Honeybee Abstract Collaborative

Mixed media with transfers on wood board

Artist and parent Paul Fujita worked with the Honeybees to create this one-of-a-kind work of art, where each child was given artistic freedom to paint, draw, and color however they pleased! Paul used an acrylic image process to transfer the children’s art onto the student-created backdrop.

Watercolor assembled in shadow box

The Eagles made observational drawings of local flora and fauna using black ink on white water-color paper, and then painted them with colorful watercolors. Parent volunteers cut out and assembled these pieces into two stunning 3D paper collages in shadow boxes.  

Garden Drawings Table

Original art transfers on reclaimed wood table.
The children created illustrations of what they would find in a backyard, vegetable garden, or parkland, inspired by the fruits, vegetables, leaves, twigs, and pine cones in their classroom. Parents then worked to assemble the pieces onto a beautiful table.

Neurons that Fire Together, Wire Together

Handmade book, black ink on paper

Our 2nd graders will tell you that the initial stages of learning sometimes can be hard, because big jumps are needed to form new neural pathways. As children practice, the path becomes smoother and easier to travel. These children’s drawings capture the connections they are forming between neurology, forests, and life at school. Their combined images illustrate their journey through this year.

GLISTEN

Hand painted paper, glass beads, and acrylic on canvas

Our 3rd graders learn about water sources, cleaning techniques, conservation, access, storage, and habitats throughout the year. Since water is such a core focus for them, they decided to take an abstract approach to it. Starting with a medium-toned blue canvas, they painted, cut, and glued watercolor paper to the canvas to represent the appearance of water at different depths. They attached glass beads to the surface to represent how sunlight glistens on water.

Unadulterated

Black and colored ink prints on paper

“Unadulterated” refers to our intention that the project be purely about children’s art, not adult manipulation of it. Each child made a foam carving and used black or colored ink to transfer the image onto paper. Their ideas included everything from animal and migration themes, to sports, rock and roll, and groovy graphic patterns. A genuine 4th grade tour de force.

Handmade floor lamp, Japanese Washi paper on gold-painted natural stick frame

A work of collaborative beauty. Connecting to their study of fruits and plants, the students created images of botanical items from small pieces of colorful Washi paper, which they attached to a lampshade. It was a delicate and often difficult process because of the fragility of the Washi paper. The overall effect is one of colorful, delicate, poetic blossoms strewn wistfully across the gently illuminated paper to create a unique and organic piece of functional art.