Virtual Tour of Frida's Blue House

Frida Kahlo's house is now a Museum and you can use the link below to go on a virtual tour of her home.

https://www.museofridakahlo.org.mx/en/ 

Ms. Jane's Moments In Art - Sugar Skulls, Part 2

Moments in Art part 2

Sugar Skulls 

Frida Kahlo and Day of the Dead

•  Frida Kahlo grew up in a house called La Casa Azul (The Blue House) with her parents and six sisters. That house is now the Frida Kahlo museum.
• When she was six, Frida contracted polio, which left her bedridden for months. This cause her right leg to be shorter and thinner than her left.
• In 1922, Frida became one of a few female students to attend school. She enrolled at National Preparatory School and became known as a girl who loved colorful clothes.
•  She enjoyed Politics and Science and as a teenager had dreamed of being a doctor, with art being a side hobby nurtured by her father, who was a photographer.
• In 1925, Frida was involved in a bus accident, that forever changed her life.
• The near-fatal injuries kept Kahlo hospitalized and bedridden for months. It was during this time that Kahlo’s father created a special easel that allowed her to paint in bed. She began to paint away her pain. She underwent dozens of surgeries in her lifetime and was constantly plagued with health issues. 
• Frida married Diego Rivera, a famed Mexican artist in 1929. Frida’s mother did not approve. The two had a complex marriage but were always supportive of each other’s artistic projects.
• Frida was proud and inspired by her Mexican heritage, the bright colors, patterns, natural elements, and symbolism.  She often featured, skulls, flowers, and animals such as monkeys and parrots, in her powerfully detailed self-portraits.
• In 1938, Kahlo held her first major exhibition in New York. About half of her 25 paintings on display were sold. In 1939, Kahlo went to live in Paris for a time. She exhibited some of her paintings and developed a friendship with Pablo Picasso.
• In April 1953, her first solo exhibition in Mexico at the Galería Arte Contemporaneo opened. At the time, Kahlo was on bed rest-doctor’s orders and not expected to attend. However, she arrived by ambulance and had her 4-poster bed moved into the gallery, so she never left her bed as she greeted her guests and admires.
• 55 of her 143 paintings are self-portrait                                                                      

Reference sites:

https://mymodernmet.com/frida-kahlo-facts and  https://www.biography.com/artist/frida-kahlo

 

Ms. Jane's Moments In Art - Sugar Skulls, Part 1

Moments in Art

Sugar Skulls part I 

The Dot - by Peter Reynolds

Spotlight Artist: Yayoi Kusama

 Yayoi Kusama the polka dot princess 

Get to Know Yayoi Kusama

 

• ·      She was born in Matsumoto, Japan 1929, into a wealthy family who owned a plant and seed farm.
• ·      1957, in her 20’s, Kusama relocated to the United State-Seattle then New York City, to become an artist
• ·      She was friends with American artist Georgia O’Keeffe.
• ·      Kusama has stated that “polka dots are a way to infinity.” She calls her fields of polka dots “infinity nets.”
• ·      Yayoi’s early years in the United States were financially difficult but creatively productive.
• ·      She helped pioneer Pop, performance, happenings, and installation art.
• ·      She returned to live in Japan in 1973.
• ·      Yayoi uses fashion and culture as an artistic statement. She has designed everything from handbags to lip gloss and Coke cans.
• ·      Today, Yayoi Kusama currently holds the record for the most expensive artwork sold at auction by a living female artist at $7.1 million in 2014 for White Net No. 28 (1960). Yayoi Kusama is considered the most successful living female artist.

On  November 28, 2019, Kusama’s “Love Flies Up to the Sky” balloon was  part in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,  Kusama’s design is the latest in the Parade’s Blue Sky Gallery series, which invites contemporary artists to create balloons in their distinctive styles — Kusama is the first woman to receive the commission.

2020-2021 Our New Year

 Hello and welcome to our New School Year. Yes we are continuing with distance learning which means that we will all be learning to learn in different and exciting ways! 

Here are some fun coloring pages to start your year with inspiration and creativity, print, color and enjoy. 

Wrapping up 2019-2020

 Wow What A YEAR! But we did it, we worked hard, we worked together and we were successful. Everyone should feel very proud of all they have achieved this year.

I don't know how next year will roll out but please know that I will be there to support you, inspire you and encourage you. 

Stay safe, keep making art, think outside the box but never run with scissors!

with love and kindness,

Ms. Jane 

Let's Make Art! Family Workshop at Home: Keith Haring

Draw your own Keith Haring picture with this fun and informative step by step video 

Porch Stories with Ms. Jane and Mrs. Kane #4

Spotlight Artist: Keith Haring 

working on the grand canvas 

Happy Earth Day image 

Keith Haring and artist/friend Jean Michel Basquiat 

DJ dog 

Keith at work 

Highlights from 2019-20 School Year

Returning unfinished art

 It was hard to send home unfinished pieces but I was so glad that all of the students would have art folders to pick up before the end of the school year. Stay Safe! 

A Moment in Art with Ms. Jane: Collage

Moments in Arts Making a collage 

Romare Bearden

Romare Bearden

 

Porch Stories with Ms. Jane and Mrs. Kane Ep. #3

Spotlight artist this month is the American Collage Master artist Romare Bearden. 

Spot light artist: Yayoi Kusama

 The polkadot princess!