Kluender/ Art 78

Eek! :D I am so excited to open the kiln each morning to find these beauties waiting for me! Art 78 has been working hard on their ceramic tiles and they look great.

Kluender/ Art 8

B4 spray paint day!

Kluender, Art 8

More examples of these lovely pieces!

Kluender/ Art 8

I wanted to share some of our FANTASTIC Art 8 portrait busts! The kids did such a great job on constructing their "beings" out of clay! 

Some depict people (real or made up), some are of animals, we even have a few zombies, aliens, and other horned creatures!

After building the ceramic pieces, we painted them with a watered down black acrylic wash. Then, we added color using acrylic paint and a dry-brush technique to pick up all of the texture of the pieces.

Some added fabric, beads, wire and other accessories to the finished pieces.

Students were then asked to write a narrative to accompany the portrait bust. This could be written in the 1st or 3rd person perspective, but had to be at least 10 sentences. 

These wonderful pieces will be on display in the SJMS library at our Art 8 "Senior" Show along with the narratives. The reception for this show will be held Thursday, June 9 from 5-7pm and the work will remain on display through 8th Grade Day Friday June 10.

Kluender/ Art 8

Day one of spray painting was a complete success! 

Art 8 students were introduced to the artwork of Ryan McGinness through visiting the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts on our field trip and through an introductory PowerPoint presentation. McGinness called his silkscreened artworks "Mash-Ups" due to all of the layering and overlapping.

Students created their own symbol to be made into a stencil. We cut the stencils out of overhead transparency using X-Acto blades.

After discussing proper spray paint technique, we headed outside on a gorgeous day to spray paint our symbols onto a large colored paper. Students were encouraged to overlap and layer to create their own "mash-up".

Our drying rack was full of cardboard, art and stencils!

Some of the results are beautiful...

Some cut out intricate designs...

While others kept it sweet and simple...

I love the thought into the color combinations...

Kluender/ Art 78

Art 78 has begun adding color to their ceramic tiles! First, we put on a coat of watered down black underglaze. Then, we used sponges to remove the black, leaving it only in the cracks and crevices. 

Next block, students will decide whether they want to leave their tile black and white and just add a clear glaze over it to make it shine OR to add color using colored glazes. 

Stay tuned for more pictures of progress....

Kluender/ Art 8

Art 8 was introduced to the artwork of Ryan McGinness.


We saw some of his work at the VMFA on our field trip.

Students have been working hard to create their own image that will be made into a stencil. We will use spray paint to repeat the image onto a background color to create an artwork that resembles McGinness's work. We will talk about overlapping, layering, color, and texture.

Kluender/ Art 78

Art 78 is working hard on their Op Art projects!

I love the contrast and patterns they have chosen. We will be adding color to the background and popping our 3D spheres off of the page using 3D-Os.

Kluender/ Art 8

Art 8 spent the day in the computer lab creating narratives for their ceramic portrait busts. I cant wait to read them!

Kluender/ Art 78

Art 78 students have begun working on a CERAMIC  project. We used our celebrity photos to etch into a clay SLAB.

Then, students are adding additional 3D elements in clay.

After being BISQUE FIRED, we will add color using glazing techniques.