21/22 - Arts & Music

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Austen dabbled in embroidery.


All three kids took Waldorish art classes, and learned how to work with watercolors
and pastels, how to shade and blend colors, and how to make perspective drawings. They
also frequented YouTube for sketching tutorials, and River was especially interested in
drawing human anatomy this year.


River and Austen studied photography this year. They learned how a camera
works and about composition, exposure, and lighting. Below are some of their favorite chosen works:



We all were fascinated by the life of Van Gogh and enjoyed a very thorough study of the artist!
River and Chase's favorite painting is The Sunflowers. 
Austen's is Cafe Terrace at Night.

Books list:

Portrait of an Artist: Van Gogh by Jan Greenburg and Sandra Jordan
(read in its entirety with River, excerpts read to Austen and Chase)
Eyewitness Guides: van Gogh
What the Artist Saw: van Gogh by Amy Guglielmo
The Yellow House by Susan Goldman Rubin
Vincent van Gogh by Mike Vinezia
Kid Artists by David Stabler
Camille and the Sunflowers by Anholt Laurence
Vincent Can't Sleep by Barb Rosenstock


Other activities:

Copied van Gogh's painting, "Farmhouses Among Trees"
Studied and discussed several of van Gogh's greatest works
Painted sunflowers inspired by Van Gogh







Austen's copy of Farmhouses Among Trees which we had to
throw away due to water damage and mildew.



River's interpretation of Farmhouse Among Trees


 
All the kids painted Van Gogh's sunflowers


Chase found a special interest in Frida Kahlo this year and inspired all of the kids to learn more about her. She was very curious about her life and art, and dressed as her for Halloween, complete with Frida's pet monkey, Fulang-Chang.





Books read:
The Story of Frida Kahlo by Susan B Katz
Frida by Jonah Winter
Frida Kahlo: the Artist in the Blue House by Prestel Publishing
Frida Kahlo: The Artist Who Painted Herself by Margaret Frith


Chase's narration of what she has learned about Frida Kahlo:

"Frida Kahlo lived in Mexico. Frida Kahlo's daddy was a photographer and a painter, and she started painting too. She painted on her daddy's pictures. When she got older she loved painting. When she was a teenager, she got into a high school where there were only 35 girls, and 2,000 boys. She liked to play tricks on people. She got in a very bad car accident and she got hurt and almost died. She had to have a cast on her whole body and she had to go in the hospital for a long time, but she still painted. She painted her cast. She had really bad pain. Her dad died and her baby died and her husband broke up with her. She used light colors and dark colors. Frida Kahlo painted to help with her feelings and her sadness."

Some of Chase's favorite artwork from this year:





Some of Austen's favorite work from this year:




Both River and Austen are interested in learning guitar, and Austen has been taking piano lessons here and there with her aunt. We are hoping to get her into professional lessons soons. She is currently learning River Flows in You on piano, and River is learning chords on the guitar.

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