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PALMLAKES ELEMENTARYMAGAZINE SPRING 2015 Premiere IssueInspired by +ExpressiveAfrica Self-PortraitsThe Art ofAbstractionfeaturing ValeryOh, StellaSculpturesART is in our HEART

CONTENTS 12The Art of Abstraction featuring Valery from 3rd grade 4 Inspired by Masks from Africa words by Nikole V. 6 How to Make your Own African Mask instructions by Nikole V.18 Expressive Self-Portraits featuring various artists from 3rd gradePALMLAKES ELEMENTARYMAGAZINE SPRING 2015

24 Mixed Media & Mixed Inspirations featuring artists from 4rd grade28 Award Winning Artist featuring Brandon G. from 4th grade30 Brianna draws in Manga Style featuring Brianna from 5th grade32 Oh, Stella Sculptures words by Elizabeth S. edited by Luis M. & Ms. Borrero

Inspired by Masks from AFRICA Words by Nikole 5th gradeMelissa 5th grade Isabela 5th grade4 PLE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

Do you know anything at all about African masks? John 5th gradeWell, I did not anything about them until I made Chayanne 5th gradeone of them in my art class with Ms .Borrero. Letme tell you what I learned: I learned some cool SPRING 2015 PLE MAGAZINE 5things about them like that people in Africa wearand use them for important ceremonies or religiousactivities. People in Africa dance with them andwear costumes. The masks can bring good spiritsto the people. They bring good luck, health andprotection. When people start carving the masksthey use trees. The main reason why people carvemasks out of trees is because they believe thespirits come from nature of the tree. Pretty coolright? When people have already used them,they put the masks in a dark room to transfer thespirits from the old to a newer mask before theysell it. Also, the masks can look how people wantthem to look. They can be long and thin or thickand large. The masks can be decorated with manythings, for example, beads and shells. In art we alsolearned that most African masks are symmetricalnot asymmetrical. Asymmetrical means that it isequal on both sides but not exactly perfect like thesame size of eyes or mouth. One side of the mouthcan be shaped like a diamond and the other canbe an oval. Symmetrical means that it is equal onboth sides. In class, my mask was symmetrical.To color the masks, we used tints and shades tomake the mask look like they have more depth andlook more 3D or for texture. These are some ofthe things we did in art class for our masks thatwe made. For a tint, you need to mix a color withstrokes of white and for a shade you need to mix acolor with a tiny bit of black making it darker thatforms contrasts. Instead of trees, I used cardboard.I liked my mask very much because I used 3Dcat ears that I made by cutting a triangle andthen tracing it to another piece of cardboard. Thetriangle bent side to side and VIOLA 3D! I alsobent the mask to make it look more 3D. To makethe masks, we used a lot of steps starting with abig sketch in our sketchbooks. Here are all of thesteps I took to make the mask so you can learn.

How to Chayanne 5th grademake yoowunrLuis H. 5th grade Amfraisckan6 PLE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

1. Grab a big big piece of by Nikole 5th grade supplies needed:cardboard. a piece of paper a large cardboard2. Grab your sketchbook or pencil, marker, charcoal oil pastelsa big piece of white copy scissors gluepaper to sketch. palette tempera paints3 Draw the shape of your brushes cup, water, and paper towelsmask (oval or circular.) raffia hole punch4. Start dividing yourshape with a horizontal line Step 4. Step 6.and a vertical line as yourguidelines to have symmetry5. Draw the details that areinside the shape or faceequally.6. On the outside if you wantto have horns ,ears , or tusks Step 5.draw those. . . SPRING 2015 PLE MAGAZINE 7

7. Draw the same design on the 8. Draw the nose, horns, and ears ascardboard, use charcoal, then cut out triangles on the cardboard and cutthe mask. out. Bend it to look 3D.9. You can put a little bit of charcoal 10. Check your mask’s eyes and cutaround so then when you paint it , it them carefully,can look more realistic. 11. Then, you can start painting! So, the basic colors that you can choose for the mask are orange, brown, or yellow . You can even mix those colors too! When you do a little part of the mask, you have to be super quick to put your brush in the water, wipe it on paper, and put it on the white color paint to make the tint.. Next, if you did not put that much charcoal, you can dab your brush on the black color and spread it around the edges -so it can have contrast.12. When you are done painting add the finishing touches and maybe add some more whitecolor if you have too many shades .8 PLE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

13. After you paint, glue on the nose.14. Cut diagonal lines on both sides on the mask, top and bottom. This will make the mask3-dimensional. Overlap the edges and glue. Hold until dry. Glue on ear and horns to theback on the mask. 15. Add oil pastel dots and lines to decorate. SPRING 2015 PLE MAGAZINE 9

16. Punch holes that are the same on both sides. 17. Add raffia, using the lark’s head technique.10 PLE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

Then you are done with your personal mask! Yay! So now that you learned about these traditional masks , Whynot make one? It will be so much fun! You can make one that fitsyou . Maybe a colorful one to show how creative you are or onewith many different designs that show your personality. SPRING 2015 PLE MAGAZINE 11

The Art of Abstraction Artist Valery explains her inspiration and the meanings behind her paintings. words by Melissa R., Luis F, Valery, and Ms. Borrero12 PLE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

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untitled Acrylic on canvas After talking to Ms.Borrero about another painting, she said that maybe I could try splattering the paint. I experimented and this is what I made. My river of Natural Color Acrylic on canvas I was thinking about a river.14 PLE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

My reflection.Acrylic on canvasI was thinking about myself in a mirror and another mirror ...on and on. SPRING 2015 PLE MAGAZINE 15

