The Drawing & Painting Studio was abuzz this morning as Second grade students stood collectively around a large table with large sheets of white paper before them. Cups of tempera paint and non-traditional painting tools were placed next to each student but their task at hand was about to be explained by Mr. Spitzer, stop-watch in hand. “As you know we have been doing some very careful drawings from observation over the past few weeks. Now we’re going to mix things up by making some big paintings!” Response: excitement and a lot of bodies wiggling about in anticipation. “Use the tool and the paint in front of you to make marks on your paper in whatever way you want. BUT after three minutes, you will pass your paint to the left, your tools to the right, then continue working.”
“READY-SET-GO!”
Students dove right into the process, experimenting by dipping objects such as seashells, wooden spoons, and wire into paint then applying to the paper, spontaneously inventing various methods of doing this along the way. As paint cups and tools rotated, colors mixed into new hues, objects took on unanticipated functions, and artworks emerged. Students had multiple layers of paper, allowing them to peel away a painting that was deemed ‘finished’ in order to begin again.
This playful, collaborative, and active project certainly succeeded in its intention to depart from technical drawing and last week’s lesson on the rendering of light and shadow. In addition, Mr. Spitzer imparted an important lesson about the value of process and how, like sports and language and mathematics, it is important to exercise skills often and in different ways. Oh, and to have FUN doing it!
