Homeschool Art Lesson — Jackson Pollock

A week or two ago, my sweet neighbor Michelle told me she would like to do an art project with my kids.  See, her mom is a 4th grade teacher and recently taught her students about Jackson Pollock.  She shared her PowerPoint presentation with Michelle who, in turn, wanted to share it with us.

Today, Michelle came over with the presentation, paint, canvasses, and other supplies.  She taught us that Pollock’s work is considered abstract expressionism and then showed some examples of his work.

 

 

 

 

We discussed how this style of painting is much more than dripping & splashing paint onto a canvas.  The kids talked about how each painting made them feel and about what emotions they though Pollock might have been experiencing when he created each piece.  Then, Michelle showed us a video of Pollock himself  that I thought was very interesting.  Notice his boots.  I was fascinated by his boots.

 

 

Then, it was time to head outside and try our hands at his methods.  Michelle brought 2 smaller canvasses (one for each of the kiddos) and one larger one (it will hang in her living room).

Elliott started on hers first.  She declared that she was happy and she wanted her painting to represent that.  She chose pink and yellow to start with and then incorporated more colors as she went.

 

 

 

 

Before long, we all had dabs, sprinkles and smears of paint on us.  Every artist needs a little paint on her nose, right?

 

 

While Alex waited his turn, he brought out a LEGO artist to go with the theme of the day.

 

 

Little sister was really getting into her painting at this point.

 

 

Everyone chipped in and soon her canvas was set aside to dry.

 

 

Next up: Alex.  He is very excited about a fun weekend he has planned with his best friend, so he wanted to show that excitement with some orange and blue paint.

 

 

 

 

He added some other colors and decided it was just right.

 

 

Things were getting pretty messy by now.  “Hey, Mom? I think I have a little something on my face….”

 

 

 

 

Then we all grabbed some paint and started slinging it onto the large canvas.  Michelle wanted her painting to feel joyful, so there are lots of bright colors in hers.  However, I forgot to take a photo when it was done, so that might come in a later post.

 

 

Like I said: messy.

 

 

After the paintings were put away to dry and the supplies were stored away, the only mess left was…..well, everywhere.

 

 

 

 

Michelle, thank you so much for doing this. The kids had a blast and I look forward to more art days in the backyard!

 

 

Homeschooling parents:  I highly recommend Jackson Pollock Day for a great art lesson.  I’ll be looking for ideas for future art projects, so feel free to leave suggestions of your favorite artists and styles.  What art lessons have you tried and loved?