SMMARTideas

SMMART ART:

 Natasha Wescoat "Jeweled Trees"

We have been having a "formal" art class each month at home.  It's a chance to share a more in depth look at artists and technique... which means a little more prep by mom.  This month we made our own version of Natasha Wescoat's "Jeweled Trees".  We learned about Wassily Kandinsky in last month's home art class. You can see the influence that Wassily Kandinsky's concentric circles have on art years after he lived.  Natasha Wescoat's leaves are little concentric circles.

Natasha Wescoat is known for her "Jeweled Trees" collection of whimsical trees with jewel like circle leaves.  The leaves remind me of Kandinsky's circles.  "I want the viewer to feel the movement, energy, and life coming from the artwork. I want my art to force people to smile again. We all need a little sweetness. A pick-me-up when the world gets too heavy. We can’t be serious all the time. ”— Natasha Wescoat.

We talked about trees.  Trees have roots, trunks, branches, leaves, buds, fruit, flowers...  Trees can be large and strong or thin and frail, twisted like a Monterey Cypruss or straight like a poplar.

We painted our trees with tempura paint and used the paint as glue to secure little sequence circles into the centers of our jewel leaves.

You can even encourage your little artists to paint nests, beehives, birds or other tree-dwelling creatures.  If you are quite fancy, you could create mini origami flowers to adorn your jeweled trees.