Jackson Pollock Art Lesson Grade: 3 Activity: Action Painting, Class Mural Keywords: Abstract expressionism, line, color, rhythm Check it out : YouTube video by: Nate Heck, Splat! Pollock and the science of paint viscosity. Optional to show in class, but has facts about his life and artwork, defines Abstract expressionism and is done to entertain kids. It maybe too long to show the entire video, but you can show parts of it that highlight his life and art. Supplies: Large Heavy Duty drop cloth, cut to size: 4’ x 7’ Plastic drop cloths or table covers Metal stakes or rocks to hold down the canvas Old shirts or smocks for students Tempera Paint- various colors (your choice) Buckets and plastic containers to hold paint or water Variety of painting tools: Drippers, brushes, squirters, squirt guns, rulers, etc. Word search or hidden picture Small piece of paper and pencil Paper towel trash bag Artist blurb Art Guide Prep : This project has to be done outside in the grassy area right outside of workroom. Lay a plastic table cover or a plastic drop cloth down and then the canvas on top. Use stakes or rocks in the corners to hold down the canvas Print out activities for students to do while waiting their turn.

Setup painting station around the canvas outside. Fill squirt bottles and droppers with paint and a little bit of water to dilute just a bit. You don’t want it too watery. Use large plastic containers filled with paint to use for brushes and large squirters that need to be refilled. Take a trash bag and paper towels outside too You can also use a large bucket filled with water, for the kids to wash their hands when done. Cut small pieces of paper 3”x3” for students to name the art. Get out painting T-shirts or smocks. If watching the video: Tell students that they will be watching parts of this video. It is a long video, but has great information. There is nothing bad in the video, but we just need to shorten the time on viewing it. *Watch ahead of time and see how much of the video you want to show. Total view time should be about min. Have students get a pencil and a clip board or something hard for them to write on while outside. Take students outside and have them put on their smocks. They need to sit up against the wall. Give everyone an activity sheet. Explain to them the different types of “action painting” tools and show them how to work them. They need to understand that it is very “controlled” and anyone who does not follow the rules can not participate. The squirt bottles should be used downward not across, so you don’t get paint on another student. Also try not to paint in one spot, move the paint around entire canvas. Groups of students (4-5) will go up and use some of the tools. Give them a few seconds and then tell them to rotate to another tool. While one group is painting the rest of the class can be working on their activity sheets. After they finish, they can wash /dry hands, take off smock and sit back down. When everyone has had a chance to go. Optional: You can have some students sprinkle glitter over the mural. Give them each a piece of paper. Tell them to walk around their art and give it a name, not saying it out loud, just writing it down. Tell them not to tell each other what they named it. Collect the name choices and tell the kids that the art guides will pick the top 3 and then the class will vote for their favorite one. Hands On Art :

No Video: If you choose not to watch the video, then you will need to tell the class the Bio and about the artwork. Proceed to the next steps. Clean up: Let mural dry outside till the end of school day. Bring mural (and drop cloth) inside and let finish drying. Will usually dry by next day. You may need to find another spot to continue to dry. Clean out all the paint buckets and brushes. If there is a lot of paint in the droppers and squirt bottles, you can leave in there and make sure it has a lid so they don’t dry up. Display: Once dry, hang outside classroom on art board with the title that the students voted on. When finished displaying the mural, cut into squares and staple the artist blurb on back. Put in portfolios. Finish and Display: Rainbow Explosion Midnight Glow