Chris Riggs Style Banner

As an art teacher, have you ever been asked to help paint a banner in your art classroom? Well, I have and each time I try to turn it into some sort of mini art lesson. This past week we were asked to help paint a banner for our Maintenance Crew for our faculty and staff appreciation week. I sat down to Google some ideas for those early finishers and BAM - ran across Chris Riggs. Let me tell you, the kids loved learning about him and seeing his art come to life.

Links to Chris Riggs:

http://www.riggsgallery.com/about/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChrisRiggsArtGallery

https://www.artspace.com/artist/chris-riggs

https://www.amazon.com/handmade/Chris-Riggs-Art-Gallery

Chris Riggs is an international contemporary artist from New York City. Chris' art works are based on a unique combination of cubism, abstract, surrealism, minimalism, pop and street art that has made him a leading artist of his generation. His paintings and sculptures are in museums, galleries, and private collections in over 50 countries. Chris started his famous Love and Peace layered art style in New York City in 1988. His colorful Peace and Love murals can be seen all over the world: Paris (France), New York (USA), Miami (USA), Seoul (South Korea), Moscow (Russia), Dubna (Russia), Roshal (Russia), Atlanta (USA), Florence (Italy), South Of France, Montgomery (USA), Athens (Greece) and more. He has exhibited internationally, including The Frankfurt Art Association (Frankfurter Kunstverein) Museum, Frankfurt am Main,Germany (2011), The Wilton Theatre Auction Gallery, Fort Lauderdale (2012), Young at Art Museum, Fort Lauderdale (2012),The Water Mill Square Gallery, The Hamptons, NY (2013) , Pollock-Krasner House and Studio, East Hamptons, NY (2013), Berlin Art Week, Berlin, Germany (2013), Outside the box, Bronx, NYC (2013),BAB's Gallery, Des Femmes, Bagnolet, Paris, France (2014), Herald Design Forum, Seoul, South Korea (2014), The Parliament Gallery, York, Pensilvania (2015), One Art Space Gallery, TriBeCa, Manhattan, New York (2015), Moscow Perfume Museum mural, Arbat, Moscow, Russia (2015), School murals in Athens, Greece (2015), Florence mural, Italy (2015), Paris murals, France (2015), Designer showhouse, Saddle river, New Jersey (2016) Portraits exhibition, Apostles cathedral gallery, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York (2016), Andrew Bartenev gallery, group exhibition, Moscow, Russia (2016), Peace and Love mural, Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NYC (2016), Peace and Love mural in Hebrew, mllnnl office, Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York (2016), Peace and Love mural, Sol Dance Center, Queens, New York (2016), Contra Gallery group show, Manhattan (2016)

You can follow Chris Riggs Art on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.

Go ahead and check it out...some good stuff!

This was a fun banner to paint and actually we were able to talk about Elements and Principles along the way in the process!

Easy Jim Dine Heart Art Project

 It's not Valentine's, but anytime is a good time for a Jim Dine heart❤.

Directions:

I showed the 5th graders Jim Dine's "Confetti Heart❤".

Then, the drew a heart❤ with a pencil✎ on their paper (12 x 18).

They begin adding acrylic paint.

I told them to make short deliberate strokes.

I told them to work all over the page and balance the colors.

Once they got the heart❤ filled in like they wanted, they took black acrylic and painted the heart❤.

Easy one day project for 5th grade.

L👀k:

Whatever you do folks, give a little bit of heart❤ and soul.

1965

Clay Tiles Klimt Style (Holocaust Remembrance Event, Maclay School)

Maclay Visual Arts participated in the Holocaust Remembrance Event on campus by utilizing art through telling the story of Klimt and the Woman In Gold. US Art Classes created clay tiles that were decorated with acrylic paint in Klimt's style. Dressel's ceramic classes did a great job on these pieces. So glad we were able to participate in this event. 

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10008232

Our school participated in the Holocaust Remembrance Day this past week. The purpose of International Holocaust Remembrance Day is two-fold: to serve as a date for official commemoration of the victims of the Nazi regime and to promote Holocaust education throughout the world.

Fish Swimming in the Air?

The 6th grade really enjoyed making these wind chimes.  The project took some time, but the final product was so fun and worth it!

Directions:

The students had to design a fish🐟 wind chime with clay.

They had to consider where the connections were going to be made.

MOST of the students managed to rock this part of the project.

There were a few kids that really struggled with hole placement on the parts of the fish🐟 wind chime.

Once we got the clay fish🐟 dried and fired, the kids used acrylic paint to "pretty up" the fish🐟 chimes.

While the fish🐟 chimes dried, the kids wrapped yard around sticks.  Many kids said that the stick wrapping was the most fun part of the project.

Now, the kids had to put together the fish🐟.  They used wire and beads to string the fish🐟 wind chime together.  Also, a few hot glued feathers for a cool effect.

Honestly, they struggled 😧 with the wire and beads.  Most 6th graders have not used much wire.  So, the wire skills were lacking.  I am not sure the answer to this, but maybe better for older kids.  If I were doing this project again, I would research other ways to connect the fish.

💓these 🐟!

L👀K!

A good song from way back just came to mind to close out this post.  What?  Good ole R.E.M. singing "7 Chinese Brothers".  Why?  I guess because these lyrics talk about the ocean and the ocean has fish...

Seven Chinese brothers swallowing the ocean
Seven thousand years to sleep away the pain
She will return, she will return

1965

2nd Grade Cupcakes are Toot Sweet!

Students and The 2 Soul Sisters love💙💚💛💜 CUPCAKES!  We have posted many times on cupcakes.  Click HERE for cupcake art ideas🤔🤔🤔.

Directions:

The kids👦👧 pressed their clay down into silicone cupcake forms like the ones you see below:

Once the kids👦👧 got the clay pressed down into the forms, they rolled out snakes🐍.

They wrapped the snakes🐍 around and formed the tops of the cupcakes.

Many put cherries on top.

I fired.

The kids👦👧 painted the cupcakes.

And then....THE KIDS SPLATTER PAINTED THE TOPS!

Kids👦👧 love❤❤❤ spatter painting🖌.  The cleaning department at school🏫, not so much....

Oh yeah, I popped each cupcake with a little clear glaze spray.

L👀K:

I bet these cupcakes would be so SWEET!  When I think about sweets, I remember the song from the movie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, called "Toot Sweets".

......A Classic from The 2 Soul Sisters childhood👧👧!

1965