This workshop begins with I Spy with My Artist’s Eye, a warm-up game that helps students see the world of nature through their “artist eyes.” Through this exercise, students learn to identify an “artist’s alphabet” of the elements and shapes found in nature. (A poster serves as a quick reference during the sessions.) Once the students have begun to use their “artist eyes,” they explore Herbert Haseltine’s animal sculptures through slides and photographs. Inspired by his work, they create an animal using the “animal alphabet.” These drawings are transferred to watercolor paper and painted with watercolors and oil pastels using a resist technique. The finished work is mounted on a brightly colored card stock, which “frames” the piece. A dramatic finish (optional) is provided as the students use colored paper clips to join the squares to form a paper quilt.
