Monet's Water Lily
Claude Monet spent many creative years painting
the water lilies that floated in his water garden in
France. Fascinated by the light bouncing off the
water, he captured his lilies in a quick impression
of colorful strokes. Paint your own impression of a
lily and float it in a water garden.
Vincent's Sunflower Bird Feeder
Vincent van Gogh loved sunflowers! He
painted many luminous canvases of them
using bright, bold, brushstrokes of thick
paint. Here's a van Gogh-inspired treat that
birds will love. Have your sketchpad ready
when they come to visit.
Portrait Gone Wild
Frida Kahlo had an incredible
imagination. When she painted a
portrait of the famous botanist
Luther Burbank she let her
imagination soar. Use Kahlo's ideas
to create a portrait of a famous
person.
Self-Portrait in Swirling Words
Vincent van Gogh painted over 30 self-portraits in
his lifetime. Of them, his portrait made up of swirling
lines of blues and greens is probably his best
known. Paint a self-portrait using van Gogh's color
scheme and express your thoughts in swirling
words.
Paris Shadow Puppet Theater
Paris! During van Gogh's time it was a hotbed of creativity.
One artist designed incredible stage sets using cut-out
figures, called shadow puppets, that were lit from behind. In
the hands of a puppeteer, the figures drifted across a white
silk screen as a story unfolded. Make a mini theater and
entertain your friends with your own shadow plays!
Degas's Tiny Dancer
Dancers were a favorite subject of Impressionist
artist Edgar Degas. He even made sculptures of
them. He dressed one of them in real ballet
slippers, a gauze tutu, and silk bodice. At the
time, no one put real clothes on a sculpture!
Make a little sculpture and decorate it with
accessories that you create.
Every Picture Tells a Story
Mary Cassatt's paintings often give us a glimpse into
someone's home. It's like looking through the
keyhole of a door. We see little slices of life that tell
us a story. Here's a game that gives you the fun of
making up a story about what you see in Cassatt's
painting Young Mother Sewing.
Powerful Pictures and Poems
Diego Rivera was a man with a message. Many of his
colorful paintings and murals express his thoughts
about the hardships of being poor. When poet Maya
Angelou wrote a poem called Still I Rise she used
Rivera's paintings to illustrate her words. Choose a
photo then write a poem about the image.
Make an Aztec Tattoo
Many pre-Columbian cultures
painted decorations on their bodies.
To make these temporary tattoos,
they applied natural pigments to a
clay or stone stamp and pressed it
onto their skin. Make a tattoo of
your own design.
You'll find these activites and more in Carol Sabbeth's art books about Van Gogh, Monet, Kahlo and their friends