Why do you make abstract paintings instead of drawing images? I want to make abstract work because it is easier for me to express myself. Drawing for me is hard and this kind of [abstract] painting makes it easy for me to create paintings that only I know what they mean. What was your inspiration to start painting? My friend Sofi started painting before me and I wanted to start painting ever since I had seen her paintings. I started when I was 4 or 5 years old and I taught myself to paint.16 PLE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

Aquario, Acrylic on CanvasI am Aquarius and I love the color blue.How many paintings do you have and what materials do you use?I have 10 or more and I use acrylic paint and canvas. SPRING 2015 PLE MAGAZINE 17

Expressive SELF-PORTRAITS mixed media watercolor artwork and haiku poems They are mean to me. They are really mean to me. They call people names. -brianna 3rd grade18 PLE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

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It goes upside down.I’m scared of roller coasters. I’m not used to that. - Michael 3rd grade I’m really sad.I am really over it.Dad loves me a lot. -Angelo 3rd grade SPRING 2015 PLE MAGAZINE 21

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Monsters frighten me.Horrible, gooey, and big. They are disgusting. -Aemy 3rd grade SPRING 2015 PLE MAGAZINE 23

Mixed media & mixed inspirations Painting together to enter artwork for the Museum show mixed media: collage, ink, pencil, gouache, & acrylic paint on cardboard. mixed inspirations: Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat24 PLE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

words and photography by Ms. Borrero The Annual Museum Show is an exhibition of artworks that were created by students who attended field trips to museums, galleries, or other art locations throughout the year. The program is funded through the school system and is free of charge for students. For the entries, students were asked to draw Keith Haring style figures in a theme that was important to each individual student. Then I selected random students who understood the assignment: to create a unique theme that had the Keith Haring simple figure style. Students who were chosen were then asked to pair up by chosing another student whose artwork would work well with their own. The students who began their collaborative project cut out their SPRING 2015 PLE MAGAZINE 25

sketches and arranged them on a cardboard. Then, they were given gouache (opaque watercolors) and acylic paints. The students were shown the artwork on Jean-Michel Basquiat. The painterly technique and the use of words served as the inspiration for the collage/painting. Students were then asked to title the paintings for submission into the Annual Museum Show. Two out of the three painting made it in the show. Jose in front of his artwork collaboration with Deivys Martinez, Electronic Infection, Mixed Media on Cardboard, 201526 PLE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

Beatriz DelRisco and Marcos Medina, Freedom Love Peace, mixed media on cardboard, 2015 Jose Morales and his lovely family were able to come to the Museum Education show opening. I asked Jose, “What was it like to see your art in the museum?” Jose replied, “It felt good. It felt like I was famous. I felt like it was an achievement.” I had an opportunity to talk to Linda Mangual, the Lead Museum Educator that guided our field trip to the Rubell Family Collection. She said that the student work of Jose Morales, Deivys Martinez, Beatriz DelRisco and Marcos Medina had a sophisication to it . If she didn’t know it was student work, she would have thought it was the art of a working artist. That was such a big compliment for me and my students.Superintendent Carvalho gave aspeech about the arts. SPRING 2015 PLE MAGAZINE 27

AWARD WINNING artist Brandon from 4th grade After submitting a few artworks into the Annual Student Show, I (Ms. Borrero, art teacher) received an email stating that Brandon was awarded the D.A.E.A. Renay Rossi Award of Excellence. Here is some information about the award from the D.A.E.A. website. RENAY ROSSI AWARD OF EXCELLENCE The Renay Rossi Award of Distinction was established to honor an amazing art educator. Annually an average of twenty-four awards are bestowed at district-wide exhibitions each year. DAEA recognizes an artist in the elementary, middle, and high school level for their works of distinction. Currently this award is funded through membership and as such is awarded to the most deserving student of a member.28 PLE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

After listening to a live band and eating atthe Bakehouse Complex. Brandon acceptedhis award (from Mortimer Hechavarria,D.A.E.A. president and Mabel Morales,District Supervisor for Visual Arts.) Heglanced towards his family in the audience.They were so happy for him. SPRING 2015 PLE MAGAZINE 29

Brianna, a 5th grader, who has been drawing since she was 5 years old. She started drawing in the Manga style of Japanese comic book illustration. when she was in second grade. Currently she focuses on adding shading and dimension to her drawings. She draws with her sketchbook in her hand while standing up and has completed 4 sketchbooks. In the future, she wishes to pursue a career in fashion design.30 PLE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

Briannadraws inMangastyle SPRING 2015 PLE MAGAZINE 31

Oh, Stella Sculptu res! words by Elizabeth edited by Luis M. and Ms. Borrero Frank Stella is an American painter who has made many sculptures. Frank Stella made a relief sculpture called Jarama II. He was inspired by the sporting activity of car racing. He used the color red to show how fast and exciting it was. He also used a lot of curvy and zigzag lines to show the fast and quick movements. My sculpture is related to Frank Stella’s because when he paints and makes sculptures, he thinks about the things he loves. The inspiration that made me create my sculpture was fishing and swimming. It is just something that I really love. I thought about fish. Fish swim. Fish come from rivers. Rivers have rocks. In my opinion, fishes are quick, they spin, and have great navigation skills. In my scuplture I used squares for rocks, because when I went back to Cuba, the rocks in the river were smooth and looked like squares. Elizabeth S., The River’s Edge, Paper, 201432 PLE MAGAZINE SPRING 2015

River’s Edge detail Below is another abstract relief sculpture. Can you see the inspiration for the shapes and patterns?Isabella A., Subway, Paper, 2014 SPRING 2015 PLE MAGAZINE 33