Water and Sky, Step 2 Trees

After talking about the shades of blue found in the sky and water in the Blue Pond, Hakkaido photo, the children painted two separate sheets of white construction paper using tempera on one and liquid watercolor on the other in Water and Sky, Step 1.

At circle time, we brainstormed about how to paint the trees in the photo and even about how to position the now joined papers on table (with the sky towards the painter so that the trees are actually painted upside down.) After snack, the children got to work. The trees are painted with brown/black tempera. This paint was pulled from our glass easel paint jars and the water in it has mostly evaporated, leaving a pudding-like consistency (very thick).

Once the trees were finished, the two sides were folded on top of each other. Symmetry, not so much, but trees reflected in water...absolutely.

Water and Sky, Step 1

Blue Pond, Hakkaido

National Geographic brings us a photo a day. November 10, 2011. Stunning.

The bare trees, with snow covered branches, rise up out of the bluest water. The trees and drifting snow flakes are reflected in the water. The trees stand stark agains the white sky.

It is the time of year when our 4- and 5-year olds explore medium, materials, and composition during a bridge between the Sense of Place and Sense of Self units. We play with possibilities and learn about constraints. To do this, we look at illustrations in books, in artwork we have seen around town or at home, or in this particular case, a photograph of the Blue Pond in Hakkaido.

I looked at the photo and thought symmetry. Squirting/trailing paint onto a piece of paper and folding it to discover the halves of a whole is always fun. Now imagine joining two pieces of paper, each painted using different kinds of paint, and THEN applying the lines of paint to find the mirrored lines. Imagine that each half of paper represented sky or water and that the lines, mirrored, are trees standing against one and reflected in the other. Symmetry!

We used white and blue tempera for the sky and shades of blue and green liquid watercolor for the pond.

The tempera paint is applied for sky. It was interesting to watch how the children
changed their painting technique between the two. Sky was grand gestures
with swirling paint. Water flowed in waves and ripples.