Katelyn Smith

For the past few years, I have tried to focus on contemporary artists in my daily lessons so students can recognize artists who are living and working today.

On my most recent trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I had the opportunity to visit Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel, where I saw the artwork of Melissa Scherrer Paré. Her exhibition, Natural Selection, featured silk paintings and three-dimensional vases made from paper pulp. The bright colors and organic shapes immediately caught my eye. The inclusion of these elements and various forms from nature was breathtaking.

Paré received an MFA in photography from the University of Illinois–Chicago and a BFA from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Her work has been exhibited nationally and throughout Wisconsin, including at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts, the Villa Terrace Art Museum, and the Portrait Society Gallery.

Lesson Development
I was instantly inspired to create a lesson for my second graders, since one of their units focuses on nature. Many of my students struggle with drawing nature accurately, so I thought having them try it in an expressionistic way would help build their resilience. I knew students would enjoy viewing Paré’s work because of its bright, bold colors.

What I enjoyed most about this lesson is that Paré is a contemporary artist who continues to create today, allowing my students to connect with a living artist.

I incorporated nature into my lesson and provided essential questions to address how nature—specifically plants and flowers—helps our environment. We also discussed the types of plants we see in our community.

A Focus on Texture
On the first day of the lesson, I gave students a 12 x 18" (30 x 46 cm) piece of paper. We reviewed why nature is important and discussed the art element of texture. We discussed how texture can be seen throughout the natural world and came up with some examples, like leaves and sand.

Using oil pastels, students chose from a variety of texture plates (including leaf ones) and were asked to fill their entire paper by rubbing them to create an abstract background. I asked them to use vibrant colors like Paré.

After covering their entire paper, students used neon tempera cakes to paint over their textured drawings. They were fascinated by the bright colors, and each piece looked unique.

Exploring Form and Shape
On the second day, we looked at the paper-pulp vases Paré creates. We discussed how she makes them from recycled paper and how they are three-dimensional. This connected the lesson once again to nature as we talked about how paper comes from trees, concluding that the natural world is incorporated into her work.

Students also enjoyed revisiting Paréʼs silk paintings and had fun explaining what they noticed, pointing out the various elements. I shared my experience of seeing her works in person. Through examining her artwork, we identified the difference between organic and geometric shapes.

I provided handouts that feature various organic shapes and encouraged students to paint them across their textured backgrounds from the previous class using fluorescent neon and pearl tempera paint.

Reflection
On the final day of the lesson, we conducted a class critique by viewing one another’s artwork. We discussed how we can find beauty in nature by looking at art and the world around us.

Students were then given paint sticks and oil pastels and encouraged to outline the shapes they had painted and fill in the negative space around the organic shapes they created.

What I enjoyed most about this lesson is that Paré is a contemporary artist who continues to create today, allowing my students to connect with a living artist while confidently exploring organic shapes in their own work.

Katelyn Smith is an elementary art teacher in Annapolis, Maryland. She is the Region 4 Representative for the Maryland Art Education Association. katelynblackartist@gmail.com

Inspired by Nature