New Student Art Projects Displayed at the Pine Community Center

For the third year in a row, Pine-Richland student art is on display at Pine Community Center. 

Through their In-Depth Program Review (IDPR), the art department developed a goal of connecting with the community to benefit both students and the art department. Because many community members do not have an opportunity to see student art, our art teachers wanted to ensure that the entire community had an opportunity to stop in and see what students are creating. The collaboration with Pine Community Center was developed to help meet this aim to share art with the broader community. 

Art pieces were recently updated. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade are represented through projects detailed below.

All members of the community are encouraged to stop by to see what our students have been working on this school year! 
 

February 20, 2025, Update

Middle School—Teacher Holly Angeloff

Artists: Andrew Lion, Hannah Luisi, McKenzie McKay, Esmeralda Santos Hernandez, Garrett Schumacher, Leila Senz, Sahana Shankar, McKenna Stokes and Maxwell Weir

Mrs. Angeloff’s eighth-grade art students engaged in an enriching exploration of the ethics surrounding AI-generated art. They participated in thoughtful discussions about Art Nouveau, Surrealism, Impressionism and Cubism art movements.

With the assistance of PRMS Librarian Mrs. Kristen Rowe, students learned the importance of properly citing sources while accessing valuable information. With Mrs. Rowe’s expertise, students explored a chosen AI website. This foundation allowed students to create with AI an animal image using the student’s chosen style. This activity sparked rich discussions about creativity and authenticity.

Following this, the students showcased their own artistic skills and techniques learned in art class by creating an original artwork using composition, contour line and custom mixing of watercolors. Their final pieces were beautifully divided into four quadrants, each reflecting students' knowledge of the four art movements studied, resulting in a stunning patchwork featuring an animal of their choosing.

Eden Hall—Teacher Katelynn Tronetti

Fourth-Grade Artists: Connor B., Shane M., Oliver P., Nathaniel R. and Harper U.

Fourth grade finished painting color application of their clay slab creations. During this unit, they explored digital sculpting to compare and contrast the skills of a program with 3D printing capability versus the physical construction of clay. Students were to create a slab in the program and use different tools and/or additional forms to get a small taste of digital sculpting as a medium. After only two classes of digital sculpting, they presented their work through screenshots. 

Fifth-Grade Artists: Anna B., Aviana C., Ben C., Mackenzie C., Ben R. and Catherine T.

Fifth grade’s current artwork may seem like one project, but these students combined two units to be able to create these masterpieces. The first unit involved students defining monochromatic and mixing their own tints and shades of color to create monochromatic paintings. The second unit challenged students to break a complex image like an animal into its simplest shapes so they could find more success in defining the contour of their animal. Students chose how they wanted to use their animal in conjunction with their paintings, whether it was used once with paint, paper and/or marker.

Sixth-Grade Artists: Olivia D., Mason M., Helena P. and Aria Z.

Sixth grade is in the finishing stages of glazing their clay creations. In the midst of the clay unit, sixth students used the digital sculpting program while their clay pieces dried and went through the bisque firing stages. They, too, compared and contrasted the digital skills versus physical skills of manipulating form but as applied to a pinch pot instead of a slab. Students used digital tools to open a spherical form to replicate a pinch pot and added additional forms and/or used tools to manipulate the form. After two classes of digital sculpting, they presented their work through screenshots. We discussed the importance of showcasing multiple angles since it is a 3D form even when on the screen.

Student work and projects not featured at PTCC will be on display for the Eden Hall Upper Elementary Art Show March 10-12. 

Hance—Teacher Jennifer Jankowski

First- and Second-Grade Artists: Declan C., Patrick K., Kennedy K. and Adley V.

Inspired by various evergreen branches, first- and second-grade students practiced brush control and explored a few painting and printing techniques with tempera paint.  They enjoyed mixing color mixing and printing lines with recycled cardboard and carefully splatter painting with toothbrushes.  Finally, they mounted their artwork on background paper.

Hance and Richland—Teacher Katie Laslavic

Hance Artists: Ophelia M., Anthony M., Roan S. and Ella W.

Richland Artists: Dean B., Harper C., Madison G., Kenny T., Emery T. and Levi Z. 

