"A line is a dot that went for a walk," -Paul Klee

Kindergarten and 1st Grade Explore Line and Color!!

Our first project this year explored dots and how different artists have used dots in their artwork, namely Wassily Kandinsky and Friedenreich Hundertwasser. We are now exploring what happens when a dot moves by examining the work of Paul Klee, who famously said, "A line is a dot that went for a walk."

On day 2 we observed how we created new shapes when our line touched as it moved across the paper. We read Mouse Paint, by Ellen Stoll Walsh, and talked about how the Primary Colors (red, yellow and blue) mix to make all of the colors we see and know, including the Secondary Colors (orange, green and purple). Students then set out to fill the shapes they created the week before using only the Primary Colors, and mixing them to make new colors.

In the final stages of our exploration of line and color, students will be given white in addition to the Primary Colors, to complete their paintings. We will look at the abstract line paintings of Paul Klee and talk about the different images we imagine in the shapes he created using just one or two lines. Each class will then take a "Gallery Walk" and look at all of the paintings done by their classmates, thinking about what these abstract creations make them think of. As an extension, students will have time to draw based on the things they observed in each others' paintings.

Here are some pictures of the works in progress. Stay tuned for future pictures of finished works.