Our littlest learners hit the art studio last week to meet Mr. Brush and learn about The Dot, and launch their journey as Beasley artists.
The Dot is a book by Peter H. Reynolds that shares the story of a little girl who is convinced she is not an artist. Her teacher encourages her to start by just making a mark, and see where that leads her. She does, and before she knows it, she’s exploring artmaking and her own self. International Dot Day celebrates the power and potential of millions of people around the world connecting, collaborating, creating, and celebrating all that creativity inspires and invites.
This year, International Dot Day landed on September 15, and Lower School Art Teacher Sarah Garner brought the celebration to Beasley. Junior Kindergarten artists listened to a read-aloud of The Dot and then set to work creating dots of various sizes on their paper with “invisible lines.” They used white oil pastels on white paper. “It is only when watercolor paint is added that the lines and dots begin to appear,” said Garner. “It’s called a water-resist technique where the water and oil separate, making the lines visible. The JK artists think they are magic when this happens!”
The class is also focusing on routines—learning to use watercolor paints and the story of Mr. Brush—to take care of their art and the art studio. Students are focusing on the Studio Habit of “Develop Craft,” which means “I can learn to use tools and materials and the practices of an art form, share materials with others, begin to demonstrate safe and correct use of procedures with materials and tools while making art, and identify various art materials.
“Ask any JK artist and they will tell you how Mr. Brush likes to dance on the paper to make marks,” said Garner. “Only on tiptoes, though! Mr. Brush does not like spider legs or duck feet, and he loves high fives to get extra water off the tiptoes.”
It looks like our JK students are well on their way to becoming happy, productive artists, and we are certain that they are, indeed, magicians.