Clay Slabs

Sculpting Fish of the Monterey Bay with Clay

While sculpting their fish, each grade level K-5 referenced Marine Species Portal illustrations by Amadeo Bachar and resources from  Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Processes and techniques: preliminary sketches, direct observation, scratch and attach (upper grades), creating surface textures with a variety of tools.

Emphasis on the Elements of Art: line, texture, and sculptural form.

Students had the option of attaching a small clay "companion" to their main clay piece, such as a juvenile fish, a sea star, or prey. 

California Arts Standards for Public Schools

CREATING—Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.  

2.1 Enduring Understanding: Artists and designers experiment with forms, structures, materials, concepts, media, and art-making approaches. 

Essential Questions: How do artists work? How do artists and designers determine whether a particular direction in their work is effective? How do artists and designers learn from trial and error? 

Process Component: Investigate

Artist Connections

Amadeo Bachar’s fish illustrations from the California Marine Species Portal 

Courtney Mattison, Confluence (Our Changing Seas V),  Art in Embassies (Permanent Collection of the US Embassy, Jakarta, Indonesia), 2017-18

TK:  Meet the ocean sunfish (Mola mola) | Monterey Bay Aquarium

PK.VA:Cr2.1 Use a variety of artmaking tools. 

TK students used their fingers and popsicle sticks as tools to form an Ocean Sunfish ("an oval with two triangle-shaped fins").

Kindergarten: Shiner Perch 

K.VA:Cr2.1 Through experimentation, build skills in various media and approaches to artmaking.

1st grade: California Sheephead

1.VA:Cr2.1  Explore uses of materials and tools to create works of art or design.

2nd grade: Pacific Sanddab

2.VA:Cr2.1 Experiment with various materials and tools to explore personal interests in a work of art or design. 

3rd grade: Garibaldi

3.VA:Cr2.1  Create personally satisfying artwork using a variety of artistic processes and materials.

4th grade: California Halibut

4.VA:Cr2.1  Explore and invent art-making techniques and approaches.

5th grade: Giant Sea Bass

5.VA:Cr2.1 Experiment and develop skills in multiple art-making techniques and approaches through practice.