Visual Arts

In the art classes at Oak Hill Academy each student’s creativity and individual expression is encouraged. We focus on acceptance and experimentation as we open the doors for artistic and personal growth.

While keeping a relaxed and enjoyable setting, students in all grades learn art history; study a minimum of five artists per grade and several art movements while learning various art methods such as ceramics, printmaking, drawing, painting and functional design techniques.

We focus on respect; respect for our own work, the work of others, and the art supplies. We learn to set up, clean up, follow directions, use time management, and how to positively critique ourselves. We use our past to grow and make each work better than the last.

Art work on display

Students’ work will always be proudly displayed around the school. In addition to the bulletin boards and display cases, all students have the opportunity to enter art contests. We also participate in the annual Monmouth Day Care Center’s scholarship fundraiser. Students create illustrations for select advertisers for a journal to be published in the newspaper. First grade through seventh grade students submit drawings to be selected and included in the next year’s school calendar.

Most grades at Oak Hill have the opportunity to draw outside on the school campus depending on the weather. We focus on using the Elements of Art and the Principles of Design to enhance our work; especially value, movement, composition, and balance. All grades do at least one ceramic project where they design and under glaze and the teacher top glazes and fires the clay with the use of the kiln in the classroom. All grades will have the opportunity to draw a still life in the classroom. Depending on the grade, students will draw with pencil, pen, pastel or paint with watercolor or acrylic paint.

1st Grade

In the students’ first year of art at Oak Hill they cover many aspects of art. They do two ceramic projects including the pinch and slab methods. They learn about symmetry and create a symmetrical beaded necklace. They also learn about mosaics and create a mosaic tile trivet, and matt weaving. They learn about the primary and secondary colors while painting with acrylic and tempera paint. In first grade we do multiple projects that involve cutting to improve scissor skills. We also work with glue and other various materials to prepare them for future projects. We study Post Impressionist Vincent Van Gogh and learn to draw facial features and a self portrait. They learn to use they letter Y to create a Y-tree with sharpies and watercolor to make a winter or summer tree.

2nd Grade

The second grade continues with the use of primary colors while studying the Non-Objective artist Piet Mondrian while creating animals with a Mondrian twist. They also incise drawings into a sheet of foam and do multiple prints with ink using a brayer. They learn the slab method of hand built ceramics and make an imprinted tile. They study author and artist Eric Carle and work in a group to make an animal based on one of his famous books using tiny pieces of multi colored paper to create a large mural finished with mod podge. They also study Romera Bearden, Henry Matisse, and Marcel Ducamp to create a ripped paper collage.

3rd Grade

In the third grade we use model magic to construct a coil pot, we use markers to color and marble the white model magic while learning about color mixing and complimentary colors. We use the slab method to create a hanging hand-imprinted ceramic plaque. Shrinkey Dink film is used to design key chains; paper is used for weaving a blanket to tuck in a little furry friend. We vote on a theme and use acrylic and tempera paint to paint our themed pictures and study the work of Claude Monet. They also study abstract artist Pablo Picasso and create a Cubist inspired self portrait. The project “Color Collision” is used as a relaxing technique of free form shapes pieced together like a puzzle to learn about similar colors and following the color wheel while blending colors with watercolor pencils.

4th Grade

Fourth grade students study Pablo Picasso’s Cubism and Loiuse Nevelson’s Wooden Assemblages while working together in small groups to construct wooden sculptures. Two clay projects; one consists of using stamping materials to create an abstract design while studying Kandinsky, O’Keefe, and Picasso on a slab of clay to create a textured dish as well as designing a bisqued tile. They study Paul Gauguin and use acrylic paint for a seasonal painting. They also study female artist Frida Kahlo and draw a self portrait using correct facial proportions.

5th Grade

Fifth grade students study the Elements of Art. While learning color theory they create their own color wheel while mixing their own secondary and tertiary colors from the three primary colors. We study Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock and create a splatter painting. They study Georgia O’Keefe and abstraction while drawing a close up flower from direct observation using oil pastels. They weave a Mexican God’s Eye “Ojo De Dios” and learn to make a decorative yarn tassel. We do a graphics project of one color linoleum block prints. They use ceramic clay to construct and glaze a hanging relieve plaque in the additive method. They also study Pop artist Andy Warhol and create a Pop art inspired piece, Wassily Kandisnky and create a Non-Objective piece using sharpie and watercolor pencils, and Surrealist Salvador Dali and Frida Kahlo to create a surrealistic drawing.

6th Grade

Sixth grade students study the principles of design and learn how to draw buildings using one point perspective. They construct a ceramic imprinted slab clay vessel and also work with sculpey clay. The graphics project consists of multiple linoleum block prints using two color registrations. They study controversial artist Jeff Koons and create a colored wire sculpture, French artist ,Henry Rousseau, to create overlapping jungles using watercolor pencils, and create a funny face self portrait while studying Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Chuck Close, Frida Kahlo and Leonardo Da Vinci.

7th Grade

Seventh grade uses objects and geometric shapes to create a positive and negative design while studying artist MC Escher. They study fauvism and artist Henry Matisse. With his inspiration they use a variety of materials to design their names. They study Post Impressionist / Neo Impressionist artist, Georges Seurat, and his method of pointillism and create their own painting using tiny dots of color. They have the opportunity to use clay and, using any of the methods they have previously used, they create a bowl. They study Vincent Van Gogh and use oil pastels on black paper to draw sunflowers from direct observation while focusing on the transparency of the glass vase and the fullness and shape of the flowers. They tie dye t-shirts and have the opportunity to paint anything of their choice on canvas board using acrylic paint.

8th Grade

Eighth grade studies Pop / Graffiti artist Keith Haring and draw their name with a graffiti style. They receive advanced lessons in watercolor and paint a beach scene with professional supplies. They create a ceramic textured slump bowl, sculpey clay pens, or a millefiori beaded necklace. They use colored pencils to create a circle design while using a compass to draw a perfect circle. They use liquid watercolor to blow designs using straws and draw according to what they see. They use tiny words and no lines to create a microcalligraphy drawing.