We wanted to share a little information about how some of the pieces are made:

From the Easel
Each year, we choose a few pieces from each child from their easel paintings to show a sampling of what they do in their moments of totally free and spontaneous art creation. We love them!

Directed Drawing
For our directed drawing projects, a teacher will work with a small group of children, guiding their drawing step by step, and putting all of the shapes together. (e.g. “Let’s all draw a circle for Belle Amie’s head, now add two smaller circles for ears, etc.”) The children often look at their work with amazement that they are capable of doing such complicated drawings made up of simple shapes.

General Information
The Bugs and Crickets are often less inhibited with less fixed ideas about art. Their paintings generally are more expressive than the older children. The Bees are gaining more fine motor control and are becoming increasingly more skilled with detail. Most preschool art is experiential and experimental. The goal is the process rather than the product. The children use high quality paints. The matting and the naming give the paintings an arresting presentation. We always encourage the ‘framing’ of art with a black teacher pen to instill in the child’s mind that the work is complete, it is important, and it is a masterpiece in this moment in time.

We work very hard to give every child the experience of each project offered. Sometimes they just don’t get it done if the absences have been frequent or untimely. With the younger children, we are a little more willing to let them determine whether they are comfortable doing a project, and if we can’t entice them, we may let it go.

Finally, some of the most creative, wonderful, and exciting art your child will ever do happens during the Preschool years. Treasure it! This is because children this age are so full of life and all see themselves as Artists! Many parents choose to have the large paintings professionally framed. We know of these paintings hanging in Seattle law offices, at Microsoft, at Swedish Hospital in Issaquah, as well as in many homes we visit.

Viva l’art, Viva artiste!