Our 4th and 5th grade artists are exploring the fascinating world of Optical Illusion Art, also known as Op Art! This exciting art movement became popular in the 1960s, with artists like Bridget Riley and Victor Vasarely creating mind-bending designs that trick the brain into seeing movement, depth, and dimension on a flat surface.

Students are discovering how artists use repeated patterns, contrasting colors, curved lines, and shading to fool our eyes! Through two exciting projects, Op Art Vortexes and Floating Spheres, students are learning how to transform simple lines and shapes into amazing optical illusions. Their vortex designs appear to twist, swirl, and pull us into the page, while their floating spheres seem to pop right off the paper! By experimenting with value, shading, highlights, and patterns, our young artists are discovering how a little artistic trickery can make a 2D drawing look surprisingly 3D!

Our 2nd and 3rd grade artists have been exploring the exciting world of abstract art! Students used bold black painted lines to divide their paper into interesting shapes and spaces, then filled them with vibrant colors, patterns, and designs. Using oil pastels and tempera paint, they experimented with color blending, layering, and the fun effects of oil pastel resist. This project encouraged creativity, artistic expression, and thoughtful use of the elements of art—line, shape, and color. Each finished masterpiece is as unique and colorful as the artist who created it!

As we wrap up another colorful and creative school year in the art room, I am so proud of all the amazing artists and their hard work! Throughout the year, students explored a variety of materials, techniques, artists, and cultures while learning to express themselves through creativity and imagination. From painting and sculpture to collage and drawing, every project was filled with originality, growth, and joy.

Thank you to all of our students and families for supporting the arts this year and celebrating creativity with us. Have a safe, fun, and inspiring summer — and keep creating!

So much fun!! Fourth grade, fifth grade, and Upper Montessori students celebrated the end of our Polynesian art unit with an exciting Tiki Party! Students enjoyed fruity drinks served in their hand-sculpted tiki mugs, complete with fun umbrella straws, while watching Moana 2 in art class. Along the way, students learned the meanings of “Aloha” and “Mahalo” in Polynesian culture and discovered how the story of Moana was inspired by real Polynesian mythology. It was a wonderful celebration of art, culture, and creativity together! 

BIG THANK YOU TO OUR wAUKAZOO PTA FOR PROVIDING ALL THE DECOR & BEVERAGES TO ADD TO OUR TIKI PARTY FUN!!!

Lower Montessori students are currently learning about Native art. Students sculpted beautiful clay coil pots inspired by Southwest Native American pottery. Next, we explored North Pacific Native art by the Inuits. They believed owls were magical creatures and depicted them in many of their works of art, from prints to soapstone sculptures. Students took inspiration from these abstract owl designs to draw their very own oil pastel owls. They incorporated many layers of oil pastel, along with color blending and pattern-making, to make each owl unique and magical—much like those that inspired them. 

Students recently explored color and culture in art class by creating African-inspired symmetrical masks utilizing Art Software technology on their art room tablets and a variety of drawing materials to add a hands on touch to their digital artwork. As part of the project, students practiced their understanding of color families and learned how to blend colors with color pencil to create rich, vibrant designs.

Before beginning their artwork, students learned about African cultures and the beautifully detailed masks that are traditionally used for ceremonial and cultural celebrations. Inspired by these intricate patterns and bold colors, students carefully designed their own symmetrical masks, focusing on balance, pattern, and color blending.

The results were amazing! Each mask shows creativity, bright color combinations, and thoughtful design. Students did a wonderful job combining their art skills and cultural learning to create powerful and eye-catching works of art.

Second and third grade students have been very busy designing and creating a variety of imaginative buildings while learning about the Elements of Art and Principles of Design. Throughout this unit, students explored architectural ideas and practiced thinking like real designers.

Students began by drawing a cylinder-shaped dream house, using value and shading techniques to create the illusion of realistic three-dimensional form. They then used their drawings as inspiration to sculpt whimsical cylindrical buildings out of clay, bringing their designs to life in a whole new way.

To finish the project, students put their imaginations to the test as they learned about skyscrapers and designed their own towering buildings that could reach into the clouds. While creating their designs, students carefully considered the size of each section, textures, and the layout of windows to make their buildings unique and visually interesting.

I am always impressed by my students’ ability to think outside the box and add their own creative ideas while meeting the goals of each lesson. Their imaginative designs truly showcase their growing artistic skills and creativity!

Our young artists have been exploring the exciting world of abstract art! Students learned how abstract artists use the elements of art—such as line, shape, and color—and the principles of design—like balance, contrast, and movement—to express ideas in unique and imaginative ways.

We studied the work of Piet Mondrian and Pablo Picasso, focusing on Mondrian’s bold use of geometric shapes and primary colors, as well as Picasso’s creative approach to form, expressive color, and breaking objects into new, unexpected shapes.

To put their learning into practice, students created their own Picasso-inspired abstract portrait paintings. They experimented with shifting facial features, bold outlines, asymmetrical shapes, and vibrant color palettes to reimagine the human face in playful and imaginative ways. Students loved exploring how a portrait can become more expressive and interesting when we step away from realism and focus on emotion, shape, and creative design.

I’m so proud of their creativity, the thoughtful choices they made, and the confidence they showed while trying new artistic concepts!