Art Classes for Homeschool Students: 2011

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Paul Cezanne's Apples

At the peak of apple picking season I find it appropriate to introduce a great French artist, Paul Cezanne who was famous for his bold use of color and his lovely still lifes, many of which depicted apples. Students will learn about Cezanne and view some of his most famous paintings. We will then draw and color using rich oil pastels our own apple still life, hopefully before we eat them all!

Above works were done by students age 5 to 12.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Dio de los Muertos

This lesson we will discuss the Mexican Festival "Day of the Dead" celebrated at the end of October and beginning of November. I will read several books on the subject and the history dating back to the Aztec culture followed by its adaptation into a Christian Holiday. The holiday is a happy celebration of the transition from life to death, death being only the beginning of a new life in the after world.

We will then make a "happy" skeleton and decorate it with flowers (marigolds) and jewels.

Above examples were done by students ages 5 to 12

Picasso Witches

In this lesson we will discuss the art of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse and combine the two styles into one work of art just in time for Halloween.

Pablo Picasso portraits of women became famous for their unconventional style which then inspired the cubist period in art history. Matisse due to his confinement to a wheelchair started using scissor as his painting tool and cut-out his images from colored paper. The two style combined into one make for a wonderful project!

Above works were done by students ages 5 to 12.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Owl with Full Moon

In our first drawing lesson of the year we will design an owl perching on a tree with a full moon. The students will follow the principles of design that we discussed in the previous lessons. Using only pens they will follow step by step instructions during the drawing of the owl. I will emphasize the importance of observing the subject during the actual drawing process, looking at each element or step at least 3 times before moving the pen on the paper and learning to view the subject piece by piece like a puzzle and not the whole. Once the drawing is done they will use prismacolor markers to color it in a realistic manner.

Above drawings were done by students ages 5 to 12.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Introduction to Drawing using Abstract Art

This lesson I introduced a method of drawing using the 5 basic elements of shape and design. After the students did several warm up exercised I showed them several examples of Abstract Art and then they did their own little abstract following the 5 basic elements of shape and design.

Primary Fish and Broken Color

On our first lesson for this year I will introduce the primary colors with a fun painting project. The fish will be drawn with simple shapes then the student will choose the three primary colors to paint them. The next lesson I will discuss the Impressionist and the use of broken color. After viewing examples of art work by Monet and Pissarro I will demonstrate how you can lay two colors side by side directly on the paper and then mix them very lightly to create the effect of movement resulting in broken color. The results were stunning!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Ancient Mosaic

In this lesson I will introduce the art of mosaic. We will have a discussion on the development and importance it had in the progression of the visual arts through ancient history. The students can then choose a motif and after the drawing is complete they can proceed in laying the "tesserae". This is a great introduction to the concept of real stone and glass mosaics.

About me

I have been drawn to art in many forms from a very early age, fortunate to have grown up in an environment that was rich with artistic works from many genres, an experience that imbued me with an appreciation for a wide range of styles and movements. I was born and raised in Italy where my parents filled our Lake Como villa with fantastic classical and contemporary works by important artists ranging from Charles Le Brun, the Court painter to French King Louis XIV, to Lucio Fontana, perhaps the most important of the Italian modernists who developed the Concetto Spaziale in art and sculpture.

In 1986 I graduated from the prestigious Istituto per L’Arte e il Restauro in Florence, one of the worlds premier art restoration and conservation schools, where I majored in Conservation of Paintings and Art History. For the next decade, I was president of Restoration and Conservation Studio in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where I worked with important collectors and Museums to restore and conserve an incredibly diverse collection of masterpieces.

My many years experience, surrounded by beautiful art and the combination of knowledge gained in the conservation field led me to open Boxwood Antiques and Fine Art in Old Town, Alexandria, in 1996. This gallery specialized in artists from the 18^th to 20^th centuries. I also collected and sold many other precious works, including fine 18^th Century English and American silver, Chinese, Japanese and English porcelain, and 18^th and 19^th Century American and English furniture. All of these items have helped me develop an appreciation for the many techniques that I bring to bear when creating lessons for children.

In 2001, to allow more time with my family, I closed the gallery and begun my journey as an artist.

After a few weekly workshops with important American plein air artists I realized that my true passion was painting and that same year I was lucky to be juried into the historic Washington Society of Landscape Painters (WSLP) and the Oil Painters of America (OPA).

My works have shown in several major national exhibitions, including those hosted by the OPA and American Women Artists (AWA). In 2002 I was invited to participate in I the exclusive Carmel Art Festival.

Now my most important focus is my family and children. I have three beautiful children, Liam 6, Sofia 5 and Tristan 4. This keeps me very busy and my time behind the easel is for now limited. In 2010 I decided that it would be wonderful to combine my passion for art and children, so I started teaching small groups of children drawing, painting and art history.

The result has been very rewarding, and the creativity of children never ceases to amaze me. I often find that I learn as much from their open minds and limitless vision as they learn from me!