Inspired by Famous Paintings

The above image is from an art magazine.....

And below are projects my high school students recently completed based on famous paintings.  Isn't it the best feeling to see young creative minds at work?!

Van Gogh "Almond Blossoms"

Vincent van Gogh "Bedroom at Arles"

George Bellows, "Dempsey and Firpo"

Michaelangelo, "Sistine Chapel"

Vincent van Gogh, "Paris Cafe"

Vermeer, "Girl with Pearl Earring"

Raphael, "School of Athens"

Salvador Dali, "Persistence of Time"

William Beard, "Dancing Bears"

Hokusai,The Great Wave

Leonardo da Vinci, Horse Study

Thanks North County Christian High School art students, 2012-13.

Inspired by Faith Ringgold and Black History

Image by Barbara Company via Flickr

Disclaimer - I saw a lesson online awhile ago inspired by Faith Ringgold and her book, Tar Beach. The teacher had the students use magazine squares around the edges of the paper to give the border a quilted look. To highlight Martin Luther King Jr. day, I wanted to do a similar art lesson. Well, I searched and searched and searched some more for the lesson. I looked everywhere, but do I need to tell you that this "Internet place" is huge? - it reminds me of the kind of sushi I once ate, the more I chewed and tried to swallow, the bigger it got! I searched for so long that it became a competition with myself. I didn't even care about the lesson anymore, I just wanted to find that darn place that I knew it existed. Finally, after an amount of time that I'm too embarrassed to reveal, I gave up. So below is my version of the lesson, and if you know where the Tar Beach lesson is with magazine squares for the border, please send it to me:)



This lesson is simple drawing and collage. It's based on the art piece by Faith Ringgold titled "Coming to Jones Road #4 -Under a Blood Red Sky". It depicts African American slaves sneaking their way through the night, travelling north to freedom.

We used red background paper, cut out & glued on black paper tree trunks, colored the moon - trees- and people with pastels, then glued magazines pieces around the border for a quilted look.

Thank you Flamson Middle School students.

Michelangelo Quote

Image via Wikipedia

"If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all."

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, Italian, (1475 – 1564).

Warm and Cool Flowers

Image by Martin_Heigan via Flickr

For this lesson, we first talk about "warm" and "cool" colors and how they can change the mood of a painting. We also talk about Georgia O'Keeffe and the way she painted flowers. Then students are given the opportunity to paint their own warm, or cool flowers.

Thanks Kermit King Elementary students.

The Great Wave

Image via Wikipedia

This was one of those lessons that turned out better than I could have imagined. The kids were so excited about the subject matter. The giant wave, with the clawlike hands reaching toward the brave fishermen. Mt. Fuji in the background, with the Mt. Fuji wavelet mimicking Japan's most revered mountain. And of course the Yin/Yang symbolism and shape of the wave and the sky. (The 4th grade students doing this lesson knew all about Yin/Yang and were enthused to share with me their knowledge. Needless to say, the skateboard and surfing culture has given kids insight that I wouldn't have expected.)

Since this lesson was so well received, I decided to add it to my collection of PDF lessons available here. The lesson also includes a wonderful story about a time that Hokusai enlisted the help of "chickens" to create some art that earned him an honor among the Shogun military regime in Japan. Big thanks to San Gabriel 4th graders for their art enthusiasm!

Update - June 4, 2025....Here are some fun "knock-offs" of The Great Wave, or as some might call it these days, "Creative Dupes (duplicates)" of The Great Wave.

https://www.artmajeur.com/art-now/en/artworks/11003218/the-big-wave

Artist:  Aaron Kai

Artist:  Tony Fernandez

Artist:  Randal Roberts

Murals inspired by The Great Wave can be found ALL over the world... Keep your eyes open & I'm certain you'll find one!