SNAPSHOTS

Kim Lopez

Students began this project by discussing works of Post-Impressionists, especially Vincent van Gogh. We talked about how the texture in van Gogh’s landscapes were achieved with thick applications of paint.

Students drew an organic shaped tree on a piece of paper. I asked that their trees completely fill the upper three-quarters of the paper, branching all the way to the edge of the drawing. Starting with a horizon line below the tree branches, middle and foreground areas were added. Once the drawings were completed, students rolled out a slab of clay about the thickness of a finger. They laid their drawings on top of the slab and traced them onto the clay.

Students used various tools to carve out the background and add textures, patterns, and details. When the tiles were dried and fired, students painted their landscapes black. Finally, they used metallic paint and colored pencils.

Kim Lopez is an art teacher at Exeter Junior High School
in Reading, Pennsylvania. kalopez@exetersd.org