Yet Another Snow Day

Welcome to March in Maine! We had 9 inches do snow last night which is less than they predicted.
I love the way the world looks after a snowstorm, the way every thing is clean and fresh and the way the snow clings to the trees. Since my house is surrounded by trees it is a good thing that I feel that way.

This morning as I looked out the window I was reminded of an art lesson that I use to do with second grade students after a big snow storm. It was always one of my favorites and could be completed in one class so the results were immediate.

MATERIALS

• A 12 by 18 piece of paper (not white) I preferred to use dark blue or purple because I like the way the color worked with the other colors.
• Black tempera paint
• White tempera paint
• Paintbrushes, a fine one for white and a larger one for the black

The students were instructed to paint five or six black vertical lines across the paper. They could be the same length or not. It is best if they don't know what the lines are being used for when they start as they are more likely to vary the length of the lines. After he lines were painted we looked at photographs of trees covered with snow or out the window if I was at the school that had the trees close by.

The students added lines to their first lines by painting from the bottom up and out on either side of the original line, creating the branches. When the trees were complete, the white paint was added. The width of the white paint at the bottom of the page had to be as high as the bottom of the highest vertical line from the bottom of the page. White paint was brushed on the lines that served as branches. They could add snowflakes if they desired. The two picture show here are ones that were left behind when students moved away and have no name on them.

Since I live in the woods, I attempted to capture this same image a few years ago with cut paper and collage, using a variety of colors for the trees and then added white acrylic paint. I like the image but I am still drawn to the black and white paintings. I appreciate the simplicity of the students images and the silhouettes of the trees.

What do you think?