November 28th-December 2nd

Chuck Close
Self-Portrait, 2004

The eighth grade classes have started the Self-Portrait Unit and will continue to work on them during our four-day week. Each student is using a photograph of themselves to create a self-portrait inspired by the grid process used by artist Chuck Close. The students are measuring and designing their grids, then numbering each corresponding box. By mid-week, we will begin the process of analyzing the values and shapes in each box and enlarging it to the doubled grid on their drawing paper.

November 21-November 25th

Welcome to 8th grade art! My name is Mrs. Cirjakovic and I will be your child's art teacher for the next 12 weeks. This trimester will be filled with several projects that will explore you child's creativity, teach them problem solving skills, and broaden their knowledge of art history. We will begin by designing personalized art portfolios to safely store our works of art. Then we will move on to our self-portrait unit. Self-portraits by famous artists will be viewed and discussed before we embark on this exciting (yet challenging) project. Various styles will be explored so that each student is inspired to design a unique and one of a kind product.

November 14th-November 18th

Op Art by Victor Vasarely

It is hard to believe, but we have made it to the end of the first trimester. The seventh graders will have their final day in art on Thursday, November 17th. On Friday, November 18th, they will begin the next class in their Encore rotation: Computers. It has been a pleasure creating works of art with such talented and imaginative students. I believe that they have taught me as much as I have taught them. During this final week, we will complete our Op Art designs, pack up our clay projects, and finish putting together our portfolios to take home. I hope that you enjoy this compilation of projects as much as I did.

November 7th -November 11th

Bridget Riley

Seventh graders will begin the "Op Art" unit this week. "Op Art" is short for optical art. This style of art is described as "geometric art in which patterns of lines and/or color combinations react on the eye to produce a sense of movement, dazzle, or even discomfort." The students will study samples and learn some basic techniques in creating Op Art. We will use pencils, rulers, and black markers to create our designs.