Tempera Painting Day Two

Tempera Painting, Day Two 

Background: We have opened the tempera painting station after most other studio techniques and practices are in place, practiced, and automatic.  The intent of the painting station is to allow a conservative use of paint while encouraging experimentation and repeated use of paint, brushes, and grounds.  In the first day of painting we cover procedures, care of art materials, and encourage an open-ended experimentation with color.  This lesson narrative describes the middle and end of a 3-5 class period unit.

After students have one day of experimentation on cardboard or painting paper, they place their paintings on the drying rack to dry for the next week.  When they return, they are introduced to contemporary artist Tim Okamura.  Tim is a Japanese-Canadian painter living in New York.

Tim paints people of color, primarily women, in his paintings.  These paintings are rich in texture and carry emotional weight, his compassionate treatment of his subjects allow students to read into his paintings and have a discussion.

Essential Question: How do artists paint?  How do artists express ideas in a painting?

I invite our artists to consider each work and talk among each other.  

The early prompt is simply, "What do you think?"

Students who show a willingness to engage are also asked, "Why do you think he painted this?"

Others more hesitant to offer can be asked if they agree with others.

After some discussion, we end on the ones that reference Rosie the Riveter, the We Can Do It! poster.

 I hang this poster in the classroom as a way to not only talk about why art is made, but also to remind students to roll up their sleeves when they start making art! Students will be very used to seeing this image and Tim's referencing of the iconic image is instantly recognized.

The artists in the studio have immediately discovered the connection and offer differences between the two.  We then move toward a more guided discussion, covering a few concepts that are repeated themes foe every grade:

• artists speak in a visual language 
• artists use images from the past to say something relevant today
• artists engage with their artwork (painting in several layers)

There are other tie-ins to other units, namely units that feature Norman Rockwell.  We discuss why women would need to be recruited for work when Rosie the Riveter was painted.

Students return to Okamura's work, and are asked to identify the colors of the underpainting, seen at the bottom of the work.   This is the skill builder for today: creating an underpainting.

Student work from the previous class (Tempera techniques and experimentation) are shown, and the most unfinished ones are featured as being "fantastic underpaintings!"  This leads to the TAB philosophy question: "What do artists do?  They work more than one time on their artworks!  They reflect and revise!"  Artists are tasked with painting over their original paintings, and are encouraged to see how colors blend, which colors are transparent or opaque, how paint feels when it is applied on top of one another.

Fantastic base coats...

There is no exemplar nor any expectation of what is to be painted.  Artists who are blocked are encouraged to paint what they care most about, something they enjoy, or something they know a lot about.  This allows students to engage with each other as they work, sharing what they're painting how they're doing it.

Inclusion and differentiation for varied learners: This choice-based unit eliminates the necessity of a student to work at a particular level.  This same lesson has been successful with 1st grade levels through 5th grade and adaptive art classes as well, with limited adaptation to complexity of vocabulary and time spent on contemporary issues.  Students at varying skill levels can achieve the learning objectives by participating in the process.  Note that there are no learning objectives that require a student to paint a particular subject or style.  This accommodates students of differing cultural backgrounds, interests, and skill levels.  Students who are proficient at the tasks can be guided toward increasingly complex levels of idea generation and craftsmanship without adjusting the lesson.  Artists can engage in student-led learning that begins at their current level.  

WHERE THIS LEADS (Days 3,4,5):  This process of painting over the top of an overcoat is part of the scaffolding for the introduction of "Wonderful Original Works of Art." (WOW for short)  Creating revisions during experimentation will be reflected in a written artist's statement.  These statements take place upon completion, with me asking questions to the student, and filling out the form together.  During this process I get to both formatively and formally assess student progress.

Learning Objectives:  Using tempera paint, students will create and revise a painting that shows mastery of using layers and revision.  Students will respond to and communicate these objects in an artist statement.

Vocabulary and Important Concepts:  Underpainting, layering of color, Tim Okamura, People of Color, "Why do people make art?" Art as a Language. 

Teaching Artistic Behavior: Artists Engage.  Artists Reflect and Revise.  Artists Explore Art Worlds.

State Standards and Rationale:

    A.A.Cr.4.i: Investigate:  Students experiment with studio skills, techniques, materials, tools and elements and principles of art and design through practice.  Artists experiment with layering of tempera painting and are allowed multiple class periods to practice these skills.

A.A.Cr.6.i: Make: Utilize more complex media to express an idea and expand knowledge of tools and techniques, with attention to craftsmanship.  Artists explore ideas through painting, and practice expressing those ideas through a written artists statement. Artists engage with their artworks and create completed paintings of a higher craftsmanship level than single-layer paintings with lots of open space.

A.A.Pr.4.i: Develop Meaning: Explore and make connections through comparison of artwork from personal, historical, and contemporary artists.  Students explore and make connections between contemporary artists (Tim Okamura) and modern artists from American history (Norman Rockwell), they compare these artists in discourse with each other and the instructor.

A.A.Pr.5.i: Communicate: Using art and design vocabulary, communicate ideas and artistic process through verbal and written descriptions.  Student artists use vocabulary, important concepts, and their process through a written artist's statement.

A.A.Pr.6.i: Share: Create, share, and exhibit pieces from an ongoing artistic portfolio. Students are encouraged to work, reflect, revise, or start over on their artwork.  Artwork that has a completed artists statement is displayed with the statement as part of a show.

A.A.R.6.i: Describe: Describe details, subject matter, and the context of an artwork. Students engage in discussion or artwork and contemporary issues.  Students describe the subject matter and context of the artwork in their artist's statements.

A.A.R.9.i: Inquire: Determine an artist’s intent by identifying the details, subject matter, and context of an artwork. Student artists are engaged in conversation about the details (underpainting) subject matter (women of color) and context (COVID, equity) in their comparison of contemporary (Okamura)  and modern (Rockwell) artworks.

Sample artist statement:

Artist Statement

Name_______________________  Class____________________

I made ______________________________________________________________________

I used _______________________________________________________________________

It is important to me because_____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

I am proud of _________________________________________________________________

I tried really hard to ____________________________________________________________

I learned_____________________________________________________________________

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