Eau Claire in the Future, by EI Artists

EI Students explored the variety of architectural styles found right here in our community for our architecture unit.  Using our Eau Claire Landmark books, students were able to pick and choose architecture to create their own neighborhood, adding some very cool 3D skyscrapers in the background to show what Eau Claire might look like in the future.  Students worked extremely hard on these, drawing large shapes first and then working down to the smaller details to recreate their chosen architecture.  Enjoy!

Henry Matisse: Painting on Paper or Painting with Scissors?

Henri Matisse is known for his bright, cheerful paintings, as well as his collage work, which he called "Painting with Scissors."  Matisse discovered his love of painting as a young man, while spending time in the hospital for a serious illness.  Afterwards he spent most of his time in France, painting outdoor scenes from his windows, interiors of his home, and portraits of various family members.  He was especially known for his creative use of color (bright, cheerful, and unnatural) and for this reason was associated with a group of painters known as the "Fauves," meaning wild beasts.  As Matisse aged, he was riddled with health issues once again.  When he became too ill to stand at a canvas and paint, he began working with collage, cutting organic shapes from bright paper and gluing them together to create vivid works of art.  He referred to his process as painting with scissors.
EI students were able to choose between drawing/painting or collage and began working after creating a few sketches.  Check out the amazing art they created!

EI Landscapes, inspired by Grant Wood!

Here are the results of EI student's first big art project of the new school year!  We learned about Grant Wood, an artist who grew up in Iowa.  Grant painted landscapes that reflected the mid-west region that he lived in.  Since Wisconsin is part of the same region, students could relate the paintings to what we see when we leave Eau Claire and travel throughout the farmland that surrounds our community.  Students focused on creating a sense of deep space in their landscapes and considered a color scheme based on the time of day and season they wanted to depict.  Enjoy!