Art Classes for Homeschool Students: May 2011

Friday, May 27, 2011

Llamas in the Andes

In this lesson the students will learn to draw a llama. I will discuss the environment they live in and the importance llamas have to the local economy. I will show images of the landscape llamas live in. The kids love to draw the high peaks of the Andes.

Above drawings are done by students age 6 to 9.

Robert Delaunay abstract

In this lesson I will introduce color mixing. The students will use tempera colors and create a color wheel using only the primary colors. Then we will discuss the French born artist, Robert Delaunay and use his abstract works as the inspiration for our own abstract painting. They absolutely love this exercise!

Above drawings are done by students age 6 to 10.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Mustang Horse

This lesson is one of my favorites as I have a passion for horses and drew them since I was a child. I will discuss the Mustang horse, feral and not wild. They students will learn about the history and how important the horse was to this country's progress. I will show them numerous images of their habitat as well as different coats the horses have.

The drawing is very challenging but perfect at this stage of their progress. I will discuss again arial prospective and the importance of value in creating the illusion of distance.

The above drawings were done by students age 5 to 10.

African Elephant

In this lesson we will learn to draw an Elephant. I will discuss the differences between the African and Asian Elephants and show them numerous images of the African landscape.

After the students draw the elephant I will briefly discuss arial prospective and demonstrate how to correctly draw trees.

Above drawing are from students age 5 to 10.

The Coral Reef

In this lesson the students will learn about the rich life found on the coral reef. I will discuss the importance of the reef and have real samples of coral to show them.

The drawing focus is the Moorish Idols, after we draw a couple they will then fill the page with other elements found on the reef.

Above drawings were done by 5 to 9 year old students.

Henri Rousseau and the Toucan

In this lesson we learn to draw a Toucan. I will first start by talking about the rain forest and all the diverse animals and plants that live there. I will show the students many images to help spark their imagination.

Our focus will be the toucan and once they have drawn it then they can choose what other animals and plants they like to add to their composition.

Coloring as always is left to their imagination.

The above drawings were done in class by 7 and 9 year old children.

Lion

In this first class I will introduce the 5 basic elements of shape and after some warm up exercise the students will draw a lion. Once drawn they will use their imagination in choosing color and any other elements of design they like to add. During class I will discuss the lion, the habitat it lives in and show numerous images.

Above are some drawings from my students. The first one was done by a 6 year old, second by a 8 years old, third is by a 6 year old and last one at the bottom is by a 10 year old. There are just wonderful!

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!