Exhibiting is a vital part of artistic process in Visual Art, so this week I would like to share the achievements of our 2024 Year 4 students, who worked hard right up to the last minute of their last lesson at the end of the school year to complete these delightful bird sculptures.
Our starting point was a lesson drawing from observation. The Australian Museum kindly loaned us some taxidermy ‘mounts’ and ‘skins’ of real birds, preserved from as far back as the late 19th century. Students were fascinated with the specimens, including a fairy penguin, rainbow lorikeet, eastern spinebill, tawny frogmouth, spotted dove and azure kingfisher. We also examined photographs for further inspiration. From here, students developed a design for a papiér mâché sculpture.
We recycled household materials such as newspaper and cardboard rolls, using a plastic bottle for the armature. Students could choose to invent their own bird, creating their own combinations of colours and patterns using acrylic paint and posca pens. The variety of outcomes was diverse as our students.
Mrs Ann McDermott
Junior School Specialist Teacher (Visual Arts)