TITLE: Van Gogh and Japanese Woodblock Inspired Irises

SIZE: 12" x 18"

DESCRIPTION: Our Kindergarteners learned about Vincent Van Gogh’s extensive Japanese woodblock collection and then viewed a selection of Van Gogh’s paintings that included irises. We examined Van Gogh’s paint strokes and use of color and shading to create irises that were each as individual as our students. We learned about the structure of irises, the shapes of the leaves and stems, and the variability of iris coloration found in nature. We then used oil pastels to draw our leaves and stems, trying to remember the shapes we had just reviewed. To create our iris masterpieces, we dribbled each student’s choice of paint colors in an L shape at the top of our paper canvas. The paper was then folded in half lengthwise and the paint smoothed into shape. We then unfolded the paper to reveal the unique iris masterpiece created. This was a very exciting project as we had a single paint station and each masterpiece was revealed to cheers, oohs, and ahs from the gathered students.