THIRD GRADE

This week has been full of many activities, including time to create special art. Our older grandson's third grade class invited me to his school to share a watercolor lesson with them on Monday.

My demo for his class included a bed of pink and red tulips with a lost baseball tucked between the flowers. They watched attentively, and then it was time to create their own, one-of-a-kind masterpieces.

They loved knowing how to mix colors to make brown and black, and many were quite pleased with their finished paintings. I'd provided the paint palettes filled with primary and secondary colors, as well as the paper and brushes. It was obvious that their imaginations were going strong as they painted.

After painting, the students watched the huge SMART BOARD. (This was the first time I had seen a Smart Board.) Brant's teacher brought up my blog on her computer then the images were enlarged on the Smart Board for the whole class to see.

They enjoyed looking at my paintings on my blog and asked questions about making art. One question, "What is the hardest thing you've ever painted?" was difficult to answer. I explained that for me it was hardest to paint faces that look exactly like the person I am painting. Later I realized that the hardest painting to do was the one of all four of our grandchildren reading a book together. Click here to see that painting.

Yesterday, Brant brought home a huge stack of well composed THANK YOU letters from his class. Several third graders wrote that they would draw and paint a lot now, and many students suggested that I should keep on painting for all my life. I'm going to take that advice for sure. They were so appreciative, and when I get back home, the letters will be displayed in my studio for artists there to enjoy, too.

Thank you, Mrs. Council, for letting me teach about watercolor to your inspiring students. You have so many very good artists in your room!

Tomorrow three First Grade rooms will be learning more about watercolor. What a busy week!