Editor's note - Editorial

Arts & Activities, April, 2003 by Maryellen Bridge

Come with us as we explore the power of paint this month. A good place to start is with our Cover Story. "Waxing Poetic" (page 28) is the tale of a teacher rising to the challenge of combining two seemingly disparate art classes--watercolor and mixed media. Through an ingenious blending of the two, a project was developed wherein students take a technique usually reserved for textiles (batik) and combine it with watercolor to create compositions rich in color and line.

In "Flowers and Landscape By Serendipity" (page 34), middle-schoolers become familiar with Impressionistic art while creating landscapes from spontaneously developed backgrounds. Getting teen-agers to focus on their inside--not their outside--appearance is the trick in "The Power of Expression" (page 36). By becoming more aware of personal expression in art and gaining a consciousness about foreground, middle ground and background, these kids gain confidence in their abilities and themselves.

The charming mother-and-child paintings in "A Picture Memory" (page 54) are the culmination of previous work, applying earlier lessons in color theory and figure drawing, as well as art appreciation and the principles of composition. Teaching students how to paint water and reflections can be a challenge, but "Shoreline Paintings" (page 56) outlines an easy way to do this successfully. Using what the author calls the "fold-over technique," this lesson combines printmaking and painting, and students revel in the results of their efforts.

Inspired by our Clip & Save Art Print of an Arnold Newman photo-portrait of Dr. Seuss (see pages 41-44), we present "Photographic Expression," a mini-section where several interesting photography activities can be found. First is "Creating Chemigrams in the Classroom" (page 45), where painting fixer onto photo paper develops into some intriguing artworks. "A Personal Point of View" (page 46) is an excellent exercise in composition, as students experiment with bird's-eye and worm's-eye views. "Watergraphs: Exploring The World of Art with Instant Photography" (page 48), describes a simple process that combines painting and photography in unique ways. And, lastly, "Forum: Thoughts to Share ... You Still Use a Darkroom?" (page 50) makes an excellent case for traditional photography to be included and/or kept as part of the visual art curriculum. Tap into the power of paint and the creative energy in your art room will astound you. Exciting artistic experiences await you and your students. All you need are some simple tools: paint, brushes, paper--and your copy of Arts & Activities!