Debra Disman

Artist

City of Santa Monica

Picasso-Inspired Shape Shifting

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In our “Making Art Inspired by Great Artists” CREST Enrichment class,
Students in grades TK- 5th are inspired by Pablo Picasso…learning about Cubism, creating and exploring shapes through line, color and collage, and creating their own Picasso-inspired portraits!

For a different take and to enhance their experience of color relationships and expression, we used black paper as a background!
Students drew their portraits, used colored pencils and crayons to identify and add shapes, and finally cut and added more shapes out of colored paper, taking care not to obscure what they had already done!


Adding a crown


Using a loose line to add color


Abstract and Representational takes on the project


“Hear Me Roar…”


Framing…adding a border



Self-portrait?


Strong, clear shapes

Creativity abounds with these kindergarteners through fifth-graders.
Each created their own vision through the project, as they will continue to do through their lives.

Inspired by the Story Quilts of Faith Ringgold

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Keeping the FAITH through “Story Quilting”!

I am thrilled to be teaching MAKING ART INSPIRED BY GREAT ARTISTS  at Grant and McKinley Elementary Schools in the Santa Monica Public School System through the CREST Enrichment program.

After a span of two years, teaching live and in-person is exciting and energizing. The students are enthusiastic, helpful and creative and IMAGINATIVE and the parents and staff supportive and engaged.

Everyone is working together to make in-person teaching a safe and rewarding experience. Despite the challenges and great energy required, what fun to see these young artists exercise their imaginations, play, learn and create!

Students responded positively to our “Story Quilt” project, inspired by the Great Artist, Faith Ringgold.
Put cloth in their hands, and away they go!

Joyous play and exploration of fabric, cloth scrap, felt (actually made of acrylic- durable!) and tacky glue!

Keeping the Faith…Making Art Inspired by Great Artist Faith Ringgold

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I am thrilled to be teaching MAKING ART INSPIRED BY GREAT ARTISTS  at Franklin and Roosevelt Schools in the Santa Monica Public School System through the CREST Enrichment program.

After a span of two years, teaching live and in-person is exciting and energizing. The students are enthusiastic, helpful and creative and IMAGINATIVE and the parents and staff supportive and engaged.

Everyone is working together to make in-person teaching a safe and rewarding experience. Despite the challenges and great energy required, what fun to see these young artists exercise their imaginations, play, learn and create!

Students responded positively to our “Story Quilt” project, inspired by the Great Artist, Faith Ringgold.
Put cloth in their hands, and away they go!
Students draw an idea for their fabric “story, then begin working on felt with cloth pieces that are glued into place.


Imaginative use of the materials is the intuitive order of the day.


The stories begin to emerge.


Joyous play and exploration of fabrics, cloth scrap and tactile textiles!

 

Teaching Artistry Live and In-Person!

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Even in these times, it is wonderful to get back to live, in-person teaching!

Teaching classes outside at Santa Monica Public Schools, through the CREST Enrichment program, after a span of two years, is exciting and energizing. The students are enthusiastic, helpful and creative, the parents and staff supportive and engaged.

Everyone is working together to make in-person teaching a safe and rewarding experience.

I am teaching MAKING ART INSPIRED BY GREAT Artists at Franklin and Roosevelt Schools in the afternoon, and MAKE YOUR OWN BOOKS! at ROOSEVELT SCHOOL first thing in the morning. Despite the challenges and great energy required, what fun to see these young artists exercise their imaginations, play, learn and create!


Students work outdoors to create personal frames for their  Frida Kahlo-inspired self-portrait projects.


How they design the frames may communicate as much about them as their self-portraits inside them will.


Even the backpacks are works of art!

In our MAKE YOUR OWN BOOKS! class students learn the accordion fold book structure,

and begin developing their books with visual art and writing right away!

It is fantastic, watching the masterpieces unfold!

The Work of Our Hands: Hand Building with Clay 4

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Hand Building with Clay class at Will Rogers School with the CREST Enrichment program has been a joy to teach.

Students learned pinch, coil and slab techniques, creating functional and fanciful items, and enjoying plenty of time to create their own personal visions after completing each class project.

After learning slab (flattening) technique, students created masks from slabs shaped over newspaper armatures/supports.

Both the Kindergarten and grades 1-5 classes let their inventiveness loose!


Employing the heart shape in different ways when class fell on February 14th!


Combining use of coils with use of slab technique.


Cutting out and incising (etching lines and texture into the clay) yields expressive results.


This young maker used a pencil to twist these star shapes into his mask. Big smile!


Cut out eyes, added teeth incising texture and puncturing the clay’s surface to create small round shapes enhance this piece.


This very talented young artist wanted to create Harry Potter in clay…


She succeeded. Her use of acrylic paint pulled the whole piece together into a stunner.

BRAVO to All Our Students!

The Work of Our Hands: Hand Building with Clay 3

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Hand Building with Clay class at Will Rogers Elementary School with the CREST Enrichment program has been a joy to teach.

Here behold first – fifth grade students get their hands in the “earth”…