Artist's Eyes

It is a hard thing for a kid to see things from a different perspective! This is one of my biggest goals in our co-op Art History class this year. We talk a lot about using our "artist's eyes" and not just looking at a painting but thinking deeper about how it was constructed, what materials were used, and why it was constructed. Friday we looked at a bunch of ancient masks, Indian masks, and talked about them. Then we made our own in class. It was fun, although most of them didn't exactly look traditional. If time would've allowed, I would've liked to have taken them for a walk and collected "natural" materials.

I did the paper mache-ing before hand so the project would go quicker. I've learned from experience that a bunch of kids and paper mache = disaster! The silver masks in the photo were made by sticking on mettalic tape (bought at Walmart). I've had fun using it for all kinds of artsy projects recently. Although, I have to hide it from my son who must eat rolls of tape like candy. If he walks out of a room with a roll of tape I know I'll never see it again. But, I never (okay do my best to almost never) deny a kid the supplies to create some crafty creation - it's good for the brain!