I teach art at an elementary school, which has stretched me a lot professionally and spiritually as well. The Lord has given me so many ideas for lessons through other teachers, books, and Pinterest (in this day and age? Of course!). I was on the lookout specifically for an art project that would mesh well with Poetry Month in April, and happened upon Paul Klee's Once Emerged From the Gray of Night (1918).
The letters in the poem, Once Emerged From The Gray of Night, written in German by Klee himself, form a dazzling tapestry of shapes and textures. The colors are so stunning, it's hard to believe that Klee once struggled bitterly to grasp the use of color while studying art at the Munich Academy.
I haven't been this inspired and excited by an artist's work in a long time. I just had to find a way to teach this to my students!
As a rule, I like to do a practice run of the art project before presenting it to children. This helps me figure out what would work well in the classroom, and what won't, and plan ahead for what challenges the children and I might face in creating our pieces.
I haven't been this inspired and excited by an artist's work in a long time. I just had to find a way to teach this to my students!
As a rule, I like to do a practice run of the art project before presenting it to children. This helps me figure out what would work well in the classroom, and what won't, and plan ahead for what challenges the children and I might face in creating our pieces.
As I worked on this sample, I had to first decide on what words I would use in my "word painting." Because this was going to be simplified for young children, I was very limited in the amount of space and text. I even used the same school grade art materials my students would be using, in this case, a No. 2 pencil, a black felt marker, and a Crayola watercolor set.
The words from Scripture, "Be still and know that I am God" came to my mind, so I decided on the words "God Still Peace."
The words from Scripture, "Be still and know that I am God" came to my mind, so I decided on the words "God Still Peace."
The finished painting. I think it's pretty awesome that this was made with an itty-bitty Crayola watercolor set!