This fall I invited my former elementary Art Teacher, Kathy Calhoun, to be a guest Artist-in-Residence and assist with leading Mrs. Moore’s 4th grade class in painting a huge mural for the Wyland Foundation. Creating a 5′ x 10′ mural on canvas was quite a challenge, but the students tackled it with enthusiasm. First, the class brainstormed & discussed ideas, and volunteers sketched designs to present next class. Then, the students voted on their favorite design and talked about how to incorporate other ideas. Each student had a part in painting the mural from start to finish, including the background wash, human figure, and individual sea creatures. Students even had a chance to do a small scale study of their fish on canvas board. Mrs. Calhoun demonstrated how to enlarge images with a projector and use the chalk transfer method to draw their images proportionally. Students used acrylic paints and paint pens/markers to create their artwork. Even though we didn’t win the national contest, everyone was satisfied with the outcome of the mural and it will be proudly displayed in the hallway outside the Art Room!