First Grade: This past month, first-grade artists have been exploring the art of landscapes, focusing on the element of space to understand depth, scale and point of view in their creations. They brought their imaginations to life by painting skies inspired by Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds, experimenting with warm and cool colors to craft skies that were anything but blue. To deepen their understanding, students studied and compared historical landscapes from fine art history, broadening their art terminology and appreciation for diverse artistic styles. This engaging study nurtured creativity and introduced foundational concepts in art with a fresh perspective.

Second Grade: Second graders have been soaring creatively with their Sensational Cartoon Seagulls project! They began by designing layered coastal scenes, visualizing textures inspired by the shoreline and recreating them using vibrant collage techniques. Building on their scenic backdrops, students explored the work of famous modern-day cartoonists and animators to infuse their seagulls with personality and charm. Through this playful and skill-building project, students combined imagination with technique, bringing their artistic visions to life while gaining a deeper appreciation for the art of animation and character design.

Kindergarten and Third Grade: Kindergarten and third grade are on display vacation this quarter while we complete our ceramics units! 

Wexford—Teacher Jennifer Jankowski

Second- and Third-Grade Artists: Lia B., Madeline D., Emma D., Addison F., Kate F., Phoebe G., Chloe H., Harper H., Jiwoo K., Nicholas L., John N., Mina O., Siya P., Nora P. and Ava Y.

Second- and third-grade students attending the most recent After-School Art Club independently and collaboratively created and recreated Layered Geometric Assemblage pieces. Students planned, layered, assembled and painted individual pieces using new and recycled materials. Students learned about assemblage artist Louise Nevelson. Additionally, students explored color theory and repainted large collaborative art sculptures with their vision to brighten our hallway and showcase our uniqueness with their unique colors with a repurposed permanent art installation.

*Due to the size, weight and fragility of the projects, photos of the group collaborations are featured.

 

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November 20, 2024

Richland K-3—Teacher Katie Laslavic

Artists: Campbell C., Isla L., Charlie Jo M., Cole M., Alex N., Ryder P., Will K., Chase V., Peyton W.

Kindergarten artists explored Japanese art through The Great Wave Off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai. They learned about proportion and perspective, noticing how Hokusai made Mount Fuji appear small against a towering wave. The students also discovered how line creates movement and drama in the piece. Inspired by this, they crafted their own “great waves” out of paper, using line to bring their sculptures to life and capture the energy of Hokusai’s iconic work.

First-grade artists dove into ocean-themed art, exploring how line can transform scenes into vibrant, expressive works. Using mixed media—paint, sculpture, pastel, and even photography—they brought ocean life to life on paper and in 3D. As part of this project, students revisited primary colors and learned to distinguish warm and cool color schemes. Inspired by modern artists like Josh Agle, who use line and color in bold ways, they created unique ocean scenes that reflect their individual styles and newfound color knowledge.

Second-grade artists created beautiful landscapes in collaboration with their ELA curriculum after reading Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak. This story inspired them to depict the transition between summer and fall in their artwork. Through their projects, students discussed transitions in many contexts, including art. They studied the color wheel and noticed that, just like in nature, colors follow scientific transitions: red, orange, yellow and green blend seamlessly, mirroring the changing hues of fall trees. This project showed our young artists just how much art and science have in common.

Third-grade artists created a stunning, cohesive forest of ROYGBIV trees, each representing a unique mark of creativity. Every student crafted a concentric circle tree using tints and shades of one chosen color, making a beautiful monochromatic piece. When put together, their trees formed a vibrant forest, with each tree connecting harmoniously with those around it. Inspired by International Dot Day—a celebration that reminds artists worldwide that anyone can make their mark—they discovered how a simple “dot” can grow into something remarkable. This project was a powerful reminder of individuality, community and the importance of starting small to make a lasting impact.
 

Hance K-3—Teacher Jennifer Jankowski

Artists: Aidan B., Laurel C., Joie G., Reyna S., Elliott W.

In celebration of International Dot Day, and in collaboration with music teacher Carly Tansimore, Hance shared artwork inspired by famous dot artists.

Kindergarten artists created unique concentric circles using paint sticks in warm and cool colors. Artists practiced tracing a large circle template, cutting out their large dots and gluing them on paper.

First-grade artists painted bold concentric circles using warm and cool colors and carefully drew line designs. Just like artist Wassily Kandinsky, they painted their masterpieces to classical music.

Second-grade artists created a collage in the style of contemporary artist Howardena Pindell. They designed unique patterns with lines and shapes with oil pastels and crayons and then painted.

