5th Grade was studying Georgia O'Keeffe this year and one of the teachers asked if I could do a class mural. O'Keeffe is one of my inspirations so I was more than happy. We looked at her painting, "Poppy 4". The class is a small group of about 10 - a fairly challenging group to get "interested" in a project. But I'll tell you - this project really brought the best out of all of the kids - mostly their spirits.
We used chalk pastel, and I demonstrated how to blend colors, add whites and browns for tints and shades. Students were illustrating great communication and teamwork as they worked with each other to match the colors of the square next to them. I enjoyed seeing that some students colored their squares individually - using colors that they perceive in the painting, rather than trying to exactly match the O'Keeffe's painting or their neighbor's colors.
