Picasso In A Bag

CTA Creates First Day of Art

Thursday, October 10, 2013

 

       We all had so much fun with the kids today.  Each class started with a small bio about Pablo Picasso and then we moved on to a drawing warm-up called Picasso in a Bag.  Our goal was for the kids to visualize their face without feeling or looking at their faces.  They had a blast and each kid ended up with their own unique drawing.  We then moved on to make Picasso masks on paper bags.  WOW!!  They did AMAZING!  We played around with crayons, markers and oil pastels to create these materpieces.  The best part was the pictures afterwards.  You can see all the masks for the K-5 all along the Elementary School walls. 

 

Kindergarten Picasso Art

 

 

 

1st Grade Picasso Art



2nd Grade Picasso Art

 

 

3rd Grade Picasso Art

 

 

 

 



 

 





 

CTA Creates Fundraiser Opportunities

As we begin this new adventure we have been looking into different ways to raise money so that the K-5 kids can have the best experience possible.  Although we have many, many ideas being tossed around we have two big ones coming up just around the corner.

CTA Creates Craft & Bake Sale

 

        We will be holding a craft/bake sale this December to raise money for the program.  This is one of our bigger fundraisers and we are really looking forward to this experience.  We will be renting spaces throughout the elementary school for $20.00 per table.  If a CTA family memeber would like to rent a space they would get a special price of $15.00 per table.  Prospective dates for this event are December 7 or December 14.  We will let you know as soon as we secure a date.  If you have a small business or know someone with a small business send them our way.  We are looking for unique, hand made, home based crafters and bakers. 

 



 

 

CTA Creates Crop Nights

 

      We are planning on holding these throughout the school year and are settling on dates for the upcoming months.  Most, if not all, crop nights will be on Friday nights from 6 p.m. until 2 a.m. Saturday morning.  You are welcome to bring snacks, drinks with tops and all your scrapbooking stuff - sit, talk and have fun with us.  Coffee will be provided.  The cost of each night is $10.00

 

 

 

As more fundraisers are planned we will let you know.

You can keep updated on dates, times and locations here on the blog

as well as the event pages being posted on Facebook by one

of the moms.  We look forward to each of

these events.

Meet the Teachers of CTA Creates

Shannon Samczyk

Kindergarten & 1st Grade Art Teacher 

Hello! I’m so excited to be a part of bringing art to all of our elementary kids this year! I have two children who attend CTA, Isabella & Ayden. We are new to the area and the school this year! I’ve always had a passion for the arts. I’m a hair stylist by trade but I now focus my attention on wedding and fantasy hairstyling. I also attend school full time- im finishing my degree in business and will be obtaining a certification in Horticulture through MSU.  For fun I also take an art history class with application and have a love for ceramics. I enjoy gardening, volunteering, and yoga. Im excited to help give our kids a opportunity to express themselves through the arts- just as I do.

Amanda Brinks

Kindergarten & 1st Grade Art Teacher

My name is Amanda Brinks and I am a parent at CTA.  I am married with four children,

two in second grade, one kindergartner and one still at home with me.  I am a full time Mom and I love kids!  I believe that a child's education comes in many different forms.  It should include all the basics like reading, writing and math, however there is so much more to the world than that.  I believe that all children should have access to the arts.  We as people learn through many different forums and we need to expose our children to as many different ways to express themselves as possible.  A child who is encouraged to be creative and to be an individual within that creativity will have more confidence in themselves, and that confidence will flow into all areas of life, allowing them to succeed  and ultimately become well rounded adults.  Therefore, I am extremely happy to be able to teach Kindergarten and 1st grade art this year at CTA.  I hope to encourage the children in all they do, not only in art.  I hope to bring a love of art to our youngest students that hopefully carry through as they get older.  It will be a great year and I look forward to working with these amazing kids!

Audrey Hoops

2nd & 3rd Grade Art Teacher

Hello.  My name is Audrey Hoops, mother of Thomas, Johnathon and Rebekah Hoops, 

all students at CTA.  I am married to Ron Hoops.  

If you came to the CTA Spring Carnival last year you or your child might have

met me at the Airbrush Tattoo station.  Airbrush Artistry is a hobby of mine along

with painting, sewing and playing tennis.  I love spending time

with my family and friends and I enjoy volunteering at our school.  I am so excited

to have this opportunity to share my passion for the visual arts 

with the children of CTA.

Jen Fulkerson

2nd & 3rd Grade Art Teacher

Hi!  I'm Jen Fulkerson, mom to Lily (7th grade) and Jack (2nd grade).  

This is our second year at CTA and prior to that we lived in Portland, Oregon.  

We moved back to Michigan (where Matt and I grew up) 

to be closer to our family and to have some land.  

We bought an old farmhouse in Cedar Springs and are learning 

how to mend chicken wounds and chop wood.  Cooking, gardening, sewing and crafts 

are important hobbies in our family and we all share a love of art.  

