We love Matisse

I love doing this lesson with my students because every year the results are so very different from the year before.  We have been looking at Matisse's Red Interior and Gold fish paintings.  This is a challenging assignment for the students, it requires a lot of patience and perseverance.  Four art classes were spent painting, drawing, cutting paper and designing.  Some of the students still required another art class.  It took a lot of  motivating pep talks to keep them going.  We had group critiques to help problem solve and to gain inspiration.  Here are a few of the finished pieces by grades 5 and 6.

This is mid way through the process.  I should start by explaining that on week one we divided our 12" x 15"

paper into three sections.  Two wall sections and one section for the floor.  The students were instructed to paint each section with one of the three primary colors.  When the students returned the following week pattern was discussed and the students were instructed to fill the three spaces with interesting patterns.  This photo shows weeks three and four.  The fish bowls were painted separately on white drawing paper using watercolor paint once the fish had been drawn and colored with oil pastels.  Our scrap box was pulled out and students chose to cut flowers or leaves, some chose to use pastels and drew directly onto their paintings. One of the last steps was to glue the fish bowls onto the tables which were cut from brown construction paper, and then onto the painted background paper.  Wow!  No wonder this took so long.  The final steps involved arranging their compositions in a pleasing way.  Balance, texture, value choices were all taken into consideration.  I think our next lesson will be a little less intense for their sake and mine!  Enjoy!