1st Brown Room Tempera Paintings at the Easel

         "It's changing colors."  -Will

We opened up the easel to paint with tempera paint. Watercolor was previously creatively explored, with some evidence of this being carried along on the cubby bags. The experience with tempera paint is distinguished from watercolor, by tempera's thicker viscosity and a typical standing position at the easel. Supporting the language of painting  (along with the tools/materials) attention was given to paint brush size, wiping the paint brush on the jar edge to avoid excess dripping, flipping the paint brush over to utilize the additional paint on the bristles, getting more paint on the brush when necessary, smoothly moving the paint brush in either vertical or horizontal strokes, and changing brushes for a new color, to avoid mixing the paint color in the jar.

The mixing of colors would instead happen serendipitously, on the paper, by the movement of the paintbrush and the introduction of additional colors. Only primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) were offered. Children were presented with creativity through painting, exploration through the observation of  color transfering from brush to paper, and discovery through the phenomena of inevitable color mixing.

Observing how the children approach an experience and material(s) is one of many documentation lenses. When it comes to introductory work, where a language or material is new or minimally familiar, similar approaches, by the children, as well as authentic and varied interactions with the materials will likely be observed. This was the case for our first experience with tempera. The transformation of the children's paintings, from start to finish, make their work remarkable and original. Below are images of the paired children, their final paintings, along with early and later versions of their work.

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Will & Adaline at the Easel

Adaline

Adaline's 1st Brown Room tempera painting. 9.19.2022

Adaline playfully and curiously spreads the paint around the paper, and at one point exclaims, "I can do it on the paper!"

Adaline observes Will and implements his approach of using two brushes to paint, consequently mixing the colors on her paper. She also chose to trade standing for a seat in a chair.

Will

Will's 1st Brown Room tempera painting. 9.19.2022

Early on Will had three distinct line formations of each of the three primary colors.

By the end of Will's time at the easel he had discovered that the colors mixed "makes black."

Christopher & Gracie at the Easel

Christopher

Christopher's 1st Brown Room tempera painting. 9.19.2022

Christopher started with blue and showed some subtle fascination and joy with the evidence of paint on the paper.

After some application of blue lines, Christopher states, "Me want yellow." Then, with the stroke of his brush he makes green appear on the paper. Eventually, he makes a choice to use red, and after adding the color to his work he confidently, if not proudly, remarks, "I made red."

Gracie

Gracie's 1st Brown Room tempera painting. 9.19.2022

Gracie continued with red paint for quite some time before adding a second color, yellow.

Gracie appeared very intentional and focused in her work. After a layer of orange, she makes a choice and begins "changing with blue."

Georgia & Eliza at the Easel

Georgia

Georgia's 1st Brown Room tempera painting. 9.20.2022

Although starting with red, Georgia seemed to be relishing the blue and continue with it to create a more monochromatic result.

After applying blue, over the red, Georgia notices a change. "It's a different color like that. It's a purple. It looks like purple. I see purple in there. I think it turned purple! ... It just mixed up the colors."

Eliza

Eliza's 1st Brown Room tempera painting. 9.20.2022

Eliza started somewhat modestly but with observed intentionality. Her big loose brush strokes and were met with a slightly experimental approach.

After many strokes of her brush, Eliza began to add "dots" by applying the paint with a different technique and pressure.

Win & Zoe at the Easel

Win

Win's 1st Brown Room tempera painting. 9.20.2022

Win worked confidently and quietly, with occasional connecting glances at Zoe.

Win concludes her work having explored blue, yellow, some green in between and lastly a layer of red to make her painting pop.

Zoe

Zoe's 1st Brown Room tempera painting. 9.20.2022

Zoe utilized the vertical length of the easel paper. She isolates her first choice of red, does the similar with yellow, but once she adds blue, she incorporates a side to side stroke blending the blue with both the red and yellow.

Zoe demonstrated dedication to the process in reaching for the top edge of the paper. After using all colors, Zoe goes full circle, back to using red.

Henri & Lou Lou at the Easel

Henri

Henri's 1st Brown Room tempera painting. 9.23.2022

Henri and Lou Lou both follow the same sequence of paint colors: red, blue, then yellow. "I need a little more red," Henri says before adding blue.

Henri adds yellow and really begins to swirl the colors.

Lou Lou

Lou Lou's 1st Brown Room tempera painting. 9.23.2022

As mentioned, Lou Lou started with red eventually initiated a change in color. "I want blue."

Lou Lou takes interest in stirring the paint, but only after a lot of investment, following the success of a brush stroke, she exclaimed, "I did it!"

Pierce & George at the Easel

Pierce

Pierce's 1st Brown Room tempera painting. 9.23.2022

Pierce began to notice the colors changing in the paint jars from some cross contamination with the brushes.

Beginning with red and following with blue paint, Pierce, independent of suggestion, asks for white.

George

George's 1st Brown Room tempera painting. 9.23.2022

George's attention gets focused on the edge of the paper, as he layers the paint.

Following a visit to the bell tower, George is influenced making remarks about his work: "That's the bell tower (right). And "that's the steps to the bell tower." (left)