abstract painting

Some days I will get out paint and let the art club create whatever they want. I encourage them to think about abstract principles of line, color, and scale. I try to have painting days when it is gray outside -- a bit of color therapy goes a long way for everyone. I will usually put on some music. During painting time I go around and talk with students as they work. I let them know which part of their painitings I am most interested in and encourage them to think about why. Sometimes I will ask them what their favorite part is or suggest they step back and look at their work from a distance. Most of my time is spent changing water and mixing paint.

When students are working abstractly I will often ask them what they are thinking about. We have had some great discussions. During our show and share period at the end of class I will ask the students if their abstract paintings have a title. Other students will often pipe in, "The painting reminds me of . . ." I have found the art club very open and curious about how abstract paintings can have multiple interpretations. It is often hard to tell when a painting is finished. It's easy to go too far. How can you tell when to stop? The art club wrangles with these difficult artistic dilemas in their show and share period.

At the beginning of the year I bought big sheets of paper and paints (both acrylic and tempra) with the start up funds. Good painting materials are essential for an art club and you can't really find them second hand. Tempra paints are less expensive and come in great irridescent colors, but acrylic paint is easier to work with for most projects. You have to teach kids how to clean and respect good paint brushes because cheap brushes can be frustrating and I prefer to purchase a few moderately priced brushes and treat them well. I give each student a painting rag at the beginning of class.