Third-grade artists freely created colorfully painted collages in the style of the contemporary artist Beatriz Milhazes while listening to Bossa Nova music. These artists printed dots with gelli printing plates and created unique textures with paint scrapers. They carefully cut out their prints and other new and recycled papers to create unique collages.
 

Hance 1-3—Teacher Katie Laslavic

Artists: Annabelle C., Grace D., Reese M., Emma S.

First-grade artists dove into ocean-themed art, exploring how LINE can transform scenes into vibrant, expressive works. Using mixed media—paint, sculpture, pastel and even photography—they brought ocean life to life on paper and in 3D. As part of this project, students revisited primary colors and learned to distinguish warm and cool color schemes. Inspired by modern artists like Josh Agle who use line and color in bold ways, they created unique ocean scenes that reflect their individual styles and newfound color knowledge.

Second-grade artists created beautiful landscapes in collaboration with their ELA curriculum after reading Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak. This story inspired them to depict the transition between summer and fall in their artwork. Through their projects, students discussed transitions in many contexts, including art. They studied the color wheel and noticed that, just like in nature, colors follow scientific transitions: red, orange, yellow and green blend seamlessly, mirroring the changing hues of fall trees! This project showed our young artists just how much art and science have in common.

Third-grade artists created a stunning, cohesive forest of ROYGBIV trees, each representing a unique mark of creativity. Every student crafted a concentric circle tree using tints and shades of one chosen color, making a beautiful monochromatic piece. When put together, their trees formed a vibrant forest, with each tree connecting harmoniously with those around it. Inspired by International Dot Day—a celebration that reminds artists worldwide that anyone can make their mark—they discovered how a simple dot can grow into something remarkable. This project was a powerful reminder of individuality, community and the importance of starting small to make a lasting impact.

Wexford K-3—Teacher Jennifer Jankowski

Artists: Arohee C., Brooks K., Jiwoo K., Costanza L., Ella O., Isaac S., Clive S., Erikson T.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, and in collaboration with librarian Andrea Clarkson and music teacher Kim Campbell, Wexford proudly shares artworks inspired by Mexican culture. To reinforce geography and world cultures, Wexford features a large world map in the art gallery.

First-grade artists studied line and created Mexican blankets in primary colors. These artists cut and glued paper lines and created line designs with oil pastels. Finally, they carefully snipped fringe to embellish their artwork. Students learned about Mexican blankets and compared line designs in these textiles.

Second-grade artists experimented with line and shape as they practiced brush control and learned about the endangered monarchs' cultural importance to the Mexican people.  Inspired by the book Señorita Mariposa and the monarchs’ annual migration, they created symmetric monoprints of artistic monarch butterflies, adding yellow for brightness and flair. They learned the parts of the butterfly and how to identify male and female monarchs. They painted one side, folded their papers and created a monoprint on the other side. They used pastels to color their backgrounds for compositions of complementary colors.

Third-grade artists were inspired by Mexican serapes in their cultural study. They printed a center design with recycled cardboard and paint which could show symmetry or asymmetry. They chose one hue and mixed tints, shades and tones to practice brush control. Finally, third-grade artists learned about space and texture when they punched holes and created lark head knots for fringe.

Eden Hall 4-6—Teacher Katelynn Tronetti

Artists: Lucianna A., Delaney B., Madeline C., Carson C., Delia J., Julia K., Carter L., Frederick H., Max M., Nora M., Kieran M., Jamie P., Yashita P.

Fourth-grade students observed various artworks that demonstrated different emotions and discussed the artistic elements that impacted their effects. They then created designs that reflected 2-4 emotions through the use of line, shape and color. 

Fifth-grade artwork is not on display outside of Eden Hall due to its fragility, but you can learn more and see pictures of their paper-cutting designs on the PR website.

Sixth-grade students identified the different values in shading and explained the scientific reasoning behind the value placements. They created designs using rounded objects since the focus was on spherical shading. Students chose chalk pastels, pencils or a combination of both mediums to demonstrate shading.

Middle School 8—Teacher Holly Angeloff

Artists: Aiden Beale, Elan Davis, London Garrighan, Riley Komoroski, Pritha Mukherjee, Ana Oliveria, Desolina Postreich, Alina Samila, Carter Straub, John Mark Whiddon

Eighth-graders worked on contour line drawing of hands. Contour line requires keen observation and a continuous line traditionally created in ink or pen where no erasing is used.