The Donald McKay Virtual Gallery: 2017

Thursday, June 15, 2017

8th Grade Grid Drawing: Practice in Photorealism

As their final projects of the year, our McKay 8th graders created absolutely incredible photorealistic drawings using the grid method. This process allowed them to draw their images to-scale, and with a greater level of detail. Subjects ranged from peer portraits, to pets, to self portraits, and more. These drawings reflect skill and technique more akin to that of college level art students than to middle school level work. I am so proud to share with you this amazing work and the great talent of my students.

Portrait by Jan

by Hannah

Self Portrait by Hendrix

by Paola

by Bryan

by Ryneh

by Jada

by Edvin

by Michaela

by Denis

6th and 7th Grade Surrealist Artworks

6th and 7th grade artists at the McKay school spent their final unit exploring the strange and magical world of Surrealism, developing fantastical concepts and scenes reminiscent of the historical Surrealist movement. The range and depth of the artwork created in this unit truly amazes, and has made me incredibly proud of our students' creativity. I hope that you enjoy the stunning originality in these student works. Thank you for viewing!

"Stigma" by Jenifer, Grade 7

"Thoughts" by Karina, Grade 7

"Mixed Feelings" by Julianna, Grade 7

"Brighten the World" by Stephanie, Grade 6

"Green" by Cristina, Grade 7

by Natalia, Grade 6

"Imagination" by Serenity, Grade 6

"Time and Space" by Sarah, Grade 6

"La Vida Siempre se Acaba" by Valeria, Grade 7

by Bayron, Grade 7

"Grief" by Natalie, Grade 7

"Cats in Space" by Andy, Grade 6

"Human, Human Tell Me" by Emily P, Grade 7

5th Grade Book Covers

As their final project of the year, our McKay 5th grade artists designed and created book covers for the books Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, and Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, each of which they recently read as a class. We discussed the concepts of theme, mood, characters, and setting in literature, and students developed examples from the texts that they could incorporate into their book covers. This project brought ELA themes and content into the art classroom and allowed students to bring their literary experience to life. Thank you for viewing, and please enjoy!

by Julianna

by Danna

by Jacqueline

by Ashley

by Araceli

by Chelsea

by Ashley M

by Manuela

by Arlin

by Karla

Monday, April 3, 2017

6th Grade Biomorphic Compositions

The McKay's 6th grade artists recently tackled a particularly beautiful and complex style of art known as Biomorphism. "Biomorphic" refers to organic, abstract shapes derived from biology, or living organisms, with "bio" meaning life, and "morphic" referring to transformation. Biomorphic artwork, accordingly, demonstrates a focus on the power and beauty of natural life, and the lines, shapes, and visual features of the biological world. Our 6th graders demonstrated amazing insight and depth as we delved into this very nuanced style of art, and created some truly stunning, fascinating works. Thank you for viewing, and please enjoy!

"Midnight Deep" by Jocelyn

"Life" by Natalia

"Organisms and Crystal Veins" by Destiny

"Electrifying Cells" by Sami

"Tree of Minds" by Emily

"Wisdom of Life" by Ilda

"Nature's Purpose" by Isabela

by Andy

"Deep Sea Lilac" by Michelle

"Coral Dreams" by Sabrina

"Dimensions of Nature" by Josias

7th Grade "A Corner of My [Still] Life"

Our 7th grade artists have spent a great deal of time practicing the skills of shading, and using value to create the illusion of three-dimensionality or form in two-dimensional drawings. They recently put these skills to the test, creating still life drawings containing multiple three-dimensional objects. In order to infuse their artwork with their unique personalities, students were asked to choose objects that represent their hobbies or personality--a "corner of their lives" if you will--hence the title of this unit. Given the choice to focus their drawing on objects that hold personal meaning for them, our 7th graders truly invested themselves in this project, and produced some incredible work. Thank you for viewing, and please enjoy!