For the first project of this last session of the year, we learned about Henri Rousseau.  Rousseau’s story is one of dedication and perseverance.  He didn’t begin to paint until later in life and never had a lesson.  The art world in Paris literally laughed at him year after year, but he kept painting.  Towards the end of his life, he did receive some attention.  Unfortunately, his work wasn’t really recognized until after his death.  No his work is in museums around the world!  Rousseau loved to paint jungle scenes.  But without the resources to travel to a jungle, he visit greenhouses in Paris to study exotic plants.  If you haven’t seen any of these greenhouses (hot houses), they are worth looking up.  They look like enormous glass castles.

To begin this project, we made flower and leaf stamps from foam sheets and mat board.  Students painted their stamps and printed them, filling their page.  At the next class, we drew the greenhouses with sharpie markers.  We used a ruler to draw some of the lines. Many students really struggled with using a ruler, but I think it is a good skill to learn.  Once the greenhouses were drawn, we cut them out and glued them to colored paper.

I think all students, K-6th enjoyed this project.  I love the unique flower stamps and the elaborate structures they created.