McKay 2nd Graders Pay Hommage to Matisse's 2nd Life

In his old age, and in the throes of grave illness, French painter Henri Matisse found brightness and newfound light in the medium of paper cut-outs. The McKay School's 2nd grade artists are now studying this remarkable phase in Matisse's work---which he called his second life---by making paper cut-out artwork of their own!

Pop Art from today's Pop Culture Experts

McKay 4th graders have been studying the Pop Art movement, with particular attention to the work of Andy Warhol. After learning about the visual characteristics and historical context of Warhol's Pop Art, they discussed present-day popular culture, and which products, brands, and characters best represent the pop culture of their own generation. 

The unit has culminated in the production of their own works of Pop Art, the progress of which can be seen below! I look forward to posting the final works upon their completion.

Planning Like Kandinsky

As we enter our spring semester, our 3rd grade artists are creating abstract works inspired by Wassily Kandinsky, with a focus on Kandinsky's attention to planning and composition. Kandinsky To practice and honor this process, the students have created multiple smaller scale drafts to plan their abstract works, and are in the stages of transposing their compositions onto large-scale paper. 

4th Grade Coats of Arms

Over our winter semester, The McKay School's 4th grade artists explored the use of visual symbolism to convey meaning and express identity in art. Through studying the historical use of family Coats of Arms---particularly in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe---our 4th graders designed and created their own personal Coats of Arms, using visual symbolism to communicate personal traits and values, and those of their family.

Kindergarten Explores Abstract Expressionism

The McKay School's youngest artists, our kindergarteners, have spent the winter learning to use color-blending, texture, and shape in the context of abstract expressionism. With the works of Wassily Kandinsky as their inspiration, they have produced marvelous abstract works that demonstrate mastery of color, composition, and motor skills. Throughout this unit, these young artists have also mastered academic artistic vocabulary, identifying shapes in artwork as either organic or geometric, and using these terms to describe the shapes that comprise their own works.

Landscapes Reimagined in Watercolor

Throughout the winter, McKay 3rd graders studied landscapes of various subjects, materials, and styles, ultimately leading up to a final project in which students created their own landscape paintings to varying degrees of abstraction. 

As inspiration of this work, students studied and reinterpreted the work of New England artist Henry Isaacs, samples of which are pictured below. More of Henry Isaacs' work can be found on his website: http://www.henryisaacs.com/?q=node/3 

Inspired by Isaacs' use of color to portray light and movement in his work, our 3rd graders reimagined their own vibrant landscapes and seascapes in vivid watercolors.

Identity Self Portraits

This fall, students at the Donald McKay Elementary School created incredibly advanced self portraits, demonstrating both technical skill and creativity. Students incorporated visual symbolism to represent their personalities, cultural backgrounds, interests, goals, and more, ultimately producing portraits that show not only their physical appearance, but who they are as individuals. 

Below are some of the very best portraits produced by 4th and 5th graders here at the McKay School!