Foundation Stage Art Exhibition
Students, teachers and parents were invited to come along and support the youngest members of our school in what can only be described as an "Art Fest"!
"All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."
Pablo Picasso
"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."
Pablo Picasso
For
anyone lucky enough to see it, the Foundation
Stage Art Exhibition was a riot of imagination
and colour. As the children and adults made
their way up the stairs from the foyer of the
Sports Hall to the Mezzanine floor above, a
sense of expectation lay heavy in the air - what
were they about to see? Genuine gasps of
surprise and delight were heard as just under
200 canvases were revealed when the last corner
was turned and they entered "our gallery". This
wonderful sight however, does not just happen
overnight, and it is worth considering exactly
how we can produce just under a couple of
hundred totally unique pieces of wonderful
expression by children, some as young as 3 years
old.
Our children have taken just as much
time and effort, and in some cases even more,
than any of the "Old Masters" to get their piece
of work just right. The build up of work takes
place throughout the third term as the children
of Nursery, K1 and K2 start experimenting with
colour mixing, paint textures and the various
styles of many artists. At first, they use ready
mixed paints, cartridge paper and brushes. As
their skills and interests progress they
understand how to make any colour they desire
just by using primary colours and a little bit
of white, using acrylic paints. Acrylics have a
very strong pigment which means that different
combinations can produce wildly different
results. Of course, as anyone knows, too much
experimenting, and you get a sludgy
browny-purply mess! The Foundation Stage
children have had the determination and time to
produce the colours that they want.
The
children also learn that while brushes are a
pretty good tool to use for getting the paint to
do what you want it to, they are not used
exclusively. Jackson Pollock would have been
proud of us, and while there were no little red
tricycles driven across our canvases, we used
pretty much anything else we could get our hands
on in the classroom. Some children added sand,
sequins, crayon shavings, small cut up paper,
glue and glitter to the paint to see what would
happen and if it was a good effect or not. We
tried to get them to find textures and tools
that worked for them, and then, which ones they
preferred.
Once all of this preparation
has been done, only then can the young artist
add the first of their paint to their canvas. It
is a magical moment, as the surface of the
canvas offers a different feel to paper, and the
children can initially be quite reluctant. Once
they have worked on their canvas, the different
textures and the ease with which they can mix
the paints become apparent. This is where the
fun begins. Sometimes the artist is dissatisfied
with their piece, and (like a Michelangelo)
simply paints over their old painting. For
others, a more abstract look at colours and
consistency of paint is the way forward as they
build up layers of paint that, for example,
resemble fire or the sea. Finally, their
creation is finished and ready to be shared with
the world - whether it is a wonderfully abstract
piece of work or a very independent and
imaginative painting that can only have come
from the mind of a very young person.
Undoubtedly, after the initial gasps when the
work of our young artists is shared with
everyone, the best moment is saved for a few
days later. In their school bags they will bring
home a little parcel. It is their very own
canvas, which will then be hung with great
ceremony, along with the other paintings and
photographs on the wall. Who knows? Maybe in
twenty or thirty years this work could be worth
something, as part of a retrospective collection
of a famous artist who painted their first
masterpiece in the Foundation Stage at Bangkok
Patana School!
Matt Caldwell
Stephen
Murgatroyd
Tracey Williams.
"Well done! Some of these look really professional. It shows how talented our students at Bangkok Patana really are - especially the Early Years! Well done!"
Naomi S, 7T
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
"The Art Exhibition is now open to the public! It will only be available to view until Thursday lunchtime, so visit now to avoid disappointment!"
Matt Caldwell, K1
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
"The art exabition was fun. I knew a lot of people who painted the pictures. I hope you have a lovely time there and don't miss the art exhibition!"
Sarah, 3P
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
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