I'm excited to help our kids explore and learn about art!

Stacie Tompkins

4th & 5th Grade Art Teacher

My name is Stacie Tompkins. I have 2 children that both attend CTA.  

I will be one of the art teachers for the 4th and 5th grade classes.  I have always loved art my whole life.  I love to do stained glass, paint and upcycle (take old things and make them new).  When I heard that there might be an art program starting I knew I had to get involved.  I am so very excited to start this Art Adventure with your children!

Sarah Mattson

4th & 5th Grade Art Teacher

Hi!  I am so excited to be working with your kids this year at CTA.  I have 3 girls, two of which

currently attend CTA.  Madison, my oldest, is in 5th grade and Leylah, who is in 1st grade.  My girls and I have always enjoyed the different arts and I think it is important that all kids get introduced to the art world.  My passions are mostly paper crafting and refurbishing but I love to dabble into watercolor painting, pottery, stamping, sewing and crocheting (though I admit I am terrible at crocheting).  I worked with the 4th grade class (now 5th graders) last year making little art projects and craft projects and I had a blast.  I was so blessed to get to know your kids and I feel blessed to again be working with them and growing their passion for art in all forms.  There are so many fun things we are going to be working on this year and I hope that you are just as excited as we are to introduce some new and old mediums into their art.  

Artist of the Month of October - Picasso

The month of October has been dedicated to learning and exploring Pablo Picasso.  

Pablo Picasso was born on October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain.  He was the first child of Don Jose Ruiz y Blasco, an art teacher, and Maria Picasso y Lopez.  At an early age Pablo showed an interest in drawing.  His first words were "piz, piz" which is short for "lapiz", the Spanish word for pencil.

At the age of 7 Pablo began receiving art instruction from his father.  His father believed that an artist's training should include copying the masters, and drawing the human body from plaster casts and live models.  The precision of Pablo's painting technique grew, until it soon surpassed that of his father.

 

In 1895 Pablo's father accepted a position at Barcelona's School of Fine Arts.  He asked officials to allow his son to take the entrance exam.  The officials were impressed with Pablo's abilities and admitted him into the academy.  As a student he lacked discipline, though made friends and continued to grow as an artist.

 

At the age of 16 Pablo's father enrolled him in Spain's most distinguished art school, Madrid's Royal Academy of San Fernando.  His instruction at the Royal Academy lasted only a short time however, as he struggled to accept formal instruction.  In spite of these difficulties, his time in Madrid was not wasted.  Pablo visited Madrid's museums and saw the painting of Diego Velasquez and Francisco Goya, though it was the works of El Greco that he admired most.

 

In 1900 Picasso made his first trip to Paris.  At the time Paris was considered to be the art capital of Europe.  While in Paris Picasso's work began to attract the attention of art collectors.  By 1905 he had becomea favorite of American art collectors Leo and Gertrude Stein.  It was through them that Picasso met French artist Henri Matisse.  The two became lifelong friends.

 

In 1907 Picasso painted one of his most important works - Les Desmoiselles d'Avignon - creating with painter and sculptor Georges Braque the brand new art movement known as "Cubism".  Cubism allowed the artist to show his/her model from many different viewpoints.  In the paintings of earlier times, the artist showed his subject from one particular viewpoint.  In cubist paintings the artist may show the front and the side of a persons face at the same time.

 

Pablo Picasso died on April 8, 1973 in Mougins, France.  He is best remembered as the co-founder of Cubism, and for Cubist works Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), Three Musicians (1921) and Guernica (1937).  Pablo Picasso was as a young boy a prodigy, whose skills became an expressive power that profoundly affected the art of the twentieth century.

Realism

the Blue Period

the Rose Period

Expressionism

Cubism

As the month progresses there I will be publishing a post that goes into more detail about Picasso and his life.  I encourage you and your child to visit the library or do some research on-line to really dig into the life and works of Pablo Picasso.  Keep in mind that as with all artists there are different "layers" to their art work, personality and life style.  And though Picasso has gone through his dark days he is remembered as an amazingly diverse artist and we want to encourage the kids to learn about his techniques.

Supply List

Our new art program needs your help!
We need art supplies!

Can you donate any of the following?

oil pastels
chalk pastels
nice paint brushes 
water color palettes 
black matte poster board
white paper 
12 x 18 water color paper 
rolls of paper 
butcher paper

gesso primer
acrylic paints 
masking tape 
elmers glue
plexi-glass pieces 
erasers
vinyl table cloths 
drop cloths 
baby food jars w/lids 

We have a basket inside the entry door of the elementary school as well as by the office to collect donations.  If you aren't sure of what to bring but would still like to contribute we will gladly accept gift cards to Michaels, Hobby Lobby, office supply stores and art specialty stores.  We appreciate all of your support and really look forward to our first day of Art, next Thursday.  Thank you again.