From "Goob" Club to "Dust" Club:

First and Second Graders in Mrs. LeBlanc's Class Continue a Unique Exploration of Materials 

In the February 2008 "Archives" section of this art blog, there is a description of how the students in Mrs. LeBlanc's class discovered a sticky, gooey substance that appeared on an eraser when trying to erase oil pastel. The children named their discovery "goob" and developed a process of making goob as a material to use in collaborative art projects. Please read that section for background information.

As a continuation of creating with materials in a raw form, the children expressed an interest in breaking down chalk into dust. They've found a variety of ways to scrape, step on, or smash the chalk effectively. One student noticed that the color of the chalk deepens when it becomes wet and "we could paint with it." The children began experimenting with wetting the brushes first and painting on a ball clay sculpture.  

The ball sculpture below was first painted with a green acrylic paint. As the children brushed on the brown and yellow chalk dust, the green shifted to more subtle neutral tones.  The sculpture was then spray-fixed to prevent the dust from coming off. Some children are already planning to paint their individual clay projects in this manner rather than the traditional method of glazing the piece.
One student has made another connection. She presented the idea to friends that we might use the dust in our cloud paintings. Currently, the children are practicing the process of layering paints to build up an image from the background to the foreground by observing photographs of sunsets, thus making cloud paintings.

Students are practicing by painting one of the two sunset images shown below. Once these reproduction paintings are complete, the children will be asked to take photographs of clouds or sunsets that appeal to them, bring in a printed picture, and recreate the painting. This coincides nicely with a study of the atmosphere, meteorology, weather patterns, and cloud formations. I look forward to the ways in which these seemingly individualized projects are becoming integrated.

Parents, I will soon be sending home a letter asking you to assist your child in taking pictures of the sky. I aim to send it home on Monday, October 5th. 

Posted on October 1, 2008 2:07 PM | Permalink