenting with different colours and shapes." Alek, Year 4.

"Doing neurographic art was such a fun, calming and exciting experience. Getting to experiment with different colours was interesting. I loved seeing which colours matched and which didn't go so well together." Gabrielle, Year 4.

What a fabulous start to the year. All the students have worked so hard and we have had a lot of fun building our knowledge about Colour and Colour Value.
PLC looked at colours and emotions and the different colours we use when creating our self portraits. We finished the term putting our knowledge into practise by creating a colour wheel.
SLC looked at tint and shade and completed this exploration with the wonderful backgrounds for their fox artworks. I think you will agree that the results were amazing. SLC also rounded out the term with colour wheels with the added challenge of using water colour pencils and mixing their colours.
CLC also looked at tint and shade by creating monochromatic artworks. They could choose between a landscape or a city skyline. This activity was very popular.
YYLC used their colour knowledge to decorate their paper mache fish. This was a lot of fun. 

All students also worked on their Harmony Day project. Each student completed a 'brick' for our Harmony wall. Above the wall will read; Together...we can build a better world. The students drew the change they would like to see in the world. This is our annual Harmony Week project which is displayed on the wall in the office. Keep an eye out for this early in Term 2.

Below are some samples of the student's work, and there are also some examples in the display cabinet in the office.

Have a safe and restful break!

The year has started wonderfully, with all the students showing enthusiasm and creativity in Visual Arts. 
We began by looking at our MPPS CARE values and how can we implement them in the Visual Arts space. This is something being reinforced across the whole Specialist team. This year there is an extra focus on the two types of Responsibility: Personal Responsibility and Communal Responsibility.
Our main theme this term is Colour and Colour Value and wow, the students have delivered!
PLC: We looked at matching colour and emotions and the students created gorgeous collages to represent their emotions
SLC: We focused on the first of our CARE values, Collaboration and the students worked together to create Minibeast Collages
CLC: We incorporated Shape and Space into our Colour exploration and the students really challenged themselves with their Subtractive Paper Collages which demonstrate positive and negative space. There are some of these amazing works on display in the office
YYLC:  Again Collaboration was the early theme with a study of the work of street artist Thank You X. The students then created their own version of his cube art which just looks amazing. We incorporated Form into our Colour study with the creation of Paper Mache Fish. The students are painting them this week and I am sure the results will be fantastic.

 Hi everyone,
I hope all our families had a restful break. In am looking forward to another wonderful year guiding our wonderful students through their year in Visual Arts. This year we will be looking at the Art Elements which are the building blocks of art. The Elements are:

• Colour and Value
• Line
• Shape (2D)
• Texture
• Space
• Form (3D Shape)

This term will begin the same for all Specialists with a review of the MPPS CARE Values (Collaboration, Achievement, Responsibility and Empathy). We will also look at the Rights and Responsibilities of all students and staff at MPPS. We will then move on to our first Art Element; Colour and Value. Each Learning Community will examine this in a different way. Below is the Visual Arts timetable for Term 1. Please note that sometimes there are changes to the timetable during